Thank you & goodbye Cortland!

This will be my final newsletter article for the Cortland LGBTQ Center. I am moving out of state in a few days and wanted to take this time to say thank you and goodbye to the community I have met and worked with over the last three and a half years. I came into this position with no real background in the non-profit sector and just wanted to find ways to help the Cortland LGBTQ+ folks in the community have a safe space to be themselves. I have met amazing professionals, learned about the wonderful resources in the area, and met some amazing queer performers and allies.

I am super proud of the work I have done at the Center, including the connections I have made and the trainings I have helped develop or improve. I also worked incredibly hard with my event planning committee to have Pride Prom and Cortland Pride for 3 years now and I am leaving as much as I can so that those can continue in the future. Pride Prom has had students from multiple surrounding counties and Cortland Pride has grown from 40 agencies attending to 70 agencies including huge give away raffles and this last year we raised over $6000 in sponsorships to make Pride that much better of an event.

There may be a transition period with the Center staff finding their new footing, but I trust them to keep growing the community that has started to grow with the Center’s programming and outreach. Keep showing up and see how you can support the Center and continue to build.

Thank you Cortland.

-Mike