Make an impact NOW!

The UP Center of Champaign County:

"Want to make an impact? Help the UP Center empower LGBT youth and families now! Give now.

“I’ve been trying to find a coming out support group for years in this community. I’m so glad this center is coming to Champaign so that I can finally find others to talk to with similar experiences and concerns.”

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) people living in the Midwest share feelings of isolation and being scared to come out to family and friends, feeling they have nowhere to turn for assistance. In order to provide a central location for LGBTQ individuals to find support and resources, several dedicated members of the community have come together to form The Uniting Pride (UP) Center.

As with any new initiative that requires physical space, The UP Center’s biggest challenge is raising finances to open a facility large enough to meet the needs of the community. Now we need your help. We are asking you to give whatever you are able to make this initiative a success. Your tax-deductable donation will make The UP Center a reality.

We have created several meaningful donor levels for our initial campaign:

* Give $115 to represent the 115 local residents involved in our initial test survey.
* Give $82 for the 82% of residents who feel an urgent need for the Center.
* Give $40 because 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT--something the UP Center will work to alleviate.
* Give what you can to help see the UP Center become a reality.

Your donation will help The UP Center to bring together critical programs and services for the LGBTQA community in Champaign County. We hope you will consider donating. The goal is to open The UP Center in March, 2010. Because of this, we are asking that donations be sent to The UP Center as soon as possible.

Donating is simple! You can make an online donation using our website www.unitingpride.org. Just click “Give” and you will be taken to a Paypal site to submit your donation.

If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you in advance for your support of and donation to The UP Center."

Want to learn more, or learn more of the statistics that inspire us in our work for the UP Center? visit http://bit.ly/UPGIVER