About Us

Mission

The mission of Colorado ManREACH is to build heart-centered connections and community among gay/bi/queer men in rural Colorado.

Core Values

  • We are a grass roots and peer-based community.
  • We are inter-generational and cross-cultural.
  • We support integrating healthy transformations in ourselves, and our community.
  • We are open, respectful and honoring in a safe environment.
  • We model stewardship and mentorship.
  • We promote health, responsibility and ownership in a gay-affirming community.
  • We believe in sexuality as a healthy expression of intimacy.
  • We support deeper connections among men, unaltered by drugs and alcohol.

The History of Colorado ManREACH

In 2003, the two primary HIV prevention providers for rural men in Colorado, the Northern Colorado AIDS Project (NCAP) and the Western Colorado AIDS Project (WestCAP) were introduced to a community in Northern California known as the Billy Club. The Billy Club is comprised primarily of gay men and draws its inspiration for creating community from many sources, including the Radical Faeries.

Billy Club gatherings, which are hosted several times each year, are volunteer driven, offer participants a heart-centered environment, include educational and recreational components, and are recreational drug and alcohol-free. Initially, it was public funding for HIV testing outreach programs that connected gay men in rural northern California. The program evolved into the Billy Club, now a non-profit foundation.

The term “heart-centered” refers to a presence of mind that allows each of us to honor our feelings and the feelings of others. Such emotional authenticity creates a safe, nurturing environment where men can share their truths. Within this space, each man can speak openly and honestly, be heard without judgment and enjoy the support of his community. Within this space, each man has the power to offer and receive unconditional love, wisdom, acceptance, compassion and healing.

Having experienced a Billy gathering first hand, NCAP and WestCAP, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), decided to build something equally meaningful for gay/bi/queer men in rural Colorado. At a meeting in Grand Junction in May 2003, the idea of hosting statewide gatherings, in addition to local social and educational activities, came into being, and was called Colorado ManREACH. REACH is an acronym for Rural Education and Action for Community Health.

In the fall of 2003, a “dinner tour” was hosted by NCAP and WestCAP (also known as AIDS Service Organizations or ASOs), CDPHE and a consultant from the Billy Club. Six meals, one each in the towns of Ft. Collins, Pueblo, Vail, Grand Junction, Durango and Alamosa, brought together a total of 68 men. The dinners began with introductions and ice-breakers, followed by a two hour-long focus group that allowed the men to discuss their local community resources and opportunities to build social networks. The dinners concluded with CDPHE staff presenting a condensed program on harm reduction, HIV prevention interventions and behavioral theory so those in attendance could gain insight into the goals of the publicly-funded program.

Based on the “dinner tour” findings, a visioning retreat was held over the 2004 Memorial Day weekend outside Westcliffe. Twenty-five men who are considered to be gatekeepers of local communities across rural Colorado attended, along with CDPHE and ASO staff, and a consultant from the Billy Club. During the retreat, the mission of Colorado ManREACH was created. It is “to build heart-centered connections and community for gay/bi/queer men in rural Colorado.” Also at this gathering, the heart-circle was introduced, a loving, supportive community began to form, and the seeds of a peer-based prevention program were planted.

The heart-circle has roots in many cultures. It offers a sacred space where men can speak from the heart rather than the intellect. After an opening ceremony, which is used to help focus the group’s intention, a talisman is passed around. The person holding the talisman may speak, sit silently or pass it on in a clockwise rotation. While holding the talisman, the speaker is witnessed by a community of listeners. There are no responses, interruptions or side conversations. The heart circle is a place of emotional authenticity, non-judgmental listening, respect and compassion, and it profoundly affected the men who participated in it.

As such, another gathering was planned for summer 2004 in another rural location. This gathering would be known as Awakening. Sixty-three men attended the retreat that was facilitated by CDPHE and ASO staff, and Billy Club consultants. Awakening included opportunities to participate in workshops promoting healthy lifestyles, as well as creative and outdoor recreational activities. It offered delicious food, companionship, educational discussions, and the ManREACH program’s core activity, the heart circle. Much enthusiasm, motivation and inspiration was generated for future gatherings.

Two statewide gatherings took place in 2005, both on the Grand Mesa in western Colorado. Rising was held in July and was attended by 63 men. Forty-four men attended Autumn Balance in September. About one half of the participants were returning, while one half was new. These two gatherings, coordinated by WestCAP, gave Colorado ManREACH the opportunity to engage more men by offering participants a selection of dates.

Also during 2005, Colorado ManREACH created a steering committee comprised of community members to assist with organizing, marketing and managing various programmatic tasks. The committee convened for a planning retreat in December near Boulder. It was at this retreat that committee members developed the core principles and values for the ManREACH program, as well as the framework for the ManREACH curriculum. Additionally, ideas about how to sustain the ManREACH program emerged, including a suggestion to file for tax-exempt non-profit status in order to become eligible for other sources of funding in addition to those received from CDPHE.

In 2006, CDPHE contracted with Q-Quest LLC to provide the Steering Committee with administrative, logistical and technical assistance and to coordinate three statewide events. WestCAP acted as fiscal agent for the food and lodging for statewide gatherings. Two additional contractors were hired to work on other outreach activities. The first gathering of 2006 was to be held in July at a retreat near Pueblo, but was canceled due to a hostile reaction from some individuals who did not want gay men to use their facility. The second was held on the Grand Mesa in August. Forty-three men attended this unnamed event. It was at this gathering that the ManREACH curriculum was piloted. The third gathering, Harvest, was held in October near Boulder and was attended by 48 men. The Harvest theme was chosen to remind us to celebrate the bounty of our lives and, ultimately, that we reap what we sow. It remained fairly consistent in 2006 that each gathering was approximately one half returning guests, and one half new arrivals.

In 2007, Q-Quest and WestCAP took on the same scopes of work as in 2006, helping ManREACH host two statewide events. 2007 was the year that Colorado ManREACH applied for and received its tax-exempt, 501(c) (3), non-profit status from the federal government. The August gathering near Boulder, A New Chapter, drew 42 men. A New Chapter referred not only to ManREACH’s new non-profit designation, but also to the new chapters that each of us begins at various points in our lives. Evolution, the September event on the Western Slope, drew 55 participants. Evolution honored the history of the ManREACH program and underscored how each of us is in a continual state of growth and change, and how each of us can affect our future by making decisions and acting in ways that support our long term goals. Click here to read comments from some of the men who attended the 2006 and 2007 Colorado ManREACH statewide gatherings.

The excitement that Colorado ManREACH is generating among gay/bi/queer men throughout rural Colorado underscores the need for such an organization. Rural gay/bi/queer men have an underlying desire to connect in deeper, longer-lasting ways with other rural gay/bi/queer men, but there may be barriers that interfere with this, including: unresolved issues resulting from internalized and external homophobias, mistreatment and abuse by previous friends, sex partners, and the community-at-large; the isolating and damaging effects of alcohol and other drugs, often as a form of self-medication and/or a reflection of community norms; awkwardness due to lack of experience, low self-esteem and poor body image; and cynicism, born out of defensiveness, doubting that such connections are possible.

Colorado ManREACH offers rural gay/bi/queer men a support network that has not been available to them before and is helping them build a statewide community where none existed before. ManREACH embraces the notion that a community-building project can encourage deeper, longer-lasting relationships among rural gay/bi/queer men, with ensuing health benefits, by a combination of strategies, including: immersing men in an environment where such relationships are modeled and expected; providing a supportive environment for men to reveal their difficulties and successes with emotional, spiritual, physical and addictive issues; connecting men with support, treatment and care resources as needed; and supporting men in their recovery and journey toward wellness. It is these principles that will guide Colorado ManREACH’s planning, decision making and growth in the years to come.

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