Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association
Since its inception in 1989, OPALGA has become one of the largest community based, multipurpose lesbian and gay membership organizations in Illinois.
Save the Date—Annual Meeting Scheduled for November
The OPALGA Annual Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 6, 2007. The meeting will include a report on the state of the association and the announcement of the election results for the OPALGA Board of Directors and Officers. As in the past, heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. Keep your eye out for your invitation, but mark it on your calendar today.
We hope that you will be able to join us!
Annual Picnic Outing
Fall is fast approaching, but we are going to stretch out the summer just a little bit longer. On Sunday, September 23, please join OPALGA for our annual picnic outing.
Join us and enjoy some outdoor activities, or relax and watch others play volleyball, softball, or the always-fun Baggo game (and if you don’t know what that is, come by and we will introduce you to the game!). Your kids will have fun playing with other kids! OPALGA will also have on hand some art supplies and coloring books.
You won’t want to miss the fine dining in the wonderful outdoors. The cost is $5 a plate, and children under 8 eat free. Hamburgers, hot dogs, coleslaw, chips, and cookies are provided, but please bring your own beverage (no glass).
Please join us for this OPALGA end-of-summer picnic outing.
Where: Chicago Avenue Forest Preserve, Grove #2, Chicago & Thatcher, River Forest
Date: Sunday, September 23
Time: 2:00 p. m. to 6:00 p. m.
Why: Lots and lots of fun!!
Become a Host for Octoberfeast Weekend: October 5—October 7
Last year, we had a very successful Octoberfeast weekend, where members hosted parties in their homes on behalf of OPALGA. There were dinner parties, cocktail parties, and brunches. Not only did these events raise money for OPALGA, but they were also great opportunities to introduce new people to the organization. This year, we have designated Friday, October 5—Sunday, October 7 as the Second Annual Octoberfeast Weekend. We are again asking members to host fundraising parties in their homes for their friends, neighbors, and families.
Here’s how it works: As a host, you will be asked to hold a party at your home—it can be a cocktail party, a sit-down dinner party, a dinner buffet, or a brunch. You select a date and time during our Octoberfeast Weekend, you decide upon your guests (we have three party-pricing packages: $25, $35, or $50 per guest), and then you host the party. You will receive a gift-in-kind donation credit for your expenses, and OPALGA receives the proceeds from your party. It is a fun and easy way to support the organization.
OPALGA will work with you along the way. We will provide you with invitations, information regarding OPALGA for your guests, and any guidance that you may need. You will also receive a host gift for your efforts. It should be a great weekend, and you will be helping OPALGA to raise funds for our important programs and operations. If you are interested in becoming a host, e-mail Board of Directors Co-Chair Brad Bartels at or call The OPALGA Center at 708-848-0273. Your help in making this a memorable weekend and in raising funds for the organization will be truly appreciated.
11th Annual OPAL Gala Is On Its Way
Friday, July 13, 2007
The 11th Annual OPAL Gala is well on its way to being an event that you won’t want to miss.
This year’s Gala emcee, Georgia Ragsdale, is an exciting, animated, and stimulating personality who promises to entertain and guide us through an evening dedicated to celebrating the 18th anniversary of the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association; to empowering unity of spirit and purpose; and to honoring the dignity and integrity of our community through the presentation of the Oak Park Area Leadership Awards.
This year’s setting is the elegant Elmcrest Banquets by Biancalana, 7370 W. Grand Avenue, Elmwood Park, host of previous OPAL Galas. From the moment you enter, you will be treated to an elegant atmosphere where we know your every need will be met and where hospitality will be your best dish.
The evening will begin with cocktails and waiter-served hors d’oeuvres at 6:00 p.m. Dinner will be served at 8:00 p.m. and includes a choice of succulent prime rib, savory chicken marsala, or aromatic eggplant parmesan; salad; and dessert.
Tickets are $125.00 per person and include an open bar. A raffle and both a live and silent auction will be offered as part of the evening’s activities. Attendees will also receive a free one-year subscription to the popular weekly, TimeOut Chicago. The subscription is for 51 issues and is a $19.99 value.
Please join us for an evening of fun, friendship, and “family” by ordering your tickets today from The OPALGA Center, 947 Garfield St., Oak Park, 60304, (708) 848-0273.
Message from the Co-Chairs
Remembering back to that first Gay Pride Parade causes a flurry of emotions to flood over me. It was in the 70s, just pre-disco, and I hardly knew any gay people, women or men. But I’d been invited to the parade by someone who was involved with a participating car. I rode in that car with eight or so other people. I remember feeling acknowledged, accepted, and a little self-conscious. Yet, when I looked up at folks hanging out windows cheering and clapping and celebrating, blending with the four-deep people on the street, the excitement and joy of being a part of this expanded world was overwhelming. It’s an emotional confirmation that some people are never graced to have if they live in small towns or conservative countries.
We all have a story.
This month, Michael Williams, now a board member but also a Spectrum “graduate, “ reflects with warmth and tenderness about his first Gay Pride Parade in the company of other Spectrum youth. Rob Ward accompanied a gaggle of Spectrum attendees and with knowing leadership fostered their first experiences. It was a tradition with Rob and one, I think, that he took great pleasure in providing.
As OPALGA members, we can be proud to have created and supported the kind of positive experiences so many of the youth have now had the opportunity to encounter. How different it is today from those times some of us went through in our “coming out” years. Shame and fear prevented many from knowing that they were part of a larger community and that they were not a “diagnosis” or did not need to be splintered from their faith.
Let’s start the celebration in June. This year, we can keep the party going through July 13, when the 11th Annual OPAL Gala will take place. Join us for each and every expression of pride and celebration that we have.
Note: OPALGA is again teaming up with the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau in the PRIDEChicago Annual Parade on June 24. The Big “O” float will once again travel up Halsted and down Broadway in celebration of the Oak Park area LGBT community. If you would like to participate in the parade, please call The OPALGA Center at (708) 848-0273 for more information.
OPALGA Contemplating Parenthood Workshop
The annual OPALGA Contemplating Parenthood Workshop will be held at the Hephzibah Children’s Association, 115 N. Marion St., Oak Park, on Saturday, June 9, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, June 10, 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
On Saturday, workshop attendees will hear presentations from a variety of legal, social work, and healthcare professionals. These experts will speak about foster care, adoption, alternative insemination, surrogacy, and the legal aspects of co-parenting. Sunday is “Family Day, “ where participants will have the exciting opportunity to meet established gay and lesbian families who have children of all ages. Parents will tell their stories about the options they had and the choices they made when planning their families and what it is like to be the parents of these wonderful children. Then, families will spend quality time together. Finally, everyone will break into small-group discussions so that participants can ask questions of specific families and get the feedback they need to pursue their parenting dreams.
The cost for the workshop is $75.00 per person, or two people can register for $130.00. All workshop planners and presenters are volunteering their time. The funding covers workshop costs, and any additional revenue will be donated to the OPALGA Youth Network.
Call The OPALGA Center at (708) 848-0273 soon to register; seating is limited.
Julie Loyd at the OPALGA Coffeehouse
On Friday, June 15, at 7:00 p. m., Julie Loyd will sing her dynamic, gutsy folk and folk-rock for this month’s OPALGA coffeehouse event. Her strong, clear, bell-like vocals and wonderful guitar stylings are not to be missed. For more information about Julie, visit her Web site at www.julieloyd.com. See you at the Buzz Café, 905 S. Lombard, Oak Park!
Pride Parade Remembered
We were a site, I’m sure—a bunch of gay teenagers decked out in our rainbow finest, singing songs from “Rent” as loudly as we could, riding the Green Line into the city. It was Pride, my first Pride to be exact, and as participants in the OPALGA youth group, Spectrum, we were on our way to the parade, under the watchful eye of Rob Ward. We arrived at our destination, made our way through the crowds of people, and found the Oak Park trolley. My boyfriend at the time, who I had met that summer through Spectrum, was marching behind the trolley with PFLAG…and his mother. This was a day of firsts: my first boyfriend, my first parade, and eventually my first awkward meeting of the parents. I wasn’t sure if I was more nervous to be riding in a trolley throwing beads and condoms to strangers or to be meeting my boyfriend’s very serious-looking mother. To top it all off, it began to rain.
We sheltered ourselves in the trolley and crossed our fingers that the rain would stop. The parade was scheduled to start in minutes, and a heavy downpour just would not do. Much to my amazement, at the moment the parade was scheduled to begin, the rain stopped, and a beautiful rainbow stretched across the sky. I questioned Rob as to whether all Pride parades begin with such dramatic effect and if gay people were indeed so fabulous that they had found a way to control the weather. We embarked on our journey, throwing our treats to the cheering crowd.
I couldn’t process all the feelings I had that day. I had never been near so many other gay and lesbian people. I wanted to scream and shout and do crazy things! But I remembered my mother’s warning—"Don’t end up on the news because I don’t know how we’ll explain that one to your grandmother.” So I kept a little of that excitement to myself, for my grandmother’s sake. We finished the parade and went out for lunch at a local restaurant. Rob told us stories of past parades and his many adventures at Pride. After lunch, several of us made our way to a Pride youth dance to round out the day by dancing until our shoes fell off. At the dance, I experienced my last first of the day, my first kiss. I will share with you that it was the best first of the day, far better than meeting mom.
I couldn’t have asked for a better experience at my first Pride parade. Having come out only months before, it was the warm-hearted welcome to the gay community I was looking for. And it was the motivation I needed to be myself when I left for college only two months later.
What experiences have you had at Pride? Please write to us at and share some of your Pride memories with us. In honor of the occasion, we will share some of these memories in the July issue of Empower. What better way to celebrate our Pride in our community and in each other than by sharing our moments of celebration?
FYI
OPALGA is a funded HIV and STD prevention organization in the state of Illinois and is provided with thousands of condoms to help spread the message of prevention. Please stop by our office at any time to pick up free condoms for yourself, your friends, and your neighbors. We will be happy to prepackage a bag to go if you call ahead of time. Just call The OPALGA Center (708) 848-0273 for office hours and arrange a time to stop by.
It Was a Good Time
On Tuesday, May 22, the OPALGA Board of Directors hosted their annual Membership Recognition Reception at Holley Court Terrace in Oak Park. Approximately 50 OPALGA members were treated to appetizers, desserts, beverages, and a gorgeous, summer-like evening on the top-floor terrace with panoramic views of the Chicago skyline.
The theme for the reception was “Looking Back and Moving Forward, “ and its purpose was to celebrate OPALGA’s 18th anniversary of empowering the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community of the Oak Park area. The reception also served as an opportunity to thank OPALGA members for their support of our organization.
The program began with welcoming remarks from Board Co-Chairs Brad Bartels and Cheryl Haugh. Susan Anderson gave a preview of the OPAL Gala 2007, and Youth Program Director Susan Abbott updated attendees on youth activities and events.
The highlight of the reception was the presentation of the 2006 Carol Zientek Award for Distinguished Service and the Brian Findlay Award for Outstanding and Long-Term Commitment. Public Policy Chair Alan Amato told attendees about Carol and Brian and why these awards are named for them. The awards were presented by Brad and Cheryl, and this year’s honorees were:
For the Carol Zientek Award for Distinguished Service:
• Programming Committee Chair Laura Drumm, for her strong and solid leadership of the programming committee. From the potlucks and coffeehouses to the book club, holiday party, drag show, picnic, home tour, and many other events, Laura and the committee have proved time and time again that they know how to 1) get things done and 2) keep us very, very busy.
• Board Treasurer Mike Cochran, for his work to develop better accounting measures for the organization, including hiring an accountant, establishing policy guidelines, and improving financial reporting. Mike was also co-chair of the 2006 OPAL Gala, which was our most financially successful Gala to date.
• Board Member-at-Large JoAnn Ziebarth, for her invaluable work as the editor of Empower and for her willingness to take on other tasks. JoAnn has repeatedly proved that whatever project she takes on, it will be done and it will be done well.
For the Brian Findlay Award for Outstanding and Long-Term Commitment:
• Board Member-at-Large Liz Stallone. Liz is serving her second term on the OPALGA Board of Directors, and she is an active and tireless volunteer. She also served as co-chair of the 2005 and 2006 OPAL Galas, both of which were very successful. Liz, her partner Nancy Sexton, and their business, Carnegie Printers, have also generously donated design and printing services to the organization.
The OPALGA Board of Directors and the membership heartily congratulate this year’s award winners, and we encourage all OPALGA members to keep in mind for nomination for next year those members who demonstrate service and commitment.
