NJGayLife.com
Community Announcements & Info

LEAGUE Foundation awards 7 college scholarships to GLBT youth
Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop Responds to Youth Program Budget Cuts
Local Community Encouraged to Contribute to Rescue Services
New Jersey LGBT Cancer Support Group
The Donor Sibling Registry-Survey for donor conceived people with GLBTQ parents
Laurel Hester Scholarship Fund
Transgender: what is it?

Bedminster, NJ – LEAGUE Foundation announces its 2010 scholarship winners

Marking its 14th year, LEAGUE Foundation continues its mission by awarding 7 college scholarships for a total of 86 scholarships awarded to students attending 67 different institutions since its inception in 1996. Through the years LEAGUE Foundation has received applications from students in all 50 states.

“Every student has the right and the potential to excel. The LEAGUE Foundation provides financial resources for America’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender youth to attend institutions of higher learning to meet this mission.”

Key selection criteria for these students include: identification as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender; achievement of a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; actively and substantially involved in community service; and acceptance to an accredited college or university.

Executive Director, Charles Eader said, “The quality of credentials for this year’s pool of applicants presented a challenge for our selection committee as there were so many qualified students. We are excited to see more and more students getting involved in the GLBT community at such a young age.”

This year’s Matthew Shepard Memorial Scholarship (name used with permission of the Shepard family), named for the Wyoming college student murdered in 1998 for his sexual orientation, was awarded in the amount of $2,500 to Jonathan Kyle Lipton of San Antonio, TX.. Mr. Lipton will be attending American University in Washington, DC.

The Laurel Hester Memorial Scholarship, named after the Ocean County, NJ Police Lieutenant who successfully battled county freeholders for the right to leave her pension and other benefits to her surviving domestic partner, was awarded in the amount of $2,500 to Hanna King of Seattle, WA. Ms. King will be attending Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA.

Five additional scholarships in the amount of $1,500 each were awarded to:

• Jovel Queirolo of Pacifica, CA (Stanford University, CA)
• Jeremy A. Busch of Scotch Plains, NJ (Vassar College, NY)
• Aviva Kumari Prager of Albany, CA (Whitman College, WA)
• Emily Rivers of Robbinsville, NJ (Bryn Mawr College, PA)
• Gary Johnson of East Orange, NJ (Montclair State University, NJ)

Congratulations to these deserving individuals.

Contributions to the LEAGUE Foundation scholarship programs can be made through the website: www.LEAGUEFoundation.org. Hotline: 703-691-5734. As a 501(c)3 contributions to LEAGUE Foundation may be tax deductible.

Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop Responds to Youth Program Budget Cuts Local Community Encouraged to Contribute to Rescue Services

JERSEY CITY, NJ (July 8, 2010): The Hudson Pride Connections Center’s YouthConnect program has lost 85% of its funding, leaving the organization unable to provide critical services to help support the needs of LGBTQ youth when they need it most. YouthConnect is Hudson County’s only program dedicated to providing direct services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth between the ages of 13-19.

In response to the center’s loss of major funding, Jersey City’s Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop has reached out to Jersey City residents and asked that they contribute to the Youth Sustainability Fund to keep the YouthConnect and Hudson Pride Connections Center doors open. “The YouthConnect program is a critical part of keeping youth safe and healthy in our community. LGBTQ youth are especially vulnerable…we need to keep programs like YouthConnect open and well-supported.”
Councilman Fulop said.

Thanks to Councilman Fulop’s efforts, the organization has a small safety net in the form of a $10,000 lead gift from local donors. “We need to come together to keep all of our youth safe, so every little bit helps”, said Fulop.

Nancy Caamano, Executive Director of the Hudson Pride Connections Center, says, "We're thrilled that Councilman Fulop has taken such an immediate action to the loss of funding for YouthConnect, but our work is not done. His support is a tangible response to the challenges faced by most nonprofits during this recession. We are grateful for his leadership during these difficult times and hope that many others will join us by giving to our Youth Sustainability Fund."

Hudson Pride Connections Center asks that all members of the Jersey City community join us in raising the additional dollars that YouthConnect needs to continue providing services to LGBTQ youth by donating to this Fund. Half of new HIV infections occur amongst people under the age of 25 making it absolutely necessary that we keep YouthConnect going.

The Hudson Pride Connections Center provides a safe space for LGBTQ youth to interact with their peers as well as a place to connect with, learn from, and be mentored by LGBT adults. The YouthConnect program provides academic tutoring, empowerment workshops, job development assistance, computer access, meals, a social support group, HIV testing and prevention education, and much more. Street outreach also helps provide community education and safety awareness.

Tax deductable donations can be made by going to www.hudsonpride.org or calling
201-963-4779 x112.

Contact: Nancy Caamaño, Executive Director
201.963.4779 x112 (Office), 551.226.2661 (Cell) nancy@hudsonpride.org (email)

New Jersey LGBT Cancer Support Group
Doctors visits. Medical tests. Anxious moments.Sleepless nights. Tears of desperation and fear, tears of hope and joy. Setbacks and triumphs. And waiting. Lots of waiting. These are things that every individual who has faced cancer has encountered. But the good news is that those grappling with cancer aren’t in this battle alone. They have medical professionals, counselors, therapists, friends, and family to aid them and spur them on. And now they have another ally: a cancer support group for the LGBT community.

The New Jersey LGBT Cancer Support Group welcomes all gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender cancer survivors, patients, their partners, and caregivers to meet fellow LGBT individuals affected by cancer. It's an opportunity to share experiences, concerns, fears, struggles, hopes, and triumphs in a mutually supportive and understanding environment.
The support group meets at The Pride Center of New Jersey, 85 Raritan Ave, Room 3, Highland Park, NJ 08904 on the second Friday of every month from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.

Our monthly meetings take place at The Pride Center of New Jersey located at 85 Raritan Ave, Highland Park, NJ 08904 from 7:30 to 9:00 PM in Room 3. Sessions are informal with one or more of our three facilitators always present. Our location, shown in the map below, offers onsite parking as well as parking on local streets and in a public lot nearby.

Directions can be found online at http://www.pridecenter.org/aboutus/directions.shtml

For more information about us, visit our web site at
http://www.aegletes.com/NJLGBTCSG/

If you are on Facebook, join our group by looking for NJ LGBT Cancer Support Group

Follow us on Twitter at NJLGBTCSG

Please direct inquiries to njlgbtcsg@me.com

The Donor Sibling Registry
We have assembled the following survey intended for donor conceived youth and
adults who have one or more LGBTQ identified parents. Over the years the Donor
Sibling Registry (DSR) has gathered information from a myriad of families, but
we believe predominantly more heterosexual. We think the issues for LGBTQ
families are both similar and quite different. The results of this survey will
be used to both better understand and to begin to construct resources that are
designed to meet the needs of our families. Our goal is to provide an accurate
reflection of experiences and to assist families in having meaningful dialogue
related to the challenges specific to our community.

Please note that this survey tool was designed by members of the DSR who are
also identified as LGBTQ. Two are also licensed therapists.

A NOTE TO PARENTS: This survey is designed for mature school aged youth and
above. Please review the questions to make sure that they are age appropriate
for your child. Some of the questions deal with potentially difficult topics for
families. Again, our goal is to understand our children's experiences so that we
can design and provide better resources for families as we go forward.

If you only have one parent, please answer questions for Parent B (bio parent).

PLEASE NOTE: Many questions will allow more than one answer.

We appreciate your time (should take no more than 15 minutes). Thank you!

The Donor Sibling Registry

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=RX_2fluti77pCoF1yS3HQybA_3d_3d

Wendy Kramer
www.donorsiblingregistry.com
303-258-0902

Laurel Hester Scholarship Fund
The domestic partner of deceased Ocean County Prosecutor's Investigator Laurel Hester and a former co-worker have established a scholarship fund in Hester's name.

Stacie Andree, 30, of Point Pleasant, and former co-worker Dane Wells, 49, of Jackson, have created the Laurel Hester Scholarship Fund, administered by The Personal Liberty Fund, or TPLF, of the New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Coalition.

The scholarship benefits young adults who show leadership in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex community.

Those wishing can address contributions to the Laurel Hester Scholarship Fund/TPLF
c/o The Personal Liberty Fund, P.O. Box 11335, New Brunswick, NJ 08906-1335.

Transgender: What is it?
Provided by:
AEGIS (American Educational Gender Information Service)
P.O. Box 33724, Decatur, GA 30033-0724
(770) 939-2128 Business (770) 939-0244 Information & Referrals (770) 939-1770 FAX
email aegis@gender.org
AEGIS Web Site

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