In this OkEq eNews
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Reflecting Back, Looking Forward |
Happy New Year! Oklahomans for Equality kicked off a whirlwind 2007 with a gorgeous new building, a more inclusive name, and a
nationally-recognized brand designed by T.MOSS. We closed out the jam-packed year with a professionalized staff structure and expanded board,
over a dozen
new programs and events, and the largest number of people we've ever
served.
During the course of 2007, we completed final renovations on the
Event Center. We completed the capital campaign for our 18,000 square foot facility,
which lends great credibility to our presence in Tulsa and provides a magnificent space to continue our vital efforts toward equality for
all. We launched a powerful and comprehensive new website that spotlights the breadth
of our
activities and includes a community calendar that features LGBT and
allied activities throughout the Tulsa area.
In case you missed out on everything OkEq accomplished in 2007, check out our achievements on our website.
We closed out a banner year for OkEq, and we're looking forward to an equally charged 2008. This year holds a bevy of exciting
offerings: the inauguration of a statewide GSA Network through a youth leadership conference; a bigger
than
ever, downtown-flavored Tulsa Pride 2008; and the search for a full-time,
permanent Executive Director who will lead OkEq into the next phase of our exciting history. Stay tuned for more on these and many more programs,
events and services in the coming months.
If you haven't seen
the Equality Center yet, now is a great time to meet our volunteers and take a tour. If you have been meaning to get more involved,
join our Center
Crew
or volunteer for Pride. And if you know someone who should know about us, forward them this newsletter using the Send
This to a Friend feature at the top of this email.
With the new year, we bring you a new eNews
schedule:
each Wednesday morning, we'll update you on the week's activities with some additional
upcoming events to mark on your calendar. To include something in OkEq eNews, email eNews@okeq.org by noon on Tuesday. We hope you like our new
format, so please send us your feedback by replying to this message.
Here's to an amazing 2008!
Justice Waidner, Executive Director
Mana Tahaie, Programs and Development
Coordinator
OkEq in the Urban Tulsa
Oklahomans for Equality is again honored to have been recognized in the
Urban Tulsa Weekly. The December 26 Best/Worst of 2007 issue, declared the
"opening of the Dennis
R. Neill Equality Center downtown" as the Best
Thing to Happen for the City's Cultural Gain. Many thanks to Urban Tulsa for this honor!
Tulsa Pride 2008 Planning
Meeting
Mondays, 7pm, Event Center
Tulsa Pride 2008 is fast approaching! 2008 promises to be a transformative
year, but we can't do
it without you: the Pride Committee needs volunteers to contribute their time, energy, planning skills, leadership experience, and love for our
community to help the achieve the level excellence we are committed to creating.
The Pride Committee meets Mondays from 7-8:30pm in the
Equality Center Event Center. We need your
voice and energy on the Pride Committee! To volunteer your time, email pride@okeq.org. To be the first to know about Pride updates, sign
up on our
website.
Return of
Center Cinema
Fridays, 7pm, Sue Welch Hall
Our Friday night movies return with Phoenix, a mystery that
follows one man's discovery
of his lover's betrayal and the unlikely union that it
creates. Center Cinema takes place each Friday at 7pm and is free and open to the public. For a complete listing of films, visit our website.
Presidential primary voter registration
deadline today, January
11
Advocacy is a big part of OkEq's mission, but we can't do it without
your help. In the fight for equality, it is vital that all LGBT and allied individuals
register to vote for the upcoming Oklahoma presidential primary. The deadline to register is today, Friday, January 11. For more
information on voting in
Oklahoma, visit our website.
Cimarron Alliance Foundation Job Opening
Oklahoma City's Cimarron Alliance Foundation is searching for an Executive
Director. Click here for a full description.
At the Equality Center: New
Programs
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Diversity Book Club
Thursday, February 14, 6:30pm
Calling All Book Lovers! OkEq's Diversity Book Club invites LGBT and allied readers to the Nancy & Joe McDonald Rainbow Library the second Thursday
of each month at 6:30 for good times and great reads. February's book is Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited
by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein. For complete information on the reading schedule, visit our website.
"Exploring Balance": a Yoga Workshop by Stephen Saunders
Saturday, February 23, 3-5:30pm
Stephen Saunders leads the first-ever yoga workshop at the Equality Center, focusing on reducing tension, anxiety and stress, and replacing them with
positive feelings of ease and grace.
This workshop is open to individuals with all levels of experience. Registration is $40. For more information or to register, download the form.
Also check out our beginner's yoga class below!
Nancy & Joe McDonald Rainbow Library Interlibrary Loan Program
Our lending library continues to expand its offerings, and our catalog
just got a lot bigger:
through a partnership with the Resource Center of
Dallas, OkEq has joined an LGBT book exchange and interlibrary loan program. In our first shipment through the book exchange, we will soon receive four boxes of books from RC Dallas. Our
library will also be part of a network of LGBT community centers
across the country offering access to one another's library catalogs,
which means we will have many, many more options for you! Remember, you
can
browse our entire catalog online through our website.
| At the Equality Center: Weekly
Activities and Events |
HOPE HIV Testing
Monday - Thursday: 6-8pm, Saturday: 4-7pm, Health Testing Center
Free, anonymous HIV testing with results in 20 minutes for MSM (men who have sex with men) and high-risk individuals. Also available by appointment
by emailing AmeriCorps
member Blakely Adams.
Gender Outreach
Wednesdays, 7:30pm, Conference Room
A support and social group for transgender individuals.
Tulsa Unity String Orchestra Rehearsal
Thursdays, 6pm, Wellness Center
The Tulsa Unity String Orchestra, an all-volunteer ensemble,
practices in
the wellness center and performs at OkEq and area events. For more information contact conductor Adrian Rogers at (918) 813-2470.
Faith in Crisis
Second and fourth Saturdays, 3-4:30pm, Conference Room
A support group for those experiencing religious/spiritual crises or questioning related to sexual orientation and identity, Faith in Crisis provides
a safe, confidential environment for sharing questions and concerns, supporting others, learning from others' experiences, and collaboratively
exploring religious/spiritual crises and ways to manage, cope, grow and heal from such experiences. For more information on the group and its
facilitators, visit our website.
Game Night @ the Center
Saturdays, 6:30pm, Sue Welch Hall
New game each week. No need to RSVP, just drop in!
Beginner's Yoga
Mondays, 6pm, Wellness Center
Center Yourself with OkEq's new weekly beginners yoga class, instructed by certified yoga teacher Janet Parachin. Cost is $10 per
session or $50 for
six sessions, paid in advance. Students are advised to please bring a yoga mat.
Inside Out ACA
Mondays, 7pm
The Inside Out group of ACA, Adult Children of Alcoholics, is a twelve-step, twelve tradition program of men and women who grew up in alcoholic or
otherwise dysfunctional homes.
| At the Equality Center: Ongoing
Programs and Resources
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"The Colors
of
Living" by Dennis Scott
Our January gallery features digital art by first-time exhibitor Dennis
Scott.
Nancy & Joe McDonald Rainbow Library
Our lending library has thousands of LGBT-related books in dozens of
genres, including fiction and non-fiction, as well as many free magazines like
the Advocate, Gay Parents and the Ozark Star.
Logo
Network
We feature the Logo Network, the first and only 24-hour LGBT television channel, on the big screen in Sue Welch Hall. For programming information,
visit the LOGO website.
David Bohnett CyberCenter
Nine high-speed-internet-connected computers and a network printer available to the public. The Equality Center also provides free wireless
internet!
Volunteer for OkEq!
Oklahomans for Equality is always looking for smart, dedicated, energetic
volunteers to help run the Equality Center, facilitate programs, and assist
and support other OkEq operations. If you have a special skill or would like to donate some time to OkEq, check out our website.
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