Hi everyone,
Another fantastic term for GLOW is now coming to an end. This term we have seen our ongoing events (Sapphic Mondays, Tuesday Movie Mayhem and the afterGLOW Social on Wednesdays) continue to flourish and result in new friendships formed. We also had a blast at a special movie night in honour of International Day Against Homophobia, the Bonfire in celebration of tri-Pride, and our march in the Toronto Pride Parade. Finally, GLOW volunteers and community members have had a chance to interact in our Community Centre during office hours.
I’d like to take this time to recognize that none of these great events and services could have been provided without the dedication of our volunteers. Volunteers are the life blood of GLOW – without them, events can not be held, our community centre would be closed, and a lot of people would miss out on opportunities to get support, make friends or to educate themselves on queer issues.
Furthermore, I’d like to recognize the extra committment and effort that is put in by our Executive Board. These individuals are the ones who take ownership of all the projects that GLOW takes on, and see them through till completion. They also take feedback from users and volunteers of the service, and make sure that that feedback is incorporated into how the service is run. This term there are quite a few members of our Exec that are leaving GLOW for other pursuits. So I wanted to say a special thank you to each of them.
Shauna Maclean, Library Director: Shauna has been Library Director for GLOW since Winter 2010. Shauna has been able to manage many other commitments while still providing input at our Exec meetings, and being a tremendous help in organizing our Library.
Darcy Alemany, Community Centre Director: Darcy has been involved with GLOW for a while now but just joined our Exec team this spring term. As Community Centre Director Darcy worked directly with our office volunteers in showing them the ins and outs of the office, and making sure that the office was open as much as possible for those who wanted to visit. More than this Darcy has played a huge role in contributing to our Exec’s discussions on the direction that GLOW is going in, and has helped a lot in the planning of Fall 2010 events.
Prit Jalundhwala, Special Events Director: Prit has also been a part of the GLOW Exec since Winter 2010. Prit was responsible for organizing the hugely successful “Drag Me to Bomber” event in the winter term, and also organized both the GLOW Bonfire and trip to Toronto Pride this term while having very little guidance or experience with those events. Aside from all this Prit has also been a large contributor at Exec meetings, helping us make important decisions about GLOW’s future.
Angela Smith, Ally Director: Ange has been with GLOW for over a year now, facilitating our Ally Training Sessions. Ange took over this role when the Ally Program was still pretty young, and was key in making improvements to the session, making it what it is today. Ange’s length of service has really helped with the continuity of GLOW, as she’s been able to provide our Exec with insights she’s gained from her past work with the organization.
James Saliba, Marketing Director and Service Coordinator: James is one of the longest-serving members of our Exec, first joining as Marketing Director in Fall 2007. In this role James designed MANY posters for GLOW’s various events and services, completely redesigned GLOW’s website from an old outdated one to the very professional and easy-to-use one that we have today, redesigned GLOW’s logo, and administered our Facebook group (amongst many other contributions). In Fall 2009, James stepped up as a co-coordinator for GLOW and really helped our Exec transition into a term where most of the members were new to their roles. James continued as co-coordinator in Winter 2010, and although he resumed his role of Marketing Director this term he has been extremely helpful to me and the rest of the Exec in providing his input into our daily activities.
Thank you so much to all of you! Your contributions have really left a mark on GLOW and we wouldn’t be where we are today without you. I will miss working with all of you but I wish you good luck with your future endeavours.
Sincerely,
Greg Demacio
Service Coordinator
GLOW – The Queer and Questioning Community Centre