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Wingspan is moving

by on Jul. 17, 2009, under Life, Politics

I am still surprised when I meet a gay or lesbian person in Southern Arizona,and he/she doesn’t know about Wingspan. This is a fantastic resource and advocacy center for the GLBT community, conveniently located  in  a two story building at 425 E. 7th Street, just east of 4th Avenue in Tucson.   As of Sunday the center will be closing temporarily till July 24 due to  consolidation with the EON Youth Lounge across the street, and will reopen on Monday July 27 at this new site.

A myriad of programs are being run by Wingspan, such as an anti-violence crisis hotline, a homeless teen program, another called Senior Pride for the elderly. Check out all this and more at their website, www.wingspan.org. There’s also a free lending library, community meeting rooms, even a cybercenter.

Recently Wingspan board President Cynthia Garcia sent out an email alert to the community about restructuring due to hard economic times, including the resignation of the Executive Director.  Jason Cianciotto will stay only through July 31, paid  at only $1, as Wingspan is returning to an all-volunteer agency.  Read the text of the July 17 alert here from their website:

http://www.wingspan.org/content/news_wingspan_details.php?story_id=670

As a straight ally, I have been to several events and receptions at Wingspan, along with my husband. Sign up for their weekly online newsletter which has lots of activities to participate in and support. The well attended Annual Dinner in September will also be reorganized into something different according to Board  President Garcia.

Please consider a donation (no matter how small) to help this worthy organization continue its programs.  Times are hard, and this group needs our support now.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 17th, 2009 at 7:47 pm and is filed under Life, Politics. Tags for this post: , , , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • Hoot Enswooper

    Who cares?

    • http://sesw.blogspot.com Buck Bannister

      Actually I care greatly. Wingspan has been a leader in GLBT Community Centers and development over the past decade. Their innovative programs to help at risk GLBT Youth as well as their programs on both domestic violence and anti-gay violence are some of the best in the nation. In addition, they provide a number of programs for GLBT seniors, support for the arts, and even healthcare referrals for the community.
      Unfortunately, the economic collapse has had a devestating effect on their finances as grants have dried up and donations have been curtailed as people find themselves in dire financial straits.
      So, Mr. or Ms. “Hoot” – many people care a great deal and people like you would do well to keep you bigotry to yourselves.

  • Carol

    Wingspan is a nationally recognized LGBT community center. Something Tucson can really be proud of. Southern Arizona still remains a hostile place for many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. For 21 years Wingspan has advocated, educated, and helped make Tucson and Southern Arizona a more kinder, gentler, aware town. Anyone who cares about Tucson remaining a diverse, creative, and safe place for all, can support Wingspan by giving online at http://www.wingspan.org

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