Party On: Guilford Green Foundation Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Triad’s largest LGBTQ organization is hosting a party and everyone is invited. The Guilford Green Foundation and LGBTQ Center will celebrate its 25th anniversary year with The Green Party on Saturday, January 28, at Piedmont Hall, located at 2409 W. Gate City Boulevard in Greensboro.

Editor

“This event is truly a celebration. Our organization was born on a dance floor. It really did start with a group of friends who threw a party to raise money for the Triad Health Project because in 1998 people were still living and dying with and from HIV, which was a prominent issue in our community. Many of their friends were living with HIV and they had lost many friends to HIV and AIDS, so they had this vision that they were going to throw this party and raise money,” said Executive Director Jennifer Ruppe.

According to the nonprofit, a group of friends founded the Guilford Green Foundations in 1998 and threw The Green Party to raise money to support LGBTQ people in the Triad and surrounding areas. The funds were to go to the local HIV/AIDS service organization, Triad Health Project. The inaugural Green Party was held on March 16, 1996, and raised more than $10,000 for the nonprofit.

Since then the foundation has launched Green Queen Bingo, opened the city’s first LGBTQ Center, and granted roughly one million dollars towards programming aimed at the LGBTQ community and programming. They o er a variety of programming at the LGBTQ Center including Gay & Gray, Rotating Art Shows, Youth Drop-In Hours, Rainbow Yoga, Trans-Vocal Speech Training from Prismatic Speech, Power Beyond Pride, a queer library with LGBTQ-related books and movies, and a trans clothing closet where transgender folks can find a gender-a rming outfit at no cost.

Ruppe said that being able to celebrate 25 years speaks to the innovation and vision that the founders had in 1998 when they started the foundation “at a time when so few organizations like ours in the South and cities of our size existed.”

“It was really a visionary thing and they thought forward about what they wanted Greensboro and the surrounding areas in the Triad to look like in the future. Here we are 25 years later and to a large degree that vision has been realized” she said. “Obviously, the LGBTQ movement still has a lot of work to do but that’s the point of the organization. They wanted to make sure that we will always be here to do the work and that vision is what we see has come to fruition. We are still here, doing the work and we will continue to be here doing the work for as long as it’s needed.”

Ruppe said that she feels the nonprofit is needed now more than ever. The nonprofit has been able to support projects, students, existing and emerging community needs throughout the Triad, creating the only LGBTQ community foundation in the Southeastern United States, according to its website.

“The foundation is part of what we do. The center is part of what we do. Both of those combined are greatly needed. There are still very few cities in the Southeast that have the types of resources through a foundation that we have and that’s able to fund smaller, grassroots programs - specifically for LGBTQ people or organizations that are specifically for LGBTQ people. We’re able to step in and build the capacity of the community around us through our grantmaking process and then, obviously being the third largest city in North Carolina, having a large and vibrant LGBTQ center is important to the visibility of our community.”

While the organization is at the beginning of its next strategic plan and isn’t ready to speak on its future goal, Ruppe said that whatever it will be is sure to serve the community.

“What we know is that we will continue to serve the community through programs that we have now, through events that unite the community, and through advocacy work to educate people about LGBTQ issues.”

For now, the organization hopes that the community comes out to help raise money and party for a good cause.

The party begins at 8 p.m. and runs to midnight, o ering attendees a night of music, dancing, and fellowship. Brenda The Drag Queen will emcee the event and there will be live music by Taboo Sue and The Drew Hays Jazz Trio, and dance music from DJs Jessica Mashburn and Evan Olson. Tickets are $30 in advance and at the door, with food and drinks for purchase.

“We want to celebrate. Yes, it’s a fundraiser but first and foremost this is a celebration of the resilience of our community. Of just how far we’ve come and just how far we’re going,” she said. “Here we are in Greensboro 25 years later, stronger than ever and we want to celebrate that. Especially when we are back in a time where society is telling us to go back in the closet and we’re not going to do that.” For more information about the Guilford Green Foundation or tickets, visit www.guilfordgreenfoundation.org. !

CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.