liguai 2, 2002
hen it opened in 1996, the Abdill-
Ellis Community Center was
hailed by sexual minorities from
around the state as a milestone in
the fostering of positive integration. Following
upon the tragic loss of two Ashland leaders,
Michelle Ahdill and Roxanne Ellis, the facility
was created as a positive bridge to the general
population while providing an affirming support
network for gay, lesbian, hi and trans individuals.
Immediately, the center set about finding
ways for community members to meet,
socialize and support
each other. T h e or
ganization rented a
large facility with a
dance floor and
scheduled monthly
activities. Participa
tion was encouraging,
hut the group was
soon in over its head
financially.
More importantly,
co-chairman Ed Bums
says, the center drifted from its mis
sion as a social service agency. Five
years after opening, it was on the
verge of closing its doors for good.
“Things really fell apart,”
acknowledges Burns, who has served
on the hoard of directors for two
years. "It was a lot chaos. It was a lot
of turmoil. And it was a lot of finan
cial difficulties, too."
He believes the center began to
lose favor with the community when
it began to lose touch with its con
stituents’ primary needs. Personal con
flicts started to pull apart the organiza
tion as it tried to fulfill diverging
demands.
“We had become more of an enter
tainment committee for the gay com
munity. It was very expensive, for one
thing, and it wasn’t what the funding sources
were giving us money to do,” Bums cites. “There
were people who wanted the center to become
their life. It was kind of just a bigger closet for
them. So that’s what we tried to do, and in
doing so, we isolated ourselves from the commu
nity at large because there was a lot of concern”
that people would he outed.
The center was ailing, and only a few core
members tended to its needs. They wanted to
make it work, hut before they agreed to con
tinue the struggle, they asked themselves
important questions: Are the needs of the
community now served by other organizations,
such as Parents, Families and Friends of Les
bians and Gays and the youth-oriented Not
W
FIN DIN G
vo" CEN TER
Fallen from fame, Ashland's
gay community center rebuilds
its reputation by returning to its roots
Volunteers publish a monthly newsletter,
maintain a W eb site and staff a hot line that
averages several calls a day. Its new location
houses a lending library and serves as an
available space for meetings and activities.
Even as center volunteers realized they
couldn’t do everything, they also recognized
they were not alone. “Collaboration"
became a key word for its leaders and has
resulted in jo in t projects with area service
providers.
Jackson County Health and Human Services,
for example, offers anonymous HIV testing and
counseling at the center. And soon the nonprofit
will work with the Southern Oregon University
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Allies Student
Union to hire a mental health therapist for crisis
intervention work on campus.
“We really want to work together with
other organizations that have the same
general issues of fairness and treating
human beings as human beings,” co-
chairman Jesse Freeborn says.
Yet all along, the chief accomplish
ment of the organization has been even
more basic— to make people aware of
southern Oregon’s thriving sexual
minorities community. “My personal
goal,” Bums comments, “is to incorpo
rate who we are and what we do into
the community at large.”
Freeborn adds, “I want to make it eas
ier for people to come out, easier for peo
ple who have been out for years to con
nect with other people and to be a posi
tive influence in the community.” JH
For more information about the
A bdill -E llis C ommunity C enter call
5 4 1 -488-6990 or visit the Internet site
uwtv.abdellis.org.
Straight, Not Sure.7 Are people feeling so safe
and accepted that the center is no longer nec
essary.7 Should it close its doors?
“We made a focus of going back to the
community and asking what they want from
the center— and doing our best to provide that,
with the understanding that we can’t be the
end-all and be-all for the entire community.
We have to maintain some parameters in terms
of the services that we provide," Bums says.
The center scaled back activities and scram
bled to balance its hooks once again. The
group discontinued its staff director position
and began to rely on volunteers. In another
cost-saving measure, the center eventually
moved into a church basement.
Travel A rrangem ents
\if]l
Tailored to Your Meeds
Today, the non
profit still sponsors
social events, al
though much less fre
quently and often
with an underlying
intent of supporting
other programs, such
as the dissemination
of health information.
The main concentra
tion now is to serve as
an information and
referral center about
activities and services
in the region.
Casual
Elegance
F or Less
Qiiht
6 5 4 7 $ W Beaverton-Hilltdale Hwy
Portland, Oregon 9 7 2 2 5
(Raleigh West Shopping Center)
Sexy Gifts - Exciting ideas
and Unique Apparatus
5 0 3 -2 9 2 -0 6 7 5
fax 5 0 3 - 2 9 2 - 9 3 8 6
1 -8 8 8 -3 17 -8 8 8 6
602 SE 38th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
503.231.3921
Wed - Sat
PRUL MITCHELL
elint@worldaecenh.eom
ntww.worldaccents.com
i
1
Corner o f Sandy Blvd. ft NE 6 4 th
3 1 0 6 NE 6 4 th
Portland, O ft 9 7 3 1 3
50 3 2 8 0 a o a o