An Open Letter to Colorado ManREACH Community Members
Gentlemen and supporters of Colorado ManREACH:
You are receiving this letter from the Colorado ManREACH Steering Committee because you are an integral part of Colorado ManREACH’s circle. The letter assumes we are sitting in a heart circle now, and members of the Steering Committee are speaking.
In just a few days, nearly 60 of us will be heading to the Cal-Wood Retreat Center in Jamestown to celebrate Colorado ManREACH’s 10th Anniversary. We have much to celebrate after 10 years!
A STRONG FOUNDATION
Since 2004, Colorado ManREACH (ManREACH) has created a statewide community of gay, bisexual, queer and transgender (GBQT) men where none existed before. During that time, ManREACH has:
* Hosted over 1,600 participants at 60 gatherings throughout Colorado.
* Offered dozens of unique, educational workshops and fun activities where we learn more about ourselves and others, including hundreds of heart circles.
* Promoted the core values of health and wellness, honesty, trust and respect among us.
* Linked ManREACH community members to a statewide network of health resources through our partner organizations, WestCAP, NCAP and S-CAP.
* Grown a financial reserve that we can draw upon in time of need.
This strong foundation could not have been built without the support of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), which initially provided the vision, people and resources to turn ManREACH from a dream into reality. In 2007, Colorado ManREACH became 501(c)(3), non-profit organization and began expanding its program through state and federal grants administered by CDPHE, in addition to private donations.
The federal and state funds allowed ManREACH to increase the number of gatherings it offered annually in order to serve more GBQT men throughout Colorado. During its most recently program year, 208 participants attended a total of nine three-day and one-day gatherings at six different locations across the state. This included 92 unique individuals, 34 of whom were new to the program, and dozens who participated in multiple gatherings throughout the year.
Recently, however, Colorado ManREACH was informed that Cal-Wood will be the last gathering funded by CDPHE due to new funding requirements that have shifted the vast majority of federal and state dollars to urban areas, specifically Denver in the State of Colorado. ManREACH serves GBTQ men who live in the rural, mountain and frontier areas of the state.
Colorado ManREACH was founded by and for GBQT men who live outside the Denver metropolitan area. It has two primary goals: to create a statewide community of “rural” GBQT men and to help reduce HIV transmission and infection rates among us.
Despite the loss of its federal and state funding, Colorado ManREACH Steering Committee members are committed to the vision and goals of the organization and plan to continue serving the state’s rural community of GBQT men. To do it in a meaningful, effective and sustainable way, however, ManREACH needs your help.
REGENERATION
When asked on a recent exit survey “What will you take home from this gathering?” one of us answered, “A personal awareness of my need to grow.” That describes ManREACH’s situation now as both an organization and a community.
Colorado ManREACH is unique in that we are a peer-based community of men who support healthy transformations in ourselves and others. ManREACH is not an agency with professionals who “fix us”. We are a community of brothers who nurture, mentor and sustain each other.
Without federal and state funding, Colorado ManREACH now is in the position of having no guaranteed financial support after June 30, 2014. As a result, each of us must ask ourselves if we want ManREACH to continue. If your answer is yes, the Steering Committee asks you to please step forward now and support the organization in order to help facilitate its own healthy transformation and sustain its future.
In a positive light, we have been presented with the exciting opportunity to renew and regenerate ourselves; to build on the foundation we’ve created over the last decade and shape our own future. What will that future look like? The answer is up to each of us.
To help answer the question, members of the Colorado ManREACH Steering Committee will host a Community Conversation at the 10th Anniversary Celebration at Cal-Wood. Your comments and ideas will be crucial in creating a plan that will move the organization forward and sustain the future of our community. Please plan to attend.
SUSTAINABILITY
Going forward, the future of our community will depend significantly on the contributions of our members. Contributions come in the form of:
* Time – More of the responsibilities of hosting gatherings and daily administration will fall on volunteers.
* Talent – What skills do you have to share? Leading workshops? Web design? Fundraising? …
* Money – What can you contribute to help ensure Colorado ManREACH’s ability to continue creating a healthy, supportive community for our GBQT brothers in the years to come?
For those of us who will be at Cal Wood, please come prepared to discuss the future of Colorado ManREACH in a heart-centered manner. If you cannot attend, your voice is still important. Please ask yourself the following questions and share your thoughts: What does ManREACH mean to you? What value does it have in your life? And what can you contribute to help sustain our community?
With that, we pass the heart stone to you.
Sincerely,
John McGlynn and Michael Turley
Co-Chairs, Colorado ManREACH Steering Committee