The Center OC Looks Toward a New Home, New Events
BY DENISE PENN
The Center Orange County is getting ready to move to a new home in Santa Ana as soon as it takes care of all of the approvals and red tape. In tough economic times, people sometimes reduce their support of nonprofit organizations. The Center OC, while struggling like others, is grateful for the support of a strong community and dedicated staff and volunteers.
The Center began in 1971in a private home in Costa Mesa and was incorporated in 1975 as a not-for-profit agency. For many years, the Center has served the county from offices in Garden Grove, and staff, volunteers and clients are excited about the upcoming move. "The Center offers something that no one else does and it is vital that the Center is here so that young people and adults can feel safe coming out," said Board Chair Peg Corley.
The Center advocates on behalf of the O.C. LGBT community and provides services that ensure its well-being and positive identity, as well as to promote sensitivity and understanding of LGBT issues in the general community. In 1994, the Center became a member of the National Association of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Centers, and it is one of the oldest gay and lesbian centers in the United States, serving thousands of clients annually.
Although the Center's gala is its largest fundraising event, there are other events that continue throughout the year. There is a "dining out" program that takes place at different restaurants that agree to donate 20 percent of the proceeds to the Center. However, since the Center offers some costly services to the community - ranging from HIV testing, to counseling and health education - the organization depends on donations as well as government grants and funding from foundations.
In 2008, Kaiser Permanente announced that the Center will be one of 40 nonprofit organizations in California to receive a grant. The grants total more than $300,000 to fund services for people with HIV and AIDS.
Kaiser Permanente's HIV and AIDS research began in 1987, and two years later, the group began a grant program to HIV-focused organizations. It provides care to 6,000 HIV-positive patients and collaborates with other organizations in services for non-members who are at risk of, or have acquired, the disease. During the past two years, more than 200 HIV-positive patients enrolled in clinical trials and agreed to receive new drugs that were being tested through the Kaiser Permanente Southern California HIV/AIDS Research Trials.
Kaiser's grant funding may be used for a variety of services, including prevention, screening, and housing-assistance programs. Grant recipients are selected by a committee of physicians, nurses, health educators and Kaiser Permanente staff members at each medical center who work with HIV and AIDS patients from the communities they serve. Some organizations were chosen because they provide services that are not covered by insurance or are not available through government agencies.
In addition, the Orange County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure awarded more than $1 million to local nonprofit organizations. At its inaugural Community Grants Award Breakfast on Dec. 7, 2008, the organization announced the recipients, and the Center was among the twenty benefactors. The nonprofit community groups will use the grants to implement breast-health initiatives and programs throughout Orange County, all in a collective effort to end breast cancer.
The first Mammography Day, funded by the Komen for the Cure grant, took place Dec. 14 at the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana. People don't normally associate getting a mammogram with a party, but the Center OC launched its Mammography Day for lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and added some fun touches. "We're trying to make it a fun event, rather than just focusing on gloom and doom," said spokesperson Esther Wang. The event provided food and drinks, DJs and even go-go dancers. Women came early for the party and to socialize, then had mammograms done before rejoining the party.
Studies have shown that women who have insurance sometimes do not get their mammograms done because the co-payment is too high. In addition, it is typically an anxiety-inducing process, so the party atmosphere was planned to reduce that anxiety, according to Wang. Women come together to empower themselves and each other by taking their health care back into their own hands.
The Center plans more events such as this one and hopes to continue these events in the organization's new home. "We're encouraging women of all insurance statuses to come," added Wang. "If you don't have insurance, we'll work with you."