Monday, November 30, 2015

Thanks and giving continue into First Friday in December

Thank you and Thinking of you can never be said too often… 

The week after Thanksgiving gives us pause to be appreciative for our PFLAG Chestertown Chapter friends and members. We are proud to have had another successful and meaningful Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil on November 20. 
Please look at the photographs posted on our website in addition to those found in the Kent County News follow up story. Dorian Mitchell of the KCNews staff did a great job for us with two articles on the subject.  Other thanks are certainly due to Kristen, our special guest, and to Barbi B and Pat C for managing the event so beautifully with the helpful staff at the Garfield Center for the Arts. 

We have the First Friday in December happening later this week and will be hosting our simple “open house” from 5-7 pm upstairs at Bradley Lake’s office above the Nearly New Shop in Fountain Park in Chestertown, MD.  

Please stop by to say hello and sign some cards our chapter will be mailing to those in our thoughts recently. One card will be for Kristin Beck who most generously shared her time and amazing life story. A second card will sent to the family of Jacob M., the Washington College student lost to suicide the week before. In a sad way these two “cards” are related to the work of our chapter. Just last week we honored lives lost to violence in our TDOR vigil. In September our chapter held a serious discussion about suicide. Our hope is that this small act of sharing and connection will keep us open to continue to do this work.
  
It is *not hard* to feel the emotional impact of tragic events when we dare to honestly look at these difficult subjects. What is hard is to take the risk and the time to continue to address these subjects in a proactive manner. 
Thanks to you all who have worked together to take the time to honor and try to improve our understanding of the complex human condition we share. With understanding we can become less fearful and more hopeful.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

November 20, 4 pm event location is changed from Washington College to the Garfield Center for the Arts

We want you to know about the location change for 4 pm Kristin Beck event now taking place on Friday November 20th at the Garfield in Chestertown (not at Decker on the Washington College campus.) 

Washington College events have been canceled due to their unexpected closure. Now, the 4 to 4:45 pm event will take place in the lobby of the Garfield Center for the Arts and will be an informal meet and greet with Kristin. This is the same location (210 High Street) that the Vigil, film and discussion will be taking place beginning at 7 pm.

Free street parking is available and there are local restaurants within walking distance.  Please help us share this simple location change information with others who may have planned to attend the 4 pm Washington College location event. 

Questions or concerns?  Please contact:

Linda Dutton at 443 480 3138 or
Barbi Bedell at 410 562 0424

Monday, November 16, 2015

This Friday Nov 20 is our 4th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil, with special guest, Kristin Beck

Hi friends,

We hope to see you on Friday at our 4th annual TDOR Vigil with your friends and family to honor those individuals known to have lost their lives this last year due to violence for being themselves and a part of the transgender community. Following our 7 pm vigil, we will view the film, The Lady Valor, the Kristin Beck story. Yes! Kristin will be with us in person both at the Garfield at 7 pm and earlier at 4 pm at Washington College in the Decker Theater.  Don't miss this special day of honoring the challenges we share and the freedoms we enjoy in our community and our country as a whole.

These events are free and open to the public...we are proud to have used our funds to create this important educational and inspiration opportunity for our local area.  Yet, because our non profit bank account is now hitting a low point, a suggested donation of $10 per person will be requested while at the Garfield Center.  These funds will go to our local PFLAG Chestertown Chapter. Stop by our information table in the lobby for more information about our work and membership opportunities.  Donation receipts will be available.