For the past eight years PLGP has brought community together to recognize the contributions and celebrate the history of the  Latino/a LGBTQ Community.  This year’s events are scheduled for July 20 & 21 and will celebrate the theme ¡Viva la Vida!   Funds raised at these events go towards the PLPG Scholarship award and PLGP’s annual contribution to the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber’s Scholarship Program.

The application for the PLGP Scholarship along with all Equity Foundation scholarships can be downloaded at  www.equityfoundation.org/scholarships.  Deadline to apply is July 1.

The 2013 Scholarship Recipient will be recognized at this year’s celebration. Please visit PLGP website for event updates and  information www.latinogaypridepdx.com.

“We are honored to be able to support Jadin’s family at this time,” said Karol Collymore, executive director. “The creation of this fund means that money donated to this effort will go directly to help to end bullying in schools and supporting children in the places they are in their lives.”

Make a catalytic donation and change lives today! When giving, please designate your gift to “Faces for Change.”

Please join us in honoring Susie Shepherd and Samantha Swaim at Women Who Lead 2013, Equity Foundation’s celebration of women work in service of equality. They lead our community forward through their work, volunteering, and spirit of giving.

Women Who Lead 2013
Wednesday, May 15
Portland Art Museum
11:30 am – 1:00 pm

www.equityfoundation.org

Susie Shepherd
by Jerry Weller

(The following was originally featured in PQ Monthly after Susie, along with other Portland Town Council Members, was awarded a Queer Heroes NW Award from the QCenter in June 2012)

Susie Shepherd was one of the first Oregon lesbians to fully embrace mainstream legislative politics as a means to achieve equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. She has continued this work and expanded upon it throughout the years of her life. Susie’s dedication to the LGBT community earns her a heroes award from the Q Center.

In 1975 she joined the board of Portland Town Council (PTC) the first LGBT umbrella group in Oregon dedicated to civil rights for lesbins and gay men. Also in 1975-76 she spearheaded the writing of a PTC booklet entitled “A Legislative Guide to Gay Rights” which was aimed at educating policy makers on the gay issue. The booklet was 76 pages and won rave reviews in the national gay press. It was sold in LGBT bookstores across the US and from England to Australia.

By 1977 she was Oregon’s first paid female LGBT civil rights worker accepting the second position created at Portland Town Council. From this position Susie not only organized Oregonians for legislative hearings but also provided assistance to the No on 51 Campaign which was fighting a gay rights ballot measure in Eugene in 1978.

In addition to this position in 1978 Susie joined the board of the newly organized P.T.C. Political Action Committee. This was first LGBT political action committee in Oregon and only the second in the nation. Susie was also the first openly gay member of the board of the Oregon Council for Women’s Equality and the Oregon Women’s Political Caucus. As AIDS became an issue in Oregon Susie was there working with Cascade AIDS Project as a Personal Active Listener helping her gay brothers to cope with this new reality.

In 1989 Susie proved herself a leader again by winning the Portland Leatherwoman competition and later that year she won International Ms. Leather. Susie used these positions to fundraise both locally and nationally for gay causes. She raised over $60,000.

In 1993 the Bill and Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund of Equity Foundation was formed in honor of Susie’s parents. Susie has chaired that committee since 1997 organizing A Class Act, the group’s major fundraiser, every year since then. The group funds scholarships for third and fourth year law students dedicated to fighting bigotry and discrimination, particularly on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The fund has provided over $100,000 in scholarships.

From 1997 through 2003 Susie served as secretary of the Oregon Gay and Lesbian Law Association (OGALLA) and is still active with the group. Additionally, Susie served as secretary of the Portland PFLAG, an organization co-founded by her parents, and she served on the Blanche Fischer Foundation board, which assists physically disabled Oregonians.

See her great work here: www.SamanthaSwaim.com 

Women Who Lead 2013
Wednesday, May 15
Portland Art Museum
11:30 am – 1:00 pm

www.equityfoundation.org

We are happy to announce our Women Who Lead 2013 Leadership Award winner, Samantha Swaim! Samantha is a strategist, a teacher, and a event producer. Her professional career began in TV and theatre production.

We are thrilled to be able to present local hero Susie Shepherd with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her inspirational commitment and tireless efforts to advance equality in Oregon.

Please join us in honoring these amazing leaders in our community!

Women Who Lead 2013
Wednesday, May 15
Portland Art Museum
11:30 am – 1:00 pm

February 27, 2013 Portland, Oregon

The Equity Foundation is pleased to announce the hiring of its new Executive Director, Karol Collymore.  Collymore brings 13 years of experience in non-profit, political and government roles to the Foundation.

“I am very honored to join Equity Foundation, a charitable organization that promotes philanthropy and positive interactions among Portland’s diverse communities through education, grants college scholarships and by providing funds to organizations that work to eradicate prejudice in its many forms, including those against gender and sexual minorities,” said Collymore.  “Equity has a unique place in the fabric of Portland and has a bright future.  I’m looking forward to helping it achieve its goals.”

“We are delighted Karol will be bringing her considerable talents to the Equity Foundation.” said Carl Creasey, Board Chair.

Collymore has worked with diverse organizations such as the American Heart Association, Pro-Choice Oregon and Multnomah County for Chair Jeff Cogen.  She ran for County Commissioner in 2010 and most recently was director of development at the Raphael House of Portland.

Please join us in congratulating Karol on her new role.

Jessica Dolin

Leigh and Leslie Dolin have established the Jessica Dolin Memorial Scholarship at Equity Foundation in memory of their daughter, who passed away May 14, 2003.  The scholarship is intended for a resident of Oregon or Clark County, WA who is a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender student or a student actively involved in an LGBT rights organization.

In establishing the fund, Leigh Dolin said, “In her words and actions, Jessica always advocated for the acceptance and inclusion of gender and sexual minorities.  She also recognized the value of higher education, and worked hard for and was proud of her college degree.  We can think of no better way to honor her memory than the establishment of this scholarship.”

The deadline for students to apply is June 30, 2013.  The application and complete criteria can be downloaded online at www.equityfoundation.org/scholarships.

The mission of Equity Foundation is to build communities that advance the dignity and worth of all people.  Equity Foundation promotes philanthropy and positive interaction through college scholarships and by granting funds to organizations that work to eradicate prejudice against gender and sexual minorities and people from other diverse communities.

I am currently a junior at Linfield College seeking a major in International Business. This fall semester I traveled to England to study at the University of Nottingham, an opportunity that would have never been possible without Equity Foundation.

I say those words because they are in fact true. It was because of the scholarships I was awarded that I am able to attend such a fine institution as Linfield College and participate in their study abroad program.

In fact, I would not have the opportunities that are offered to me if it wasn’t for Equity Foundation’s support in advancing my education. Coming from a family in which both parents never finished even elementary school and have had to work extremely hard to raise their children, growing up I was not sure how I could ever afford a college education. Yet, I’ve discovered that there are people, businesses, and organizations out there like Equity Foundation that support youth such as me in attaining that greatly desired college degree.

I know that this education is the foundation of my future careers and my future life. It brings with it the skills and tools that I will need as an adult and as a member of this society. Therefore, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that has been provided to me of continuing my studies and am thankful to the Equity Foundation for helping me attain my college education.

–Elizabeth Guzman Arroyo

We hope this hasn’t caused any inconvenience, but rather given potential candidates more time to share their success stories and conduct the proper due diligence in some cases for submitting an application.

The Board of Directors will be sharing a new date for the Equity Awards ceremony in the first quarter of 2013.

My best,

Carl Creasey

Board Chair

Equity Foundation