Outright Vermont has exceeded their goal to raise enough funds to buy the space in Burlington’s Old North End where they’ve been operating. The capital campaign aimed to bring in the $850,000 necessary to make that space their permanent home base.
They brought in a total of $886,613!
Their current space already provided LGBTQ+ youth with more than 5,400 square feet in a vibrant and welcoming neighborhood. It’s accessible for those with disabilities, in proximity to health care and other support services, and even has “nooks for introverts and spaciousness for extroverts” plus plenty of room for education, events and staff to work.
But owning this space outright, they say, adds precious stability for this 30-year-old-and-growing organization.
“You’ve created our security, knowing that we have a stable financial base from which to operate. And with that, we are freed to move farther and wider throughout the state, to be right where youth need us,” states Outright Vermont in their press release.
In the words of one Outright youth, “Outright is a sacred space to me. Every time I go, I feel relieved. Relieved to be myself, to be validated and respected, to be treated with kindness, with no judgment, and where I can express myself. The moment someone validated my pronouns, my sexuality, my expression, my entire being—it changed me forever,”
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