Fxuxvwvxurr I \\ ‘J '1 D i ! NEWS / COMMUNITY Samara Dinner Celebrates Scholarships, Grant Recipients .. MONTPELIER - Samara Foun- dation benefactors, board mem- bers, and volunteers mingled at the foundations Annual Thank You! Celebration at the State- house on September 15. Among" those, of course, were representatives of Out in the Mountains/Mountain Pride Media, but there were also some new faces in the crowd. Andrea Van Liew, who start- ed exploring the possibilities of foster care with her partner 10 ‘years ago, spoke about the Gay and Lesbian Adoptive and Foster Families group (referred to as “Laff,” because “you gotta laugh,” Andrea quipped) that has been meeting for about a year now, supported by Samara. Andrea and her partner now have two daughters they met through foster care, and together with 30 to 35 other families, meet regularly to talk about parenthood issues and to support each other. Merry Gangemi also spoke about the radio show she started Michelle Barber is MPM's Newest Board Member Michelle Barber is Mountain Pride Media’s newest board member. Michelle, who is 25, moved to Vermont three years ago from Kentucky, where she was involved the gay commu- nity on campus. She had been reading OHM for some time, and when she read that we were look- . ing for new board members, she decided to check it out. Elected in late August, Michelle has joined ‘ the fundraising and strategic plan- ning committees, and chairs the outreach committee. Michelle is Service-Learning Coordinator for Norwich Uni- versity in Northfield, Vermont. In that role, she works to con- nect faculty with nonprofits such as the Northfield Boys and Girls Club and the Central Ver- mom; Council on Aging. _ Michelle can add one more nonprofit to those she works With, now that she is also serv- ing on the MPM board. “For me, it helps plug me into’ the larger community,” shesaid. /rk+ll/elcome, Michellel~V '— Ed. in January of this year with help _ from Samara. “Woman-Stirred ' Radio,” the “Premier GLBTQ Ra- dio Show,” airs from 4 to 6 pm Thursdays from WGDR 91.1 FM at Goddard College. Merry spoke briefly about the beginnings of the show that has been a success from the start. ‘Tm amazed at how everything fell together,” she said. Bill Lippert, past president of Sa- mara, talked about the foundations beginnings in 1992 in the middle of the AIDS epidemic when he lost some of his dearest friends. “I think it’s incredibly impor- Andrea Van Lie tant to honor where our roots lie,” he said, referring to a friend who, close to dying, continued to urge Bill to make sure the Samara Foundation became reality. Samara Foundation President Suzanne Stofflet attended the dinner, as did her partner “"'mi Emerson (“First Lady.” her name tag read). Stofflet talked about being the “new kid on the block,” as someone new to the local community taldng over Bill’s job. She emphasized the importance of looking not at places we don't Want to go, but always keeping focused on our goals.V —— Ed. NEWS FLASH! ofi” our backs Wins the Michigan Media Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Women and Gender WASHINGTON, DC — Washington-based feminist newsjoumal ofl our backs is the 2006 recipient of the Michigan Media Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Women and Gender, from the University of Michigan Institute for Research on Women and Gender. Established by the Institute for Research on Women and Genderin 1999, the Michigan Me- dia Awards recognize outstanding examples of media coverage of neglected, underrepre- sented issues of concern to women; that appreciate and emphasize the gender aspects of a particular issue or event; that challenge gen- der-based stereotypes, including stereotypes about feminism and feminist politics; that bring a fresh, feminist perspective to familiar stories; or that offer excellent coverage of academic research on gender. ~ Started in 1970, off our backs has been publishing insightful and provocative feminist journalism for the past 36 years, making it the oldest feminist publication in the country. With subscribers across the nation and around the globe, the longevity of ofl our backs is a 'U I O —l 9 Q 2 z E n E n O I‘ testament to the power and necessity of feminist media. Since its . inception, oflour backs, also known as oob,- has been run by a collec- tive of diverse women who use groupconsensus to conduct opera- tions and make editorial decisions.V " “ Press release from off our backs. who support us! ’ OCTOBER 2006 I out in the mountains 3 Uproarious Premiere! * ”,This play explores marginalized spaces that I've always been drawn to, or by default, placed into.” ~ (Thomas DeFrantz) Slippage Ensemble in ”Queer Theory” 1 A Musical Travesty Friday-Saturday, November 3-4 at 8 pm ';:T.Q-.*~.*xF',-«M Media Support from F LYHHCE HTER Sponsored by Iii-IV‘s2z‘._l.1~.N‘$ W“ ’ ' Supportthe orluertisers Inthe Say you sow their ad in: mlllllltllllli Trahscending Boundafles and PFLAG’s Northeast “Regional 1 GLBTIQ Conference Ce"/elwirafirrg the spectrum of Sexuality, Gcnriler (.9? Sex October 27-29, 2006 Scheduie of events: Friday night receptions at Hilton Garden Saturday & Sunday workshops at DCU Saturday night Halloween party at DCU Keynote speakers: _ Sam Thoron,-Lani Ka'ahumanu, T Jennifer Finney Boyian and Matt Kailey For more information or to register: . wwwiranscendingboundariesorg — transcendingboundaries@gmail.com _ Bobbi 603-352-6854- I