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: Our Annual Membership Meeting, Tuesday, May 22
OPALGA holds two major meetings each year for our members. In November, we hold our Annual Meeting which is mandated by the organization’s By-Laws. At this meeting our Co-Chairs give a report on the state of the organization, the treasurer provides a financial report and the results of the Board of Directors election is announced and ratified. In the spring we hold an Annual Membership Meeting which is when we sincerely thank our members for their continued involvement in the organization, and we award the Carol Zientek Award For Distinguished Service and the Brian Findlay Award for Outstanding & Long-Term Commitment.
We hope that you will be able to join us for our Annual Membership Meeting which will be held on Tuesday, May 22. Look for your invitation with all the details on this special event in mid-April.
Powerful, Exotic, Enticing, Rich, Quixotic, Moving, Exciting
These are words that evoke images, thoughts, and emotions. All of these words have been used to describe the music of Lojo Russo. Says the St. Paul Pioneer Press, “Lojo blends alternative, folk, jazz, and Celtic styles into a lush pattern of sound”. In addition, The Pulse of the Twin Cities, “One hell of a voice...a lot of lyrical power”.
On Friday, April 20th, OPALGA and the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation cosponsor a performance by this unusual musician, featuring, and songs from her very recent CD, Stoic Abandon as well as from the rest of her varied repertoire. With this latest CD, Lojo desires us to take a chance – to think outside the musical box and believe that words stoic and abandon are not opposites, but merely reflections of themselves, of life. It’s the balance of soft/loud, rock/folk, stoic/abandon that makes this album adventurous. Lojo makes it human.
Come be with this extraordinary artist Friday, April 20th, 7:00 P.M. at the Buzz Café, 904 south Lombard in Oak Park.
Contemplating Parenthood Workshop
OPALGA is pleased to offer our third annual 1-2 day workshop on “Contemplating Parenthood in the Gay & Lesbian Community”. Join us on Saturday, June 9th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to hear professional perspectives and on Sunday June 10th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. to participate in panel and small group discussion and activities with gay and lesbian parents and their children. The workshop will be held in Oak Park at the Hephzibah Children‘s Association – Family Based Services Foster Care & Adoption office located at.
This workshop was first offered in the spring of 2005 and participant feedback included: “Well planned and thought out, great job, thank you!” “One of the best workshops I have ever attended.” “We can’t wait to have a family. ” “Thank you, this was worth far and beyond the cost of the weekend! ”
Local Attorney Rosemary Mulryan is our opening guest speaker on Saturday. Her presentation offers great insight into the legal issues facing gay and lesbian families, including co-parent adoption. Other professional speakers will address artificial insemination, surrogacy, foster care & adoption (private adoption and the adoption of state wards).
A Resource Table at the event offers various materials to encourage further exploration on this critical topic, including “alternative” insemination, surrogacy, foster care, domestic and international adoption, second parent adoption and OPALGA Membership and Program information.
The fee for the workshop is $75.00 for an individual and $130.00 for couples. All workshop organizers and presenters volunteer their services. Your workshop fee helps to fund OPALGA’s youth programming.
Share Your Story
OPALGA currently visits about 10 college classrooms each year to provide education to students on LGBT life. Although some want more clinical presentations, the majority are interested in an individual experience and personal narrative. Because of the increasing demand, we would like to create a speaker’s bureau and complete a training this summer so we are prepared to hit the ground running in the fall.
We are looking for men, women and transgender individuals who are willing to share their story with anywhere from 8 to 80 students in a college classroom setting. Our training will include creating your narrative, what to share, class exercises and how to deal with difficult or sometimes offensive audience members. We will also have some scripted information for you to share as part of OPALGA’s outreach including information on the organization and our programs.
Sharing your story is a powerful way to connect theory with the real world. Many of these students remark that they have never met a gay person…even in the year 2007! The more diversity we can share about our community, the better.
If you would like more information or would like to sign up for the free training which has yet to be scheduled, please contact Susan at 708-386-3463 or email . We need you!
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
We are in need of volunteers to help facilitate two of our drop in programs. TGIQ meets every Saturday night for LGBT adults 21 and over. RED is for les/bi/gay women ages 16-26, and we are looking for women to facilitate this program. The volunteer commitment includes attending a training session, completing a background check and application, and volunteering a minimum of one evening per month. If you are interested, or for more info, please contact Susan at 708-386-3463 or .
Book Club
The book club continues to meet each month at The OPALGA Center. In August we hope to have a special treat! Author Carol Anshaw has graciously agreed to come to Oak Park to lead the discussion of her novel Aquamarine. One of our book club members - Joyce, came up with the idea and called Carol to ask if she’d come lead our discussion. Thank you Joyce!
Selections through September 2007 are as follows:
April
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
The coming of age story of Esperanza Cordero in the Hispanic quarters of Chicago.
May
Patience and Sarah by Isabelle Miller
In the early nineteenth century, in a puritanical New England town, two women fall in love.
June
Wilderness Trek by Dorothy Tell
(2nd Sunday) Kay and her life partner lead six very dissimilar women on a two-week trek into the Oszrk mountains. A sensual, suspenseful, highly entertaining story.
July
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Documents Bechdel’s childhood experiences and coming-of-age as a lesbian, and her heartbreaking relationship with her distant father, a closeted gay who ran a funeral parlor.
August
Aquamarine by Carol Anshaw
Olympic swimmer Jesse Austin is seduced and consequently edged out for a gold medal by her Australian rival.
September
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A love story told alternately from the viewpoints of time traveler Henry and his wife, Clare.
The book club meetings take place on Sundays from 2:00 to 4:00 P.M. and are held at The OPALGA Center, 947 Garfield, Oak Park. All books are available through amazon.com. In addition, copies will be made available at the Oak Park Public Library as well as at The Book Table. Remember there is a contribution to OPALGA for every novel bought at the Book Table. Just let them know you are with the OPALGA book-club meeting.
Contemplating Parenthood Workshop
Have you been thinking about becoming a parent? Where do you begin? Let the experts answer your questions at our two-day workshop.
OPALGA is pleased to offer our third annual 1-1/2 day workshop on “Contemplating Parenthood in the Gay & Lesbian Community.” Come and join us on Saturday, June 9th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to hear some professional perspectives and on Sunday, June 10th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. to participate in panel and small group discussions and activities with gay and lesbian parents and their children. This workshop will be held in Oak Park at the Hephzibah Children’s Association – Family Based Services Foster Care & Adoption office.
Saturday is all about the experts. Local Attorney, Rosemary Mulryan, is our opening guest speaker on Saturday. Her presentation offers great insight into the legal issues facing gay and lesbian families, including co-parent adoption in the state of Illinois. Other professional speakers will address artificial insemination, sperm and egg donation, surrogacy, foster care & adoption. You will have the opportunity to ask specific questions and participate in an enlightening discussion.
Sunday is all about the kids. You will have the opportunity to speak to parents and their kids about their journey. From what do the kids call you, to how do you handle school and play dates. Our families will share with you and answer your questions.
The fee for the workshop is $75.00 for an individual and $130.00 for a couple. All workshop organizers and presenters volunteer their services. Your workshop fee helps to fund OPALGA youth programming.
If you are interested in attending the workshop call The OPALGA Center at (708) 848-0273 or send an e-mail to info@opalga.org.
Oak Park’s Upcoming Village Election
Spring is election season in the Village of Oak Park, and the next village-wide election is on April 17. OPALGA has a tradition of participating in Oak Park village elections through educating our members on the stances that candidates take on a variety of local issues. In the past, we have sponsored candidate forums and sent out candidate questionnaires. This year, we are asking candidates for Village Trustee positions, through a seven-point survey, to voice their positions on topics including:
• Adding a nondiscriminatory requirement and providing domestic partnership benefits for businesses that contract for work within the village
• Adding protection in the village’s Human Rights Ordinance for transgender residents
• Considering hypothetically how they, as trustees, would juggle the needs of neighbors and the needs of the community as a whole
The survey is being sent to the candidates in early March. Once we have received responses from the candidates, we will compile a report that details their responses, and we will send it to our Oak Park members.
Three slates of four candidates each and one independent candidate have stepped forward for consideration. Voters will elect three four-year trustee terms and one two-year term. Announced candidates are:
Citizens for Progressive Action (Slated by the Village Manager Association)
Ray Johnson—Incumbent
Jan Pate
Jon Hale
John Hedges—Two-year term
Vision Community Action (Slated by the Village Citizens’ Alliance)
Jim Balanoff
Robert Milstein—Incumbent
Gary Schwab
Anabel Abraham—Two-year term
New Leadership ‘07 (Slated by the New Leadership Coalition)
Barbara Dolan
Harvey Lyon
Mary Shiffer
Rose Meyer—Two-year term
Independent
Dan Fore—Two-year term
March Message from the Co-Chairs
The OPALGA Board of Directors met on a cold Sunday in early February and assessed our work over the last year. There were a couple tasks with which we did not get as far as we would have liked, but there were many more accomplishments that we were pleased to have tackled and finished. We reviewed plans on membership development, membership outreach, programming expansion, community involvement, volunteer recruitment, and budgeting for an executive director for our organization.
At our retreat, we also continued working on a policies and procedures manual for OPALGA that is projected to be completed early this year. We believe that it is time to pass along the successful strategies and plans created by the toil of current dedicated people and by those who have gone before us. No longer should we reinvent the wheel with every change of leadership. We must develop a reproducible, communicable process that is followed for every important aspect of the operating procedures of the organization.
It is a daunting task. There is minutia in abundance. Many hands will lighten the work.
The prospect of completion is both necessary and exciting. Creating a policies and procedures manual prepares us for the next step in developing a not-for-profit organization— the external audit. Our financial security depends on our ability to show protocols for the organization’s activities—both day-to-day and special events. By recording our policies and procedures, the safeguards and our efforts to protect the organization will be visible for anyone to see.
Something Old…Something New for GALA 2007!
We have some surprises in store for you with this year’s OPAL GALA! First of all, a GALA first...we are moving out of June and stretching our pride into July! Friday, July 13, to be exact, so save the date and tell your friends and guests. Not only that but we are heading back to the Elmcrest Banquets by Biancalana in nearby Elmwood Park! And last but not least, we are welcoming back the popular comedienne Georgia Ragsdale to emcee this year’s event! Georgia was a big hit in 2003, and we are thrilled to have her back.
Our small but energetic committee, led by my co-chair Dan Salotti and myself, is hard at work planning this year’s GALA. As you can see, we are well on our way, but we need your time and talent to help make this the best party of the year. It’s never too late to volunteer to be a part of this sensational event. Volunteers should call The OPALGA Center at 708-848-0273 or Donna at 708-227-8799. Thanks!
Coffeehouse to Feature Emily White and Brianna Lane
On Friday, March 16, OPALGA will welcome Emily White and Brianna Lane to our monthly Buzz Café Coffeehouse.
Emily White learned the appeal of acoustic music early. Growing up studying the singer-songwriters and blues musicians playing in the parks on Beale Street in Memphis, Emily learned the intimacy and personal connection between artist and listener that acoustic music can create. Immersing herself in learning jazz and folk classics, Emily also began writing original songs. It was at this time that she got her first taste of live performance, honing her skills by playing guitar at jazz brunches throughout Memphis.
“With an innocent, emotionally present voice, Emily delivers punch after punch of raw truth, ensconced with beautiful melody and competent musicians to sweeten the dark mix of pain and shame that come with being human,” said Cheryl Kain of http://www.EdgeBoston.com about “Every Pulse,” Emily’s debut recording. Since its release, “Every Pulse” has been gaining media attention, and Emily has been playing shows throughout the country supporting the CD, both with and without the bass and drum trio with whom she recorded the CD.
It has been said of Brianna Lane that “This chick puts the word ‘singer’ in singer-songwriter.” Brianna is a sweet-voiced alterna-folkie who grew up in Minnesota. You can blame her sweetness on her roots, but this girl has been on the road non-stop for three years, and you can hear her experiences in every note she sings. Brianna has a voice and a presence beyond her years. She strums an acoustic guitar with the same power with which she sings. Brianna is currently touring the nation in support of her newest release, “Radiator.”
Brianna is an up-and-coming artist with sweetly smoky vocals and crisp guitar work. With strong rhythm and the occasional alternative tuning, Brianna has a separate, distinct style that guarantees her a place on the southeast folk circuit. To keep up with her growing reputation, Brianna has been slowly expanding her performance radius over the past six years.
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear these two artists perform as a remarkable duo on March 16. The performance begins at 7:00 p.m. at The Buzz Café, 905 S. Lombard, Oak Park.
