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IN THIS ISSUE
Maggi Cage, PhD
Executive Director
414-292-3060
Dave Martin
Operations Manager
414-292-3066
Julie Bock, MSSW, LCSW
Director of Programs
414-292-3070
Jay Botsford
Program Coordinator III — Youth/Transgender
414-292-3068
Jesse Cushion
Program Assistant — Youth
414-292-3074
Miranda Larocque
Program Coordinator II — Youth (Interim)
414-292-3071
Erin Trad
Program Assistant — Youth
414-292-3074
Maryann Gorski
Program Coordinator II-Victim Rights Advocate (Interim)
414-292-3061
Claudia Kabler-Babbitt,CCRC
Program Coordinator III — LGBT Breast Health
414-292-3061
Johnny King
Program Coordinator I — HIV
414-292-3069
Patrick Price
Director of Philanthropy
414-292-3065
Brion Collins
Program Coordinator II -Communications
414-292-3076
Hope Neeley
Data Entry Specialist
414-292-3072
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Officers
Susan C. Haertel, Co-President
Sheldon Walker, Co-President
W. Peter Larson, Treasurer
Board Members
Mary K. Hoerig
Joan Jacobs
Daniel L. Klingler
Halanna Lathon
Geoffrey S. Trotier
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
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Milwaukee LGBT Community Center Receives Special Use Permit
The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center received its special use permit from the City of Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals on July 29, 2010. This allows the reconstruction of three spaces in the new Community Center building at 252 E. Highland, including Project Q, a large Community Room, and two office suites. The rest of the building is in excellent condition and will only require paint and new carpet. With the expansion of the Center will come the planning and creation of a new LGBT Mental Health Clinic.
The current estimate for reconstruction of the space is 4-6 weeks, with a move-in date of late September to mid October 2010. We are working with movers, security system vendors, phone service providers and other vendors to ready the building for our move. Currently, there are tenants on two floors who will be moving in the next six weeks or so.
Please stay tuned for the move date and more details in September.
Rainbow Arts and Cultural Connection
The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center will be launching its new Rainbow Arts and Cultural Connection (R.A.C.C.) on Friday August 27, 2010 at 6pm with a TGIF Party at Riverfront Pizzeria Bar & Grill, located on the Riverwalk in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, 509 East Erie Street. For those that can arrive early, Riverfront Pizzerias' Happy Hour is from 4-6pm with drink and appetizer specials, then join R.A.C.C. for dinner at 6pm. The restaurant has a nice simple menu at moderate prices and seating right on the river.
R.A.C.C. is a socializing venue and networking connection offering a variety of art, music, theater, sports and other cultural activities and experiences to the Milwaukee LGBT community at large. The purpose of this connection is to be inclusive of all sectors of the LBGT community and their allies offering new opportunities to experience many different arts and cultural events.
Those interested in being involved in R.A.C.C. by being part of the planning committee are welcome to come and learn more at the TGIF Party or by contacting Wendy Young at wly513@gmail.com or 414-531-7173.
Milwaukee Visit from a Food Network Finalist
By Chef Shel of Haute Dish, A Personal Chef Service
In July, Chef Aria Kagan, a finalist from season six of The Next Food Network Star, visited Milwaukee as a guest of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center and its executive director Dr. Maggi Cage. I was fortunate to spend several days with her, on a whirlwind foodie adventure.
We met Friday night for dinner at Envoy, located in the Ambassador hotel, to discuss her plans while in Milwaukee. She wanted to see what the area had to offer for local food, that she could use to create a farm-to-table dinner. I would participate by taking her to various places as well as cooking with her.
  
On Saturday morning, Aria presented a cooking demonstration at the Milwaukee Public Market. The menu consisted of focaccia with kalamata and picholine olives, served with baked goat cheese with Olive Oil and Garlic. The meal ended with a delicious mango trifle. The audience loved her, and the food was great too. Afterwards, Aria wanted to meet some local farmers, so we headed to the West Allis Farmers Market. She met several farmers who were fans, and very excited to meet her. Aria scheduled visits to their farms to see where the food actually comes from, and to help plan her menu.
  
Sunday she visited Tom and Emily Treffinger, in Palmyra, who grow some of the most amazing corn and potatoes I have ever tasted. Later, she stopped by Jerry and Paula Wagner’s farm (of Jerry’s Produce) to sample their wonderful vegetables. The day ended at the Ambassador Hotel where 30 of her fans gathered to watch the current episode of The Next Food Network Star. Aria signed autographs and posed for pictures with her adoring fans. Paul Young, another finalist, also stopped by to join in on the fun.
Monday morning, Aria journeyed to Sun Prairie to visit Kay Jensen and Paul Ehrhardt of JenEhr Family Farm, a certified organic farm. She spent a good portion of the day learning about organic farming. We also enjoyed a wonderful lunch with the workers. The meal included produce and chicken from the farm.
  
Finally, Tuesday I assisted Aria and Chef John Chitko (executive chef of Hotel Metro), in preparing the evening meal. The menu consisted of the following.
Appetizers
• Fried Cheese Curds with Onion Jam
• Grilled Cheese and Tomato Gazpacho
• Mojitos
Dinner
• Roasted Beet Salad with Micro-greens and Citrus Vinaigrette
• Beer Batter Perch with Sorrel Tartar Sauce and Purple Potato Chips
• Rabbit Ravioli on a Bed of Swiss Chard with a Rabbit Reduction Sauce
• Braised Veal Cheeks and Polenta
Dessert
• Fresh Corn Ice Cream and Potato Beignets
Aria is such a wonderful chef! It was a pleasure spending time with this true food star.
Challenge Party
The first Challenge Party was launched in 1988 with the intent of challenging members of the metro Milwaukee LGBT community to recognize and honor the significance and achievements of local LGBT organizations and to support them generously with personal donations. Since that first Challenge Party, participants have raised more than half a million dollars (or more than an average of $38,000 annually) to support the innovative and critical services and programs needed by our LGBT community.
This year’s Challenge Party was held at the home of Nicholas Lemus and Martin Huennekens of Mequon, Wisconsin on Friday, June 18. $13,722 was raised specifically for the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center by Challenge Party attendees. The Board of Directors and staff members of the Community Center wish to thank all the Challengers—from this and previous years—for their commitment to our community.
LGBT Breast Health and HIV Prevention Programs
The LGBT Breast Health Program and the HIV Prevention Program have been teaming up this summer by attending health fairs and events together. Program Coordinators Claudia Kabler-Babbitt and Johnny King have represented the Center and promoted good health at the Juneteenth Day festivities, the UMOS Health Fair and Milwaukee Health Services, Inc.'s 4th Annual Back to School Wellness Festival. People attending these events were able to access information, handouts and referrals for services at the Center as well as the Breast Health and HIV Prevention Programs. The LGBT Breast Health Program is funded by a Community Health Grant from the Southeast Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure©.
For more information regarding the LGBT Breast Health Program of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, please contact Claudia Kabler-Babbit at 414-292-3061 or at ckb@mkelgbt.org. For more information on the HIV Prevention Program of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, please contact Johnny King at 414-292-3069 or at jking@mkelgbt.org.
Project Q Launching New Youth Media Project
A new youth media project is formulating in Project Q. Once realized, it will offer youth the opportunity to conceptualize, create, and polish a new local radio program. The youth will navigate and be responsible for the intricate process of radio production with guidance from Project Q staff and Lisa Goldman, M.Ed., who will start as a professor at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) this fall. Production will require the youth to select a topic and overall impact goals, learn how to use equipment, record the show itself, and complete all editing for the show, among other tasks.
The idea started with Ms. Goldman when she approached Project Q staff. She was a consultant for Youth Media Project in New Mexico until her recent move to Milwaukee to start her new position with MIAD. She hopes to replicate the positive experiences youth had in New Mexico with Youth Media Project by coordinating with Project Q to give Milwaukee LGBTQ youth the chance to have a new creative outlet, to share their experiences, and develop skills and ideas.
Although there is still a bit of time between now and when our youth will be able to sit down and begin selecting the topic for their first show, the planning is well underway and we are excited to see where this will lead. Once the details are worked out, we hope you will tune in to hear and support the voices of Project Q youth as they share their experiences, knowledge, and ideas with Milwaukee.
Project Q is the “for youth, by youth” youth development program of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. The program serves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and allied (LGBTQA) youth ages 12 to 24 in the greater Milwaukee area. The program provides opportunities for the development and leadership of these youth in a safe, accessible space.
New Additions to Center Lending Library
The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center’s lending library would like to heart fully thank Joe Pabst who through Outwords Books continues to sponsor a program in which the Community Center library receives selections from the two monthly reading groups hosted at Outwords Books. The Lesbian Reading Group and The Gay Men’s Reading Group meet monthly at Outwords Books, 2710 N. Murray in Milwaukee. For more information on the reading groups, please call 414-963-9089 or visit the website at www.outwordsbooks.com.
The following books are now available to checkout at the Center's lending library:
 
Quit Group: The Stop Smoking Seminar
With the Wisconsin smoking ban now over a month old, are you ready to quit? The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center's Quit Group is ready to help you quit smoking now.
The Stop Smoking Seminar provides a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults in Wisconsin to learn how to be successful as they stop smoking. It also assists people to set up a personal program to stop smoking and get the support the person needs to stop successfully. This program will be offered at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center beginning August 19 and continuing through September 30, meeting 6-8 pm every Thursday at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. There will be two group facilitators to greet people and guide you through the curriculum. Members of the group will share experiences, offer support and create a strong support system. At the third meeting, everyone will make the commitment to stop smoking. The next four meetings and multiple phone calls in between are designed to help you through withdrawal. Call Dave Martin today (414) 292-3066 to register for the next rm2breathe quit group series. Do it for yourself, your loved ones and your community.
The rm2breathe group program has been created to address the growing disparity in tobacco use between LGBT and heterosexual individuals in the state of Wisconsin. While about 20% of the Wisconsin population smokes, 44% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults in the state are smokers. This represents an annual lifetime loss of approximately 6,960 years at a cost of $297,632,000 to the gay community and to the state of Wisconsin.
Several factors have been cited as possible reasons for the disparity between smoking rates in the LGBT and general population. They include higher levels of economic and social marginalization, stresses resulting from homophobia and discrimination, frequent patronage of bars and clubs, lack of smoke-free social venues, higher rates of alcohol and drug use, and direct targeting to LGBT consumers by the tobacco industry.
This program was also created to fill a need for smoking cessation programs that are culturally competent working with the LGBT community in Wisconsin. It is hoped that you, as lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender individuals, want to participate in groups to quit smoking, and you will make good use of this group because of lowered concerns about homophobia and coming out to their heterosexual peers. You are invited as part of the program to recruit your partners and LGBT friends to serve as support to you in quitting tobacco use. It will also be useful to recruit other friends and family members to quit.
The rm2breathe Group is a program to stop smoking adapted from the GMFA's Stop Smoking Course. This program was developed and generously provided to Diverse and Resilient for adaptation by the GMFA in London, England. The Stop Smoking Course is the only smoking cessation group program, to date, proven effective to help non-heterosexual individuals stop smoking. The original program was evaluated with gay men and now is being adapted to be used with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals in Wisconsin.
rm2breathe is a statewide anti-tobacco program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Wisconsin. This program is funded by The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Partnership Program and implemented by Diverse and Resilient in partnership with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, LGBT Resource Center of the 7 Rivers Region, OutReach, the LGBT Community Center of Madison, LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley, SAGE in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, American Lung Association of Wisconsin and Milwaukee City Health Department.
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