Mission, Vision, and Value Statement
The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center is a community center founded to address the needs of the LGBTQ community. The founders identified the need for a support-based group that could listen to and address their needs through community collaboration (The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center, n.d.). The center has successfully established peer-to-peer support groups, which are crucial in addressing the pressing needs of the LGBTQ community.
The mission of the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center is to provide a supportive network where LGBTQ individuals in the Shenandoah Valley and Greater Appalachia can thrive as equal and healthy members of society, receiving the necessary support to fully engage in their community (The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center, n.d.). The vision for the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center is to be a center where members of the LGBTQ community can rely on to help them address pressing challenges and advocate for a more inclusive society. The organization’s values are equality and respect for the rights of all individuals. Equality is integral to all members of society, and the organization seeks to achieve this by providing marginalized communities with the help they need and advocating for a more inclusive society that considers the needs of all its members.
Staunton’s Social Demographics and Nonprofit Sector
People from all races and backgrounds reside in Staunton. The county has 24,700 residents, with more than 97% being American citizens (Data USA, n.d.). White (non-Hispanic) individuals are the largest ethnic group in the county, with approximately 19,900 people (Data USA, n.d.). African Americans are the second largest group, with records showing approximately 2,640 living in the area (Data USA, n.d.). Other ethnic groups make up the smallest section of the population. Approximately 12,000 people are employed in Staunton, with the majority working in the healthcare sector (1,800) (Data USA, n.d.).
The county’s student population is significantly more female than male. Data shows that most students graduating from universities in Staunton are white. Staunton has a homeownership rate of 59%, near the national average of 64.4%. 90.6% of the population has health coverage through various plans (Data USA, n.d.). The nonprofit sector in Staunton is not broad due to the small population. Few organizations are dedicated to social work, with most focusing on specific goals.
City’s Potential Organizational Competitors and Collaborators
The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center is the most popular center for marginalized groups. The city has not established several centers that can help address the needs of its people. Currently, Staunton Pride is the leading competitor against Shenandoah in Staunton. The lack of several centers is also attributed to a large population. Collaborations are available with several organizations. Collaboration opportunities are available through organizations such as local healthcare facilities and social workers who are concerned about the needs of the LGBTQ community. Some nonprofit organizations are also present and can collaborate with the LGBTQ center to reinforce its agenda and help to achieve its mission.
Importance of the Organization to the City
Staunton lacks several organizations that address the needs of the LGBTQ community. Members of marginalized groups face numerous challenges and often require assistance in navigating society. The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center is the largest community center serving the group, helping it address its problems. Other small community centers have emerged, but they lack the capacity Shenandoah has to address the needs of this community.
The city needs the organization because LGBTQ people are members of society, and they deserve to be treated equally to other members of society. The available resources in the city are not sufficient to address their needs. The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center has been at the forefront of advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ community, demonstrating its dedication to addressing their needs. The city needs organization because it is crucial in addressing the community’s needs. It is likely to continue serving the population in the future as more people identify as LGBTQ.
The organization will fill the gap by providing support for the LGBTQ community. Due to societal marginalization and discrimination, the groups lack proper support to address most of their needs. The fact that most fear coming out and identifying as LGBTQ is a challenge that encourages others to marginalize them.
The organization provides various forms of support, including peer-to-peer support groups, community health workers, and health and wellness services. These support programs are vital in addressing the immediate needs of LGBTQ members. The organization has also encouraged and conducted community awareness campaigns to support the group. Advocacy for the LGBTQ community is a crucial role the organization will play in ensuring that the policies and laws exist to protect and help the group.
Board
The Shenandoah has seven board members, headed by Phil Floyd, the regional operations manager for SaVida Health in the mid-Atlantic. Floyd is qualified to sit on the board due to his managerial experience at The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center (n.d.). His expertise drives the organization’s affairs and helps achieve the established goals. Christopher Wood is the founder of Shenandoah LGBTQ Center and sits on the board (The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center, n.d.). He is a successful entrepreneur whose experience in business and the community is vital in advancing the organization’s agenda.
Other board members include Art Lewis, Cindi Johnson, Gary Wilson, Kory Schaeffer, and Dr. Paige Reed (The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center, n.d.). Each member plays a critical role in the organization’s efforts to address the immediate needs of the LGBTQ community. Their experiences enable the organization to address current and future needs based on their respective positions.
Strategic Plan
The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center has yet to provide a strategic plan outlining the organization’s next steps, as well as its short-term and long-term goals. However, one can see the efforts to enhance the organization’s capacity to address the issues faced by the LGBTQ community in the valley. The center remains dedicated to achieving its mission of creating a supportive network to facilitate a thriving LGBTQ community, where people of all ages have the support they need to navigate society.
The team is dedicated to continuing to develop and implement programs that it believes will help the LGBTQ community overcome most of the challenges they experience. The team’s efforts to identify challenges the group experiences are also commendable since most of their efforts have ensured that those who need help find immediate interventions. The community center offers various programs tailored to the needs of the LGBTQ community.
Programming
The peer-to-peer support groups are one of the most effective programs that the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center utilizes. The organization adopted the program due to the increased demand for help from the group and the lack of sufficient personnel to help address all their needs. The program involves providing a helping hand to those who need support from their peers.
They group the LGBTQ who come for their help with others who share the same orientation and demographics. Three primary groups have been identified as the ones to provide peer support. The groups hold frequent meetings where they can share their experiences, provide support, and help one another move forward.
The peer-to-peer program contributes to the mission by helping establish a network for the LGBTQ community, thereby creating a supportive community for its members. The programs team up individuals with the same characteristics, allowing them to interact and provide the support they need. These groups create a network that members can use to navigate the world.
This contributes to the mission by ensuring that individuals of all ages identifying as LGBTQ can thrive in social networks that are relevant and specific to their needs. The organization has ensured that mental health professionals are available to address the team’s needs. It has partnered with social workers, a legal team, and other professionals who can help the LGBTQ community address many of the social issues they face, thereby contributing to the mission of fostering a thriving community.
The program’s success is measured through self-reports from individuals incorporated into peer groups. The team is yet to establish a feedback method that can help them acquire sufficient data on the progress of their members. However, most LGBTQ people interacting with the organization are asked to provide feedback on their progress.
Self-reports help to determine whether the peer program is effective. They also help identify areas that need improvement. The one recommendation I can make is to increase the frequency of meetings and facilitate better member interactions. The issues that individuals in the organization face can be effectively addressed through peer support since social issues are common among them.
Stakeholders
The key stakeholders in the organization are the LGBTQ members, who are the primary clients of the community center. The LGBTQ community is the primary stakeholder in the organization since the center exists because of them. The center was established to address their needs, and they continue striving to achieve this goal.
The needs of the LGBTQ community determine the organization’s agenda, and they play a central role in planning and activities. The community center is also focused on advocating for its rights, which makes it a crucial stakeholder. The LGBTQ community will be interested in the organization’s success because it addresses their needs and supports their development as members of society.
The local community is a stakeholder in the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center because it supported its creation to facilitate ongoing integration and support for its members. The community is a stakeholder because they have allowed for the center’s development and have supported it in various ways. While not all community members are interested in the center’s success, those who support it will want its success to ensure that the needs of the LGBTQ community continue to be addressed and that Staunton becomes safer for its members.
The local government is a stakeholder in the organization and will want its success. The local government is responsible for addressing the needs of all community members, and the LGBTQ community is a vital member of the Staunton society. The local government is a stakeholder since it facilitates the city’s existence. It has ensured that the organization meets some basic requirements, such as security when needed, and supports its work. The local government is a crucial stakeholder, as it relies on such organizations to address issues that cannot be addressed through lengthy procedures.
The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center has provided several services that help address the needs of marginalized communities, and its efforts go a long way in supporting the local government in achieving its mandate. The local government will want the community center’s success as it helps fill gaps in providing social services to the LGBTQ community. Other stakeholders in the organization are human rights activists whose focus is on achieving equal human rights for all members of society. The groups will want the organization’s success because it fits into their goal to ensure everyone enjoys equal human rights in Staunton.
Social Media
The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center is present on social media through Facebook and Instagram. The organization maintains accounts on each platform where it raises awareness about the needs of the LGBTQ community and advocates for equality and improved treatment of its members. Most of the posts on the social media platforms comprise awareness campaigns, the services the community center provides, and planned events. They rely on online pages because they are an effective way of sharing information and messages. The information on the pages is crucial for members who may need help but are unsure where to find support.
Partnership
The partnership was crucial in enhancing my knowledge of the nonprofit sector. The strengths included learning about the structure of a nonprofit organization while providing my services to the organization. The experience allowed me to interact with several community center members to learn about their functions and operations. It also facilitated learning about an organization’s essential functions and working towards achieving the center’s goals. In exchange, I completed various assignments that were assigned to me to support the organization’s functions.
Most of the members were available for interviews, and they were enthusiastic about participating. Their enthusiasm stemmed from their desire to describe what they were doing and its impact on the LGBTQ community and the local community. Most people available for interviews were proud of what they were doing and acknowledged that it was an essential service for the community, which was experiencing several challenges.
The partnership could not have been better than the experience. It was great to have all organization members warm up to my need for information and be ready to share their knowledge and experiences. It was a great way to learn and understand how to give back to society.
References
Data USA. (n.d.). Staunton, VA. Web.
The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center. (n.d.). Board of directors. Shen LGBTQ Center. Web.