20 | Out in the Mountains |November 2000

 

AIDS Project of

Southern Vermont
This year, the Project is sell-
ing greeting cards as a
fundraiser. The card is a beauti-
ful photograph by Putney pho-
tographer Dennis Gerber, a
longtime Project volunteer. It is
a detail of a Vermont apple tree
with a light dusting of snow.
The inside is blank for your
own message. The back of the
card reads “The sale of this
card benefits AIDS Project of
Southern Vermont, providing
education, advocacy and ser-
vices for people living with
HIV since 1988.” Gerber’s
photos have been used for
many years as part of the
Brattleboro Retreat’s annual
calendar. Please consider using
these cards during the holiday
season and throughout the
coming year. The cards are $15
for 10 and will be available in
Putney at‘ Heartstone Books
and Silver Forest; in
Brattleboro at Delectable
Mountain and Vermont
Artisans; in Bennington at
Bennington Bookshop, Left
Bank & South Street Cafe. You

can also buy them at the»

Project office.

If you are new to the Project
or would like an update about
HIV, please join. us on Nov. 8
from 6-9 pm. You will have an
opportunity to explore the
world of HIV, learn more about
what the AIDS Project does
and find out what volunteer
opportunities are available. We
have a variety of interesting
presentations planned. We will
discuss what it is like to have
HIV now, how the Project
helps, what the Project is doing
to prevent transmission of HIV,
and how volunteers help.
Please contact Michael at 254-
8263 or mff@sover.net for
more information or to RSVP.

HIV+ Public Policy

Project

The HIV+ Public Policy
Project, a peer-driven self-
advocacy and lobbying organi-
zation, will meet on
Wednesday, Nov. 15, from 1-
2:30pm in the Statehouse cafe-
teria in Montpelier. We will
outline our agenda for the
upcoming 2001 legislative ses-
sion, as well as identify emerg-
ing issues in the HIV+ and at-
risk communities. At 2pm,
we’ll be joined by Patricia
Berry, Director of the
HIV/AIDS/STD Program at
the Vermont Department of

community

COITI I 855

Health, to discuss how the
HIV+ community and the state
can work better together in the
coming year. Because the
results of the approaching elec-
tion may have a dramatic
impact on the development and
maintenance of HIV/AIDS
programs and policy in
Vermont, HIV+ involvement in
the political arena is more
urgently needed than ever.

Even though we face formi-
dable challenges in the year
ahead, this is a tremendously
exciting time for grassroots
AIDS activism in Vermont. If
you are HIV+ and would like
to get involved in the formation
of policy and programs that
address your needs, please join
us on November 15. If you’d
like more information, or
would like to check in more
privately, you can reach the
HIV+ Public Policy Project at
(802) 655-8255 (ask for John),
pkurth@earthlink.net, or at
P.O. Box 5248, Burlington, VT
05402.

Mountain Pride

Media

Mountain Pride Media
thanks everyone who filled out
and returned readership sur-
veys. Congratulations to the
prize winners. We gratefully
acknowledge Urban Travel,
Moose Meadow Lodge, Starry
Night Café, Sleepy Hollow Ski
and Bike for their prize dona-
tions, and two community
members for donations of tick-
ets to “A Christmas Carol” and
“International Guitar Night.”
Special thanks to Stephanie
Siebert for designing the sur-
vey and Carrie Rampp and
Mack Roark for the online ver-
sion. The survey was funded
by a grant from Samara
Foundation of Vermont.

Thanks to Fred Pond for
hosting the Windsor County
stop of the Green Mountain
Tour on Nov. 5. Thanks to all
our hosts and participants over
the past year. We still have
more counties to visit and will
start back up in 2001. Keep
checking OITM or our online
Community Calendar at moun-
tainpridemedia.org for details.

Thanks to Karen, Brian,
Elizabeth, Dan, Anthony, Peter,
Bruce, and Todd for helping us
get the October issue mailed
out. We welcome people to
stop by our Richmond office
the last Thursday of every

' month 5-8pm to help get Out In

The Mountains into our com-
munity. This month’s stuffing

check the calendar for deadlines

is Nov. 30, so plan to join us.
We welcome Morgan, our new
Middlebury distribution volun-
teer. MPM is currently looking
for someone to deliver'papers
to the Richmond Post Office on
the morning following the
stuffing. If you have a large
vehicle and are interested in
helping out as a courier, please
contact us at 434-6486 or dis-
tribution@mountainprideme-
dia.org.

We’re looking for a new edi-
tor for OIT M You can get more
details about this and other
paid and volunteer positions at
mountainpridemedia.org/vol-
unteer.htm.

Don’t forget: a subscription
to Out In The Mountains makes
a great gift. Fill out and return
the subscription card in OITM
or subscribe online by clicking
on Subscriptions on the OITM
home page on our site.

Pride Vermont

On Tuesday, Nov. 14,
there’s an Open General Board
meeting for those interested in
getting involved with Pride
VT’s planning of 2001 ’s festiv-
ities and the next millennium.
Come down and check us out
from 7-9 pm at the McClure
Multi-Generational Center in
Burlington. _

We also invite you to attend
an open community needs and
assessment meeting for Pride
VT. The meeting will take
place on Monday, November
27 from 7-9 pm at the McClure
Multi-Generational Center.
This is an opportunity for
everyone to speak their mind
and contribute to the future of
Pride VT. Refreshments will be
served.

For more info contact Brian
Cina or Eric Cross, 859-9238.

St. Michaels
Coflege

In recognition of World
AIDS Day, St. Mike’s, joined
by Vermont CARES, presents
11 quilts from the AIDS
Memorial Quilt Project in the
Chapel of Saint Michael the
Archangel on the college cam-
pus in Colchester. They will be
on display in the Chapel Wed.
Nov. 29, 7-9 pm and Thu, Nov.
30 and Fri, Dec. 1, 9am-9pm.
An opening ceremony on Nov.
29 will feature John Bell of
ACT UP Philadelphia, a partic-
ipant in the World AIDS con-
ference held this year in South
Africa. During that ceremony
there will also be the official

Send your submissions to us by

presentation of The Children’s
Quilt by children of St.
Michael’s faculty and staff,
aged 10 to 8.

The closing ceremony on
Friday will start with aicandle-
light vigil march from the
Chapel to the AIDS House on
College Parkway. Those
assembled will conclude the
vigil at the chapel by taking the
quilts from the walls and fold-
ing them to the project’s speci-
fications.

R.U.1 .2?
Community

Center

Thanks to your support,
R.U.1.2? Community Center
has become a strong organiza-
tion providing venues for
social, cultural, artistic, and
educational endeavors in our
lgbt and allied communities.
R.U.1.2? is growing fast and
we need your help !

Samara Foundation of
Vermont has pledged support
to R.U.1.2? Community Center
with a challenge grant. When
you become a member of
R.U.1.2? this fall, Samara will

'match the first $2000 of your

donations 1 to 1!

This year volunteers imple-
mented innovative program-
ming for the lgbta community,
including monthly potlucks,
cofleehouse evenings, and vol-
unteer-led courses called
“Summer Semester.” The high-
light was celebrating our com-
munity’s historic achievements
at our 2nd Annual Community
Dinner. This year we will add
an adult social support group
and an lgbt health resource
guide.

Becoming a member is an
important way to help us sus-
tain valuable programming to
make our community center
great. Besides the satisfaction
of knowing you make an
investment in the future of our
communities, membership at
R.U.1.2? does have its “privi-
leges.” When you make a
membership commitment to
the center, you receive an
R.U.1.2? bumper sticker, mem-
ber discounts at events and a
R.U.1.2? Membership Card.
Even if you never attend a sin-
gle R.U.1.2? event, your mem-
bership donation keeps pro-
gramming affordable for
everyone in the community,
including youth and seniors.

Watch your mail, or contact
us at 860-1044 or
thecenter@rul2.org to find out
how you can become a member

Community Compass is a service of OITM.
GLBT organizations from around the state are
invited to provide 200-word descriptions of

recent or upcoming activities and events.

email to editor@mountainpridemedia.org

of R.U.1.2? and help make a
Vermont lgbt community cen-
ter a reality!

Vermont CARES

Vermont CARES recently
held our fifth annual
AIDSWalks around the state.
AIDSWalk 2000 in Montpelier,
St. Johnsbury, Rutland, and
Burlington raised about
$30,000 to go directly toward
services and programs Vermont
CARES provides across ten of
fourteen counties in Vermont.

The walks kicked off in
Montpelier on Saturday,
September 23. On Sunday,
September 24, the walk in St.
Johnsbury was held on yet
another gray Vermont fall day.
The third of the four walks was
held in Rutland at the Main
Street Park on the evening of
September 27, followed by a
candlelight vigil to remember
those lost to the devastating
disease. The last of the walks,
in Burlington on September 28,
saw pre- and post-walk festivi-
ties at the Unitarian
Universalist Church at the top
of Church Street. In addition to
the awarding of the top prizes
and a candlelight vigil, the
annual loudest cheer team
competition followed the walk.

AIDSWalks are Vermont
CARES’ largest fundraiser of
the year. We rely on money
raised at the walks to continue
to provide services to people
across the state living with and
at risk of HIV/AIDS. If you
walked, donated, or otherwise
helped out with the walks,
THANK YOU! We couldn’t
have done it without you! If
you are interested helping plan
AIDSWalk 2001, please call
the Burlington office at 0863-
2437.

Vermont Freedom
to Marry Task

Force

Common Ground: Respect
and Dignity for All is a com-
munity forum in Barre to dis-
cuss civil unions and Outright
Vermont. Speakers will include
local clergy, educators, youth
and couples impacted by the
Civil Union Law. November
15, Barre Labor Hall, 7pm-
9pm. “Punch and pie” will be
served! Sponsored by Vennont
Freedom to Marry Task Force.
For more information or to vol-
unteer for this event, call Gail
at (802) 223-0459.V