Diversity Thrift News & Updates

2007-11-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

Gay Community Center of Richmond

*Diversity Thrift * Diversity Bingo *
* Event Hall * Meeting Space * Community Activities*

NEWSLETTER – NOVEMBER 10, 2007

Search Committee/Transition Team Appointed by Board President
Founder Jon Klein Moving to a New Role in the Organization

With the successful opening of the event hall of the Sherwood Avenue building, yet another phase of the organization’s history has come to completion. This milestone is one of many of long time social organizer and community activist Jon Klein. Klein has decided, in conjunction with the Board of Directors to move out of the day to day operations and overall responsibilities into a role of consultant for the organization he founded. Jon, also an avid volunteer with the bingo portion of the operations, will continue to devote volunteer hours to ‘growing’ that portion of the program.

A search committee/transition team has been formed with the purpose of conducting a national search for a full time executive director for the Gay Community Center of Richmond with the charge to have the search completed and a candidate onboard no later than July 1, 2008. The committee is intended to be comprised of three current board members, a representative from the current staff, two slots for operational volunteers with long standing ties to the organization, a representative from another non-profit local community organization and two at large members and the current board president in ex-officio capacity. Klein will serve as a consultant to the group as well. The team will be responsible for the implementation of the transition plan as well as the actual search and hiring of a salaried full time executive director. Persons interested in serving on the committee/transition team should e-mail a message stating their interest and including their areas of expertise they bring to the committee to EDsearchGCCR@comcast.net

Open sessions for meeting final candidates will also be scheduled so that anyone interested in participating in the interview process will be able to do so. We feel it is vital to have the community participate in this transition.

U.S. House Takes Historic Step by Passing the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act
(This article was excerpted from the Human Rights Campaign website. For the full article, visit HRC.org)
11/7/2007
WASHINGTON – In an historic step toward equality, the U.S. House of Representatives successfully passed today the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA. The vote, 235 to 184, marks the first time ever that either chamber of Congress has passed employment protections based on sexual orientation.
"Today, we witnessed the making of civil rights history in the U.S. House of Representatives by the passing of ENDA," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "This vote by Congress is an important step at ensuring that millions of gay and lesbian Americans will never again have to go to work in fear of losing their jobs because of who they are." In 31 states, it is currently legal to fire someone based on their sexual orientation. In 39 states, it is legal to fire a person for being transgender.

HELP WANTED

2007-09-27T12:20:00.000-04:00

Gay Community Center of Richmond

*Diversity Thrift * Diversity Bingo *
* Event Hall * Meeting Space * Community Activities*

NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 14

PART-TIME HELP WANTED

The Gay Community Center of Richmond is seeking a caller for its Tuesday and Thursday evening Diversity Bingo games.

Remuneration: The caller will be paid $50 per three hour game. The games start promptly at 7:00 and are scheduled to end prior to 10:00.

Qualifications: We are seeking a dependable, reliable individual to play a key role in a charitable gaming operation that can generate more than $30,000 in revenue per evening session. We are seeking individuals who are well-organized; pay attention to detail; are comfortable speaking in front of groups of 300 or more players; have good hearing, vision, hand-eye coordination and a pleasant voice; can resolve disputes and make quick, firm and fair decisions.

Applicants must possess knowledge of called bingo, instant bingo, and Virginia Department of Charitable Gaming regulations or be willing to learn quickly. Training will be provided.

To Apply: Email a cover letter and resume to DiversityBingo@aol.com

DIVERSITY THRIFT NEWS

25¢ SALE

This weekend all GREEN TAG ITEMS are only a quarter. While you’re out this weekend enjoying the wonderful weather, stop by and find some bargains, too. Lots of 25¢ books (by the kitchen wares).

HALLOWEEN ITEMS ON SALE NOW
Our Halloween themed merchandise is on sale now. Come check out the HOWLING GOOD DEALS!

DONATIONS NEEDED
We pick up donations every day between the hours of 10 and 5 seven days a week. Diversity Thrift is a 501C3 tax-exempt organization and all donations are tax exempt to the extent allowed by law.

We accept donations of most items, and pick up larger furniture and other large items within the local Metro Richmond area. We pick up smaller, miscellaneous items along with the larger items. Call the store at 353-8890 to schedule pickups. You can drop other donations off. Drop off hours are Mon – Thurs 10 am – 8:30 pm and Fri – Sun 10 am – 6 pm.

Thank you all for the wonderful donations that you have made in the past. We could not exist without you!

Volunteer Opportunities!!!
We need YOUR help!!!

CAN YOU VOLUNTEER 8 HOURS OR MORE IN 2007?

OVER HALF THE YEAR HAS ALREADY PASSED, DON’T MISS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR TIME AND ENERGY TO MAKING THE LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER A REALITY!!!

Diversity Thrift is seeking volunteers who can commit to volunteering at least 8 hours this year. We are very flexible and rely on volunteers to help keep our overhead down so more money is available to work on the Community Center and to return to community by making donations to the groups we support. Come by and get a tour of the building and then decide if you can help us out.

THANK YOU TO ALL VOLUNTEERS WHO COME OUT AND HELP. EACH OF YOU IS A MAJOR PART OF OUR SUCCESS!

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Cindy Bray, Volunteer Coordinator at 353-8890 or email Volunteer@diversitythrift.org

Community News and Information
The following announcements are arranged roughly in chronological order. If you have events to submit, please email them to DTNewsletter@aol.com. Please keep them short and include a contact name, number and/or email address. Understand that in the interest of space, we may edit your submission. . Our next newsletter will be coming out Thursday or Friday, September 27 or 28. WHEN YOU HEAR OF EVENTS, LET ME KNOW. Send information by Wednesday, Sept 26.

Gay Women's Business Network Come and join our GWBN (Gay Women's Business Network). It is a professional and social group for gay women to support each other, each other’s business and professional activities. The group meets on the second Friday of each month. The next meeting date is Sept 14 and will be held at Dirty Hands Gardening Center (See Gay/Gay Friendly Businesses for more info.).

Light snacks & refreshments provided! *A $5 donation is greatly appreciated.** If you are interested in becoming involved in this group, email Kelly at drkdecker@comcast.net or email the Membership Director, Stacey at staceymac1@comcast.net

MCC's Second Annual Treasures in the BasementYard and Bake Sale! Saturday Sep. 15th 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Come on out and find some treasures of your own.(if you have treasures of your own stacking up....we will be picking up donations anytime before Sep. 13th) Call Brandie at 305-2000 or email at brandie4levi@comcast.net

Gay and Lesbian Night at Kings Dominion – Saturday, September 15, 2007 Gates open at 8, rides open from 8pm – 11pm. Party on International Street 11pm – 1am. Advance tickets available at Phoenix Rising, 19 N. Belmont Avenue, 355-7939 or online at KingsDominion.com click on tickets, then corporate partner and Company ID is GAYNIGHT.

GAY PRIDE VIRGINIA EVENTS
GPV PRIDE Launch party on Saturday Sept. 15th from 6p-10p at Barcode. This is a free event. No cover. GPV will be offering a 50/50 raffle and all tips, and pool table proceeds will benefit your PRIDE festival
Commonwealth Mayor’s Reception September 28th from 6:30-9:30pm at Chez Foushee in Richmond, VA.
Second Annual Pride Festival Saturday, September 29th, 2007 from 12-6pm at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market in Richmond, Virginia. Please visit www.gaypridevirginia.org for more information.

MCC Coffee House Featuring entertainment by Tyler, Jonathan, Billy & Ms. Joanna, Saturday, September 22, 7:00 pm at Metropolitan Community Church of Richmond, 2501 Park Avenue at Davis Street, Child care available - Light refreshments will be served. Donations for the Church's general fund appreciated, http://www.mccrichmond.org/, MCCRVA@mccrichmond.org, 804/353-9477.

Quaker House to Offer Peacemaking Workshop September 22 On Saturday, September 22 from 1-4 pm. Quaker House will offer the workshop “Strategies for Long-Term Peace Work, or What Peace Activists Can Learn from the Military.” Chuck Fager, Director of Quaker House in Fayetteville, NC., will present this opportunity to learn more about new peace building strategies. For more information, check out their website at www.rpec.org.

Research Participants wanted: Lesbian and Bisexual Women to participate in a computer-based intervention study aimed at improving participants’ abilities to manage their emotions. For more information about this research study go to http://kimrowanstudy.googlepages.com/

The Wednesday Night Rainbow League Grab your bowling gear and come on out and join in the fun for our 6th season! Everyone is Welcome! We welcome anyone – beginner or experienced!
League Bowling will begin on Wed, Sept 5th, 6:30pm at Sunset Lanes on W. Broad St. There will be complimentary bowling for everyone after the meeting. For further information, contact Meg at 804-512-4363 or megapow66@aol.com Bowlers still needed.

TGIIFF – Transgender Interested In Fieldens Fridays – First Friday of each month (next meeting – Oct 5, 2007). For more details, talk to Nova or Mike at Fieldens or send email to fieldensva@aol.com

Mothers and Others of Virginia Organizational Meeting A grassroots organization combining the power of Motherhood, Family and Friends to educate and motivate Virginians to treat our beloved gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender children, family members and friends with the justice and fairness they deserve.

Join us at the home of Joyce Scher at: 5 Cedaridge Road, Richmond, VA 23229 October 10, 2007 Two meeting times: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM and 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. There will be a buffet at both events.

Please RSVP to Mothers_n_others@yahoo.com or call Ellen Shelton at (804) 675-0288 or Joyce Scher at (804)740-8474

PFLAG RICHMOND The monthly meetings will be held the second Thursday of each month in the ROSMY building (2311 Westwood Avenue) from 7-9 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for October 11, 2007..

Local Author Ruth Perkinson’s book Vera’s Still Point will be featured in national magazine CURVE in November and her second book Piper's Someday, is due out in October. Check out her web site http://www.ruthperkinson.net/.

Richmond HELP meets from 7 – 9 pm on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Fan Free Clinic, 1010 N. Thompson St. This group is designed to help individuals diagnosed with herpes and is sponsored by the National Herpes Resource Center. For details, leave a voice mail message for Mary Jones at (804)358-6343.

PRIME TIMERS – CENTRAL VIRGINIA! It is a social-educational organization of over 130 members for older gay and bi men and their admirers … 21 and up. We meet monthly at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on the first Sunday of every month at 5:00 PM. Call us at 804 358 7548 for more information.

http://www.gaycville.org/ – Check out this website for all the events in Charlottesville and the surrounding area.

FAITH COMMUNITIES
Gentle Shepherd Church an independent liturgical church that concentrates on internal spiritual development. Come worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00, fellowship at 10:30. We are located at 3700 Ellwood Avenue near Carytown in Richmond. Visit our website at www.gentleshepherdrichmond.com.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF RICHMOND, 2501 Park Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220 (804)353-9477, email mccrva@aol.com, website http://www.mccrichmond.org/. Worship services 10:45 am every Sunday. Pastor: Robin Gorsline.

NEW BEGINNINGS CHRISTIAN CHURCH is a community of faith that welcomes ALL people regardless of sexual orientation. We worship Sundays at 6 PM at The Friends Meeting House, 4500 Kensington Ave. Richmond, VA 23221. Check our website at http://www.newbeginningschristianchurch.org/.

Unity Fellowship Church is coming to Richmond… For more information check the http://www.ufcrichmond.org/. Unity Fellowship of Christ Church is now building its foundation in Richmond, Virginia under the leadership of Pastor Jerri Lee Harrison..

GAY COMMUNITY CENTER OF RICHMOND INFORMATION
Diversity Thrift
1407 Sherwood Avenue
Richmond, VA 23220
804-353-8890 (Store)
804- 353-7211 (fax)Store Hours: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Wednesday, Friday – Sunday
10:00 am – 5:00 pm Thursday
(Closed on Monday and Tuesday)
DiversityThrift@aol.com (main email address)DTNewsletter@aol.com (newsletter submissions)
Volunteer@diversitythrift.org (Volunteer information)http://www.diversitythrift.org/ *** website under construction – watch for update ***
Donations Accepted Daily
Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 8:30 pm
Wednesday – Sunday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

DIVERSITY BINGO
Tuesday and Thursday nights at the Event Hall at the Gay Community Center of Richmond. For more information, call 622-4646 (62BINGO) or email DiversityBingo@aol.com (Bingo and Event Hall information)

Support your local LGBTQ and LGBTQ Friendly
Businesses and ProfessionalsFollowing is a list of local LGBT or friendly businesses and/or professionals. Please support these businesses and/or individuals.

PHOENIX RISING BOOKS AND GIFTS– Please remember Phoenix Rising when looking for that last minute gift:: Over 100 Mens’ and Women's DVD's including the brand new, highly anticipated, controversial "Loving Annabelle", Books, cards, jewelry, music, keychains, buttons, magnets, stickers, ornaments, coasters, mousepads, wallets, lighters, mugs, candles, candle holders...Phoenix Rising, 19 N. Belmont Ave, 355-7939
Mon, Wed - Sat: 11am-7pm and Sunday: noon-5pm (Closed Tuesdays)
Celebrate your pride every day at Phoenix Rising.

PLATINUM CERTIFIED TRAVEL CRUISE PLANNERS GENE “SANTA” ABBOTT, 4549 Vauxhall Road, Richmond, VA 23234, FREE In-home vacation planning, 804-523-7519, 804-437-4300 (cell), eugabbott@comcast.net. ***10% of comission on any cruise or vacation package will be donated to Diversity Thrift. ***

Wanda Fears at Long & Foster Realty If you are in the market to buy or sell a home this year, call Wanda Fears at Long & Foster Realty, 804-909-2777, or check out the website at www.WandaFears.com. Use http://www.cingo.com/ with the code W6YXEDT – Wanda will donate $500 for each completed sale, using this code, to GCCR.

Sierra Knight, Liberty Mutual Insurance, 3228H West Cary Street, 804-901-0925 (Cell) or 359-5372 Ext 206. Liberty Mutual is a company that recognizes domestic partnerships. As a Liberty Mutual agent, Sierra offers 3 lines of personal insurance: Auto, Home/Renters, and Life. Call for a quote today! If you call for a quote and mention the Gay Community Center of Richmond or Diversity Thrift, a $5 donation will be made to the Gay Community Center or Richmond.
FRAME NATION - Mary Fender CPF, GCF Certified Custom Picture Framer. Specializing in the unique, we offer picture frame styles from around the world and close to home. Shadow box expert and Conservation framing offered by an Award Winning framer. We come to your home or business! Design Global. Frame Local. maryfender@hotmail.com 804-658-6467 mobile. Let her know you found her name in the Gay Community Center of Richmond Newsletter!
Massage Exclusively for Men. Massage Exclusively for Men. Reduce your stress with swedish, deep-tissue, sports massages with aromatherapy. Certified, 5 yrs experience. incalls/outcalls Email sensationallatino@yahoo.com for availability for 1 hr, 90 min or 2 hr sessions. Will donate 10% to GCCR.

It’s time for gardening… check out Dirty Hands Garden Center . Dirty Hands Garden Center has fabulous gifts!!! They specialize in unique perennials, trees, shrubs, herbs and water gardening plants, as well as a fabulous selection of garden art, hanging baskets and accessories. Located at 2603 Anderson Highway, Powhatan, VA 23139 (approx. 25 minutes from downtown Richmond.) Phone: 804-598-8945. http://www.dirtyhandsgardencenter.com/

Babes Restaurant: 3166 West Cary St. Richmond, VA 23221, 804-355-9330 or 804-359-3050 All Bands Fridays (8-11) are non-smoking events. also The meeting of the YAYa Sisterhood is back. This is a Tea Dance and Social for our older customers every third Sunday from 3-8. See Kristen with Ashland Aug. 31 8pm and Gaye and Roddy on Sept 7 at 8pm.

Barcode 6 East Grace Street, Richmond, VA 23219. 804-648-2040. Richmond’s Hottest Video Bar! Daily Specials, Sunday Night Karaoke. Visit Website www.barcodeva.com for nightly themes and hours.

Z2 – 2729 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 804-249-9930. Dining, Dancing, Billiards, Cabaret..

WRIR Radio - 97.3fm - Indie Radio - "Radio for the Rest of Us" Also webcast at wrir.org.WRIR Radio broadcasts "This Way Out," the Lesbian and Gay News Magazine every Thursday at 4:30pm. WRIR Radio (97.3 fm – Indie Radio) also broadcasts GLBT dedications to famous GLBT people in history four times a week - one before "This Way Out."

Artworks
Contact: Glenda Kotchish or Paula Demmert Phone: 804.291.1400
Email: info@artworksrichmond.com Web Information: http://www.artworksrichmond.com/

VA MAID Residential/Commercial Cleaning Very Thorough, Affordable, DependableSince 1989 , Call G G Phillips 804-303-9266

Fieldens 2033 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA (804)359-1963, A Private after-hours club, Dancing, Mix of Men and Women. For more information check out their GREAT website: http://www.fieldensva.com/

Godfrey’s Restaurant and Bar 308 East Grace Street, (804)648-3957 Sunday Brunch 11 – 3, T – F 11 am – 2 am, Sat 5 pm – 2 am, Sun 11 am – 2 am.

FINANCIAL SERVICES Kelly Decker – New York Life Insurance Company, 4400 Cox Road, Suite 110, Glen Allen, VA 23059 http://www.kellydecker.com/ Tel # 804-935-5378, Cell: 804-221-9717

FINANCIAL SERVICES Anne Dunnburg – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Suite 103, 3900 Westerre Parkway, Richmond, VA 23233, Tel # 804-965-6752, Fax: 804-217-9884, Cell: 804-212-9524. anne.x.dunnburg@ampf.com.

Renee Gilliam, American Mortgage Center, Branch Manager, 8001 Franklin Farms Dr., Suite 116, Richmond, VA 23229. Tel: 804-285-7622, Fax: 804-285-1796, Cell: 804-349-4609. tgilliam@americnamtgre.com, http://www.americanmtgcenter.com/.

Elizabeth Bishop Kimbriel – Independent Consultant. Are you looking for healthier products for your skin? Check us out on the web at: http://www.bethkimbriel.myarbonne.com/, email: bethkimbriel@comcast.net, phone: (804) 301-0714

Ayana Obika, Massage-Doula, Emerald ManagerCertified Self-Care and Wellness Consultant #1107 SPA Business Group (Soulfully Pampering All)Dial 1-973-854-1335 option 4 today! Live Your Life Like It's Golden -- www.warmspirit.org/spasister

Singleton Entertainment, LLC Vocal Training, Artist Development, Music BusinessContact Jacqui Singleton, singletonmanagement@yahoo.com 804 475-4612

Chris Rich at Rich's Stitches, Inc. Your #1 Source for Embroidery, Screen Printing and Advertising Specialty Items, 4013 MacArthur Avenue, Richmond, VA 23227
chris@richsstitches.com, 804-262-3477, (F) 804-262-3378

AffordabiliTEE: Screenprinting & Embroidery Contact: Jenny Fisher 804-908-6833, affordabilitee@yahoo.com We guarantee the lowest prices, highest quality product! We are a local business that does team jerseys, t-shirts, caps, jackets and any kind of logo product. We can create a design or work with your own. We thrive on giving folks a great deal...PERIOD.

Personalized Computer Service is now looking for clients. Teaching computer software is our speciality, For more information call 434-321-4177

Please remember Diversity Thrift in your will!!

Newsletter Address: Please send all newsletter submissions to DTNewsletter@aol.com. Short announcements are preferred. Please include a contact name along with an email address or web address where readers may obtain further information.

TO UNSUBSCRIBE - If you received this email by mistake and would like to be removed from the mailing list, please send an email to dtnewsletter@aol.com with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line..

Event Hall Opens

2007-08-17T11:11:00.000-04:00

WE DID IT!!!! Event Hall Opens!

The Event Hall at the Gay Community Center of Richmond opened Thursday, Aug 2, 2007. The operations of the Gay Community Center of Richmond were consolidated with Diversity Bingo holding it’s first game here last Thursday night. We had a great inaugural turnout of approximately 250 enthusiastic bingo players and a great group of volunteers that helped keep everything moving smoothly.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed time, energy and money into making this opening a success. The Gay Community Center of Richmond is a community based organization and we would not be successful without your support.

The public GRAND OPENING event for the event hall is tentatively scheduled for the end of September. We look forward to showing off the new space and being able to thank many of you personally for your longstanding support and contributions. Stay tuned to the newsletter and website for the details. The event hall will be available for a variety of community functions from social events such as wedding receptions, educational forums and diversity trainings, concerts, dances, and a variety of fundraisers. We also look forward to being able to start our grant program again in the near future.

If you or your group is interested in using the space, contact Jon at DiversityThrift@aol.com.

Mid-Summer Celebration for Staff and Volunteers

2007-07-20T11:32:00.000-04:00

Please join us for a Mid-Summer Celebration for staff and Volunteers on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at 7:00 pm. We, hopefully, will be able to sample the food at the new concession area of the event hall, as long as the food service permits come through. If not, the guru of the grill, the grillmaster herself (Cindy) will be grilling both vegetarian and nonvegetarian fare for your pleasure. The meats (real and soy products) will be provided, as well as drinks and condiments. Please feel free to bring a side dish to share.

Gay Community Center of Richmond Event Hall to Open in August

2007-05-24T19:20:00.001-04:00

IT’S ALMOST TIME!!! The GAY COMMUNITY CENTER OF RICHMOND’S 12,000 square foot DIVERSITY EVENT AND BINGO HALL is scheduled to open in August 2007. We are well on our way on the reconstruction phase of the event hall and it is going to be a great space. Future plans for the community center include this event hall with a full kitchen, meeting rooms of various sizes, a LGBT Coffeehouse, and various bingo games. There is ample parking with a 120 space well lit parking lot, a smaller parking lot and on street parking.

We were scheduled to open July 1, 2007. However, we encountered a minor delay with the renovation of the Diversity Bingo/Event Hall. After architectural and plumbing plans for the kitchen and bathrooms were submitted and approved, and after the work was done according to those plans, the City informed us of new regulations that required us to install a handicapped unisex restroom in addition to the large existing handicapped restrooms for men and women. This set us back a few weeks, but the revised plans were approved and the plumbing work was completed and passed inspection. We are still hoping to have our Certificate of Occupancy by the first of July, but we pushed our bingo game opening date back to August 2, to give us sufficient time to advertise the bingo grand opening.

ALSO UNDER CONSTRUCTION is the website, www.DiversityThrift.org. We have been out of commission for a while but look for us to be back on line in MAY. We have a volunteer who is working on revamping our site and getting everything back up! MANY THANKS TO WREN!!! Also thank you Eugene for maintaining the website in the past.

We are open to ideas for the community center and the website and have a number of volunteer opportunities related to getting both of them off to a great start (SEE BELOW) … Call us at 353-8890 or email Cindy about volunteering at VolunteerDThrift@aol.com.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

This Memorial Day, I hope that we all can pause and be thankful for the sacrifices of all the Military Personnel that have served throughout the years. These men and women have served to ensure that we all keep the rights guaranteed by the constitution, and, hopefully, soon all LGBT persons will enjoy the full rights and responsibilities in all areas of life.

DIVERSITY THRIFT NEWS

25¢ SALE

This weekend all BLUE TAG ITEMS are only a quarter. This weekend, the color of savings is BLUE. Come see the super values, and get some great deals! I know it’s supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, but come by and see us anyway. Lots of 25¢ books (in bins located by the kitchenwares) also on sale.

CHAIR SALE

We are overstocked on chairs. We are having a chair sale. All chairs priced above $5 are now only $5 for or 3 for $12. Any chair priced $5 or below is only $1. EXCEPTIONS are marked that they are NOT ON SALE.

NOW HIRING

We are currently accepting applications for a part-time cashier. Hours will be Wednesday and Thursday 12 pm – 6 pm and Friday and Sunday 9:30 am – 6 pm. Entry level hiring rate is $8/hr. Applications can be obtained and submitted during operational hours (including office hours on Monday and Tuesday. If you have questions, contact the store manager, Beverly Corp, at 353-8890 Monday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm.

DONATIONS NEEDED
IT’S TIME FOR SPRING CLEANING!!!! If you have items that you want to donate, now is a good time to call because we can usually pick up within 2 days right now. We pick up donations every day between the hours of 10 and 5 except for Monday.

We accept donations of most items, and pick up larger furniture and other large items within the local Metro Richmond area. We pick up smaller, miscellaneous items along with the larger items. Call the store at 353-8890 to schedule pickups. You can drop other donations off when you check out our fabulous store.

We need the following large item: Work carts for warehouse receiving area ($200 each). These work carts make it easier for donor to get their donations into the building and then make it easier and faster to get these treasures out on the floor.

Thank you all for the wonderful donations that you have made in the past. We could not exist without you! We still have a lot of work to do to make the community center a fully operational reality! We hope that you will continue to support us as we strive to make this dream a reality in Richmond.

WE REALLY NEED BAGS. Please donate your used CLEAN AND DRY shopping bags to Diversity Thrift. Recycling used bags, instead of buying new ones, is one small way to keep our expenses down and enable us donate more money back to the community. We also need recycled newspapers to use to wrap fragile purchases. We appreciate donations of clean, dry plastic and paper bags and newspapers; please donate bags that you wouldn’t mind having your own clothing purchases packed in.

Under Construction

2007-05-11T20:24:00.000-04:00

IT’S ALMOST TIME!!! The GAY COMMUNITY CENTER OF RICHMOND’S 12,000 square foot DIVERSITY EVENT AND BINGO HALL is scheduled to open on Sunday, July 1st. We are well on our way on the reconstruction phase of the event hall and it is going to be a great space. Future plans for the community center include this event hall with a full kitchen, meeting rooms of various sizes, a LGBT Coffeehouse, and various bingo games. There is ample parking with a 120 space well lit parking lot, a smaller parking lot and on street parking.

ALSO UNDER CONSTRUCTION is the website, www.DiversityThrift.org. We have been out of commission for a while but look for us to be back on line in MAY. We have a volunteer who is working on revamping our site and getting everything back up! MANY THANKS TO WREN!!! Also thank you Eugene for maintaining the website in the past.

We are open to ideas for the community center and the website and have a number of volunteer opportunities related to getting both of them off to a great start (SEE BELOW) … Call us at 353-8890 or email Cindy about volunteering at VolunteerDThrift@aol.com.

There was a town hall meeting to discuss what the community wants to see happen in the community center. We had an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 50 people. We had representatives from a number of community organizations and some individuals that wanted to express their opinions… We were very pleased with the response and the variety of opinions expressed.

The ideas for the space ranged from educational forums, PRIDE events, visual and performing arts projects, game nights, potlucks, how-to classes, supports groups, family camp-in nights and many, many more. There were a lot of people that are ready to step up from the day we open to make many of these events an immediate reality. Stay tuned to the newsletter (and soon to the website) for updates on what’s happening at the Gay Community Center of Richmond.

We will be having another town hall meeting in several months and we hope to have even more people attending. The date will be posted as soon as it is announced!

Volunteer Opportunities!!!

We need YOUR help!!!

We now have evening hours available for volunteers. Volunteers can now help with shelving general merchandise or books and processing clothing 4 evenings a week; Monday through Thursday, we are now open for volunteering from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm as well as our regular hours of 10 am – 6 pm daily. Be the first to see the new treasures arriving daily! Get first choice after they’ve been priced by regular staff!

CAN YOU VOLUNTEER 8 HOURS OR MORE IN 2007? Diversity Thrift is seeking volunteers who can commit to volunteering at least 8 hours this year. Of course, we’d love to have you come out more often, perhaps 8 hours every 1st Saturday or the month, or 4 hours every 2nd Monday, etc... We are very flexible and rely on volunteers to help keep our overhead down so more money is available to work on the Community Center and to give to the groups we support. This is an important community activity. Please remember us….we are here to serve the community and you can join the effort. We rely on your assistance. Come by and get a tour of the building and then decide if you can help us out.

WE ARE WELL ON THE WAY IN RENOVATING THE SECOND PART OF THE BUILDING – THE EVENT HALL WILL BE OPENING JULY 1, 2007 AND WE WILL HAVE A WONDERFUL SPACE FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS. If you want a tour, come by and ask for Cindy.

THANK YOU TO ALL VOLUNTEERS WHO COME OUT AND HELP. WE HAVE A WONDERFUL OF CADRE OF VOLUNTEERS WHO HELP WITH BINGO, THE BOOK ROOM, DATA ENTRY AND LANDSCAPING/GENERAL MAINTENANCE. THANK YOU SO MUCH! EACH OF YOU IS A MAJOR PART OF OUR SUCCESS!

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Cindy Bray, Volunteer Coordinator at 353-8890 or email VolunteerDThrift@aol.com. Here are a few of our current opportunities:

**********NEW VOLUNTEER NEEDS**********

EXTERIOR PAINTING – We want to spiff up the exterior of the building before the big grand opening of the event hall. We need volunteers to scrape some areas of peeling paint and to do some outside painting. We want our building for the community center to look as FABULOUS as our community.
BACKUP BINGO CALLER - Diversity Bingo is in need of a volunteer backup caller for our Thursday night and Saturday morning bingo games. Training provided. Email DiversityThrift@aol.com if interested.

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BINGO! – Thursday nights 5:30 pm – 10:15 pm or Saturday mornings 10 am – 2:15 pm at the Jamaica Club on Route 1 about 2 miles north of Virginia Center Commons (towards Ashland). No experience needed! Just a willingness to help! GREAT EXERCISE!!! Walk around the Bingo Hall while selling instant tickets. FREE MEAL during each session. The food is GREAT!
RECEIVING DONATIONS and STOCKING SHELVES –Help receive donations and get the new items on the shelves any day of the week! We especially need help on weekdays. Work with our employees, be one of the first to see new items going on the shelves. Something new everyday!!! GET FIRST CHOICE ON ITEMS GOING OUT ON SHELVES!!! GREAT WAY TO FIND TREASURES!
PROCESSING CLOTHING - Sort clothing donations into categories, tag and get them out on the racks.
BOOK ROOM – Do you love books??? Are you organized and a team player? We have several wonderful volunteers in the book room, but they could use some help, just a couple hours, a couple days a week, to help straighten and stock the shelves in the bookroom. Be one of the first to see the books coming in when you are stocking…, get first pick after the volunteer bookroom supervisor sorts and prices specialty items.
MUSIC ROOM – Do you love all kinds of music? Do you like to organize music into categories and alphabetize? Help needed to keep the music room neat and organized! Work with great people! It would be great if you were available for a couple of hours on Monday and/or Tuesday, but any day is great!
DATA ENTRY – We need one or two people to enter data into several databases on a regular basis to help us maintain our records.
Electronics RoomVolunteer(s) needed. We need several volunteers to help in the electronics department, testing computers, TVs, stereos, turntables, etc… when they come in and making sure they are in salable condition. Contact Cindy at 353-8890 if you have experience working with electronics and are interested in volunteering.

If you are interested in any of these opportunities or have an idea of a different way you can help us, please contact Cindy at 350-0878 or email DTNewsletter@aol.com.