10 Places to Share Your Wealth
Where to turn when you’re seized by the holiday spirit
by Ann Walton Sieber

The holidays can be such a rich time-we really get to create for ourselves what we want as a family and home in our lives. As we invent our own perfect holidays, the richness of spirit often calls us to give of ourselves and our relative wealth to those around us who are in needier times.

Here are some ways in which you can take that generous spirit and extend it out to your wider community. We’ve focused on local grassroots groups (with one exception) who have few or no paid staff, and who we know do good and important work. Of course, picking only 10 causes is difficult, and there are many many worthy organizations that we have not listed.

AIDS Housing Coalition of Houston

After being diagnosed HIV positive, many people find themselves caught up in a downward spiral that can result in homelessness and addiction. Spearheaded by community personality Matt Locklin, the AIDS Housing Coalition of Housing provides a much-needed place for people to get back on their feet and put their lives back together. "We’re not a giveaway program here," Locklin says. "This group is about self-empowerment." The all-volunteer organization takes no government grants and supports itself through the after-hours Club Insomnia. A $25 donation will buy such needed items as gasoline vouchers, toothbrushes and razors, supplementary food. A $100 donation will underwrite utilities on one of the 10 units.

AIDS Housing Coalition of Houston
202 Tuam Ave.
Houston 77006
713/521-1613

AssistHers

Realizing that lesbians "have behavioral risk factors that put us at greater risk for late diagnosis and therefore greater mortality from certain diseases like cancer," 25 Houston lesbian leaders founded AssistHers to provide health education and assistance to Houston women whose "emotional, social, or sexual relationships are primarily with other women." AssistHers coordinates care teams, plus organizes health education for its members and outreach education to area physicians to provide them with information on the health needs of lesbians. Founded five years ago, AssistHers has trained more than 350 volunteers (including several men) and donated thousands of hours of care to 56 critically ill lesbian women. According to the Washington Blade, women in other parts of the country are starting similar programs "based on the success of AssistHers." In addition to donating money, if you’re looking for a rewarding way to get involved in women helping other women, consider volunteering.

AssistHers
P.O. Box 541095
Houston 77254-1095
Phone: 713/521-4628

Gulf Coast Archives and Museum of GLBT History (GCAM)

"The Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of GLBT History is a place for all people to read and learn and see firsthand what it has been like for those who have gone before us in this battle for equality," says GCAM’s Judy Reeves. "Without them, we would all be suffering mightily. And without GCAM, those coming now or in the future would not know of the heroic battles fought and won…one slogan or chant at a time." Located at 1609 West Main #4, GCAM needs money for rent, and for preserving its ever-mounting collection of precious artifacts. "Most people have no clue as to why we need money," says Reeves. "They don’t realize that every single T-shirt needs to be cleaned and kept in plastic, dresses and costumes need bags and chips to repel varmints, paper has to be handled carefully and cotton or plastic gloves should be worn to handle [especially] older paper."

Gulf Coast Archives and Museum
P.O. Box 130192
Houston 77219
713/227-5973, info@gcam.org, www.gcam.org

James Byrd, Jr. Foundation for Racial Healing

After the horrific murder of James Byrd, Jr., his family responded with one of the best examples in memory of transforming hate into love–for all people. In their stand against hate crimes, the Byrd family has insisted that sexual orientation be included, culminating triumphantly in the May passage of Texas’s James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act. Byrd’s mother, Stella Byrd, was a moving speaker at the HRC gala. As part of their response to hate, the Byrd family operates a foundation whose goal is educating the public in tolerance and respect for our diverse society. "We are focused more on changing hearts than any other aspect," says Darrell Varrett, Byrd’s cousin. "Since education is one of the keys to racial harmony, we travel around the states giving speeches to young and old and we also give out at least two scholarships a year." In addition, they operate an oral history project in which victims can tell their stories on tape.

James Byrd, Jr. Foundation for Racial Healing
PMB #244
12180 Greenspoint Drive
Houston, Texas 77060

Lesbian and Gay Community Center

Home is where the heart is, and the Lesbian and Gay Community Center seeks to provide a safe (and fun) home for Houston’s queer community. Run by a network of dedicated volunteers, the center runs such a lean and mean operation that most donations go to rent, utilities, and basic supplies. A $25 contribution will cover approximately half of the TimeWarner cable bill for one month. Having cable allows the center to open the house for television events, including the Matthew Shepherd film on MTV and, of course, Comets games. A $100 contribution will underwrite the center's insurance bill for one month.

P.O. Box 2304
Houston 77252-2304
713/524-3818

Q-Patrol

Q-Patrol was formed 10 years ago following the gay-bashing murder of Paul Broussard in the Pacific Street area. Since then, the Q-Patrol volunteers have dedicated themselves to making sure the Montrose streets are safe on the weekends. "We saw in the last election that we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go," says Q-Patrol chairman Chris Arasin. "As long as there still is the opportunity for trouble in the Montrose community, we will do the best that we can to stand in and stand up for everyone who visits the area and keep them safe." A $25 donation will keep the voice mail operating for a month, providing an easy way to keep others informed of trouble areas. A $100 donation provides about half the amount needed to operate the radios that are used on patrol for a month.

Q-Patrol
P.O. Box 66362
Houston, TX 77006
713/528-SAFE
qpatrolinc@aol.com or qp_callouts@hotmail.com

PFLAG/H.A.T.C.H. Youth Scholarship Foundation

Because HISD and other area school districts do not yet have any policies against harassment of GLBT students, our youth often end up isolated and not knowing where to turn. With this in mind PFLAG and H.A.T.C.H. combined forces to create a separate nonprofit foundation that offers a scholarship fund to GLBT youth, ages 17-26. In just the four short years it has been in existence, the foundation has become the largest local scholarship fund for GLBT youth in the country, last year awarding $58,000 to 20 youth. "Our next leaders are going to be these young people," says Kevin Davidson, who started the H.A.T.C.H. component of the scholarship, along with Gary Van Ootegham. "We have to have some educated people to work on these civil rights issues. Ignorance breeds contempt and contempt breeds ignorance."

PFLAG/H.A.T.C.H. Youth Scholarship Foundation
P.O. Box 667010
Houston 77266

Those interested in applying can download an application at www.pflaghouston.org. Or call the HATCHline at 713/942-7002.

Pride Committee of Houston

When confronting fear and hate, the most empowering response is to show one’s pride in all our human fabulousness. The Pride Committee may well be the most upbeat and effective group working in Houston’s GLBT community. Although June Pride Month is their time to shine, they work year-round to put on events that "showcase our GLBT community in all of its diversity." This energized cadre of volunteers makes pride a living presence in our town. "Surveys show that when we come out to the people around us, and when people are educated about real GLBT lives, bigotry diminishes," says Pride executive director Jack Valenski. "The mission of Pride–celebrating individual pride, commemorating our community’s history, and educating society–can change the world."

Pride Committee of Houston
P.O. Box 66071
Houston, 77266
713/529-6979

Transgender Halfway House

When transgender people find themselves caught in the bleak cycle of homelessness, they often have nowhere to go, since regular homeless shelters aren’t safe. This dearth of services became starkly apparent last year when community activists tried and couldn’t find social service help for a young transgender woman who had been kicked out by her family. The transgender community of Houston (led by the group C.A.T.S., Community Awareness for Transgender Support) decided to take action, and in January they opened a four-bed halfway house in Galveston for transgender people, the first in the country. Operating on a shoestring, the shelter needs money for basically everything. When asked whether they had any paid staff, shelter co-founder Cristian Williams laughed and said, "Are you kidding? Most of us working on this project just squeak by ourselves. Many of the people working on this project are just one step away from needing a shelter themselves."

C.A.T.S. 52^nd St. House Fund
c/o Capital Bank
3007 S. Shepherd Dr.
Houston 77098
409/621-1004
tghelp@tghelp.org

Tsungirirai Community

Former Houstonian and GLBT activist Arden O’Donnell has created a Houston-Africa link with her work at Tsungirirai, a grass-roots agency that provides care for AIDS orphans living in the high-density suburbs of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. They provide meals, school funds, psychosocial support, and basic medication to 87 orphans. Our money goes so far over there: $10 provides breakfast and lunch for one child for one month. $25 provides medical fees for one child for a year. $50 provides school fees for one year for one child. $100 provides school supplies for all agency orphans for one trimester. $150 buys a sewing machine for an income-generating project for AIDS orphans. $225 sponsors a child for a year; you will receive a picture, notes, and letters from the child as well as a packet from the organization. $600 pays the yearly salary of the assistant cook who provides 110 people daily with food. $3,600 pays the annual salary of the executive director.

Friends of Tsungirirai
802 Centre St #1
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130