Give OUT Day Campaign focuses on Queer EmPOWERment

June 11, 2022

Pride Link Encourages Queer EmPOWERment with Give OUT Day Campaign

Pride Link is focusing on Queer EmPOWERment for Give OUT Day, a month-long fundraising campaign beginning June 1 and culminating on June 30, the only national giving event for the LGBTQ community, which also happens during Pride Month. Since 2013, Give OUT Day has helped hundreds of LGBTQ nonprofits raise millions of dollars!

Give OUT Day is organized by Horizons Foundation. The world’s first community foundation of, by, and for LGBTQ people, Horizons invests in LGBTQ nonprofits, strengthens a culture of LGBTQ giving, and builds a permanent endowment to secure our community’s future for generations to come.

At least 130,000 LGBTQ+ people live in Upstate, SC. Of that number, 1 in 5 live in poverty, 33% report poor mental health, and 1 in 4 delay necessary medical care for fear of mistreatment. Pride Link is committed to combating these disparities. Having achieved last year’s goal of $25,000, with the help of our community, the aim for this year is higher with the goal of raising $40,000 this Give OUT Day.

Since Pride Month is all about uplifting the LGBTQ+ Community, Pride Link is focusing on Queer Empowerment and what that looks like for our Pride Link community! Empowerment can range from positive affirmations & identifying the hero within to physical empowerment that can happen at home, the workplace, and within the community at large.

“We see Queer Empowerment as providing love, support. autonomy, affirmation, encouragement, and preparation to a community that has long been neglected,” said Development Coordinator for Pride Link Jessica Gaines.

Queer EmPOWERment identifies your wholeness, encourages visibility, and creates an affirming space for Queer voices to be truly heard and valued. Queer Empowerment is a key outcome of the programs and services we provide at Pride Link to help respond to the disproportionate Queer experiences in the Upstate.

By giving a contribution that provides health, wellness, and social support services, you can play a direct role in empowering the more than 130,000 Queer people in the Upstate.

Through various programming and volunteering opportunities, there are multiple ways to get involved and support the Pride Link community. People can help with the G.E.A.R. Closet, assist with events, provide information for affirming resources, work with Pride Link to create new programs, speak with the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) group or the youth group, offer workshops and clinics with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community, and by creating meaningful partnerships with Pride Link staff members.

“Everything we do is with intentionality and focus on the LGBTQ+ community. We want to community members to not only help empower the queer community, but to feel a sense of inner empowerment as they are helping folks who need genuine support,” said Communication and Outreach Coordinator Keona Prude.

Pride Link is a 501c3 nonprofit that strives to improve the quality of life for all LGBTQ+ people in Upstate, South Carolina. Their programming includes health and wellness services, social support programs, and connection to resources.