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SPARK Kindness
LGBTQ+ Month 2023
Celebrating Pride and Sharing Resources
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Celebrating
LGBTQ+
Pride Month
this June 2023 and beyond!
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“I want everything in my life to mean something. For me, life is about being positive and hopeful, choosing to be joyful, choosing
to be encouraging, choosing to be empowering.”
~ Billy Porter
Dear SPARK Community,
Thank you for joining us this June and every day as we celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride! June's focus on pride is a wonderful chance to affirm our SPARK mission and core commitment to a community of kindness and justice.
At SPARK, we believe in the core principle that kindness without justice is incomplete. Our team is dedicated to nurturing a community that is kind, resilient, and welcoming; a community where everyone is celebrated and affirmed. We are so grateful to you for being part of our SPARK community and this important work! We hope you will find the resources below helpful and welcome you to share them.
Happy Pride Month!
In Kindness & Justice
~The SPARK Kindness Team
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Resources for this Month and Beyond!
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Greater Boston PFLAG is a group for parents, families, friends, and LGBTQ people that offers support groups and a safe and confidential helpline at 1.866.427.3524 (anyone can call, leave a voicemail, and you will receive a call back within 24 hours). You can also email them at helpline@gbpflag.org.
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OUT MetroWest is a great resource for local community members. Be sure to visit their calendar and resource page for helpful links and all their current programming information.
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The Natick Public Schools Gender and Sexuality Resource guide provides valuable links and information for LGBTQ+ students, families, allies, and educators and many are useful regardless of your location. Reach out to your local school and/or explore their website and a similar guide may be available for your school community.
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GSA Link provides mentoring programs for LGBTQ+ youth, offers parent groups, and additional resources for families.
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SAGE "makes aging better for LGBTQ+ people nationwide" with resources, connections, and advocacy. They also provide an Elder Hotline that connects older people who want to talk with friendly responders who are ready to listen. If you are an LGBT elder, or care for one, call the SAGE Hotline, toll-free, at 877-360-LGBT(5428).
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Trans Lifeline provides trans peer support and a dedicated mission to "connects trans people to the community support and resources we need to survive and thrive." Their hotline is available 24/7 at 877-565-8860.
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SpeakOUT Boston LGBTQ+ Stories for Pride Month
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SpeakOut Boston will be doing a panel talk at the Morse Institute Library Lebowitz Meeting Hall, lower level, on Wednesday, June 14th @ 7:00pm. Everyone is welcome, and this program is geared towards adults and teens.
SpeakOUT Boston has been telling the stories of LGBTQ+ lives for 50 years, fostering dialogues within schools, colleges, businesses, faith communities, nonprofit organizations, and more! The panel speakers will share their personal stories, and offer an opportunity for the audience to ask their own questions in an interactive q + a. Learn more + register for this free event HERE.
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Local Celebrations of Pride!
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Boston Pride For The People
Boston Pride for the People (BP4TP) is excited to announce the return of a Pride Month celebration in Boston. The celebration in June 2023 will include a parade, a festival, block parties, and more as this new organization creates a unified city...
Read more
www.bostonprideforthepeople...
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If you are in the Sudbury area, check out this amazing
FREE event
on Sunday June 11th!
1 - 3:30pm
Sudbury Cooperative Preschool
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Sunday, June 11th
1:00pm to 4pm
The Hopkinton Freedom Team, together with Hopkinton Youth and Family Services and the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, is very proud to be hosting Hopkinton’s 3rd Annual Pride Parade & Celebration.
The Parade starts at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts at 1:00 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., there will be family-friendly performances, activities, information tables of local organizations, food trucks and more for all ages!
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on Sunday, June 25th
2-6pm
Exhibit "A" Brewing Company in Framingham
OUT on the Block is BACK!!😍🎉🌈 Join OUT MetroWest for a Pride Block Party at Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company! The event will feature our Lavender Graduation, Team Trivia, tie-dye, food & drinks available for purchase, lawn games, and MORE! All ages welcome!
Come together with Pride!
🖤🤎❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
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on Sunday June 25th
12-4pm
Come OUT for a Pride celebration honoring, remembering, making space for and communing with the LGBTQ+ community of the greater metrowest area/Franklin and friends.
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Celebrating the Pride Flag and Its Enduring Power!
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SPARK is grateful to have Natick's own special connection to the rainbow flag in this incredible movement based right in our hometown!
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The Peace Flag Movement
Working to unite the world in the fight for equity and justice for all people. EVERY CULTURE RACE SPIRITUALITY GENDER SEXUALITY AGE AND ABILITY WE ARE THE PEACE FLAG MOVEMENT We're a growing grassroots group of humans working to bring us all...
Read more
peaceflagmovement.org
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Learn more about the different flags that help celebrate and express pride in this guide!
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A Guide to LGBTQ+ Pride Flags
The LGBTQ+ community is large and varied, encompassing a range of sexual orientations and gender identities. Many of these identity groups express their pride through the use of colorful flags. You may be familiar with the rainbow flag that...
Read more
www.britannica.com
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How You Can Support SPARK's Work
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We Are Grateful for You
As a small nonprofit, financial support is critical. We are grateful for all donations to help us sustain our work as we continue to provide free programming and resources to the community.
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Every time we do something that helps our community grow more kind, resilient and welcoming, we SPARK Kindness. Together as families, schools, organizations, coaches, artists, faith and community leaders, we can make sure that no one feels alone, bullied, unsupported or unconnected.
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SPARK Kindness is a community convener, educator, resource, and friend—and the biggest fan of our shared strengths. Join us in Natick and our growing network of communities.
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