What do members have to say?
“That was a heart-warming moment- I saw clearly that he trusted Sunday’s Child as a safe place.”
In 2013, I reached out to 9 other LGBTQ+ friends in Pensacola and asked if they saw a need to give back to our local LGBTQ+ community and the general area as well. There was no hesitation from them. The unanimous response was YES. Several brainstorming evenings later, we put together the non-profit Sunday’s Child, Inc., launched our first membership in 2014 and so, here we are.
A few years back, Sunday’s Child led a workshop for local charities who wished to learn more about the organization and the grant process. After the meeting, a timid middle-aged man approached me and nervously asked if I was aware of support groups in the area for people who identified as transgender. That was a heart-warming moment- I saw clearly that he trusted Sunday’s Child as a safe place.
“I volunteer and make my financial contribution to Sunday’s Child because their mission and vision align with my beliefs.”
I first became involved with Sunday's Child through their grant process for my nonprofit Golden Elite (founded by my husband). We attended several of the LGBTQ+ educational workshops and was able to learn more about this amazing organization. I joined shortly after Golden Elite became a 2019 grant recipient and now I have the privilege to be a apart of the Sunday's Child board.
What attracted me to Sunday's Child cause is knowing how it feels to be discriminated against because of my race and I could relate to adults in the LGBTQ+ community that face the same discrimination because of who they love. My nonprofit was not prepared to face how to help our youth athletes that struggled with coming out and the constant bullying they faced and being able to attend the educational training has helped us better help our youth to give them the voice and encouragement to live.
I am motivated to stay involved because this was instilled in me at a young age from my parents who were in ministry and I would watch my parents feed the homeless and fight for African American rights in our city which lead my career in health care because I love helping and giving back to others.
“It’s uplifting and encouraging to see proposed projects and see how our money can be leveraged to do some great things in the community.”
I really appreciate the Mission and Vision of Sunday's Child. When I joined, same-sex marriages were not recognized in all 50 states or at a Federal level for taxation and other purposes. The evolution is not over, but we have come a long way towards equality.
I was so impressed by the grants process the first year that I signed up for almost all of the focus groups the next year and joined the board the year after that. This year and last it has been my honor to co-chair the grants committee with Ann Yoshihashi.
You don't have to look far to hear things that are discouraging or negative. However, Sunday's Child has given me the opportunity to be exposed to so many non-profits who are doing so much with so little. It's uplifting and encouraging to see proposed projects and see how our money can be leveraged to do some great things in the community.