The Chicago chapter of Gay For Good (G4G) stems from a simple conversation between Kevin Purvis and Buck Dodson.
"We both knew the value of volunteerism as a way to produce a better sense of well-being and wanted to bring an organization to the city that would encourage others to reach out and help projects in need," Purvis said.
Purvis and Dodson learned of Gay for Good through some Los Angeles friends, as G4G's first chapter was formed in Los Angeles in 2008. So they reached out to three others from Chicago's LGBT community: Robin Petrovic, Mark Petroelje and Michael Wilcox—each of whom also shared the same desire to bring the LGBT community together and allow them to socialize and network outside of the bar scene and make a positive change in the Chicago area at the same time, Purvis said.
After a few months of planning, and spreading the word through word of mouth and social media, the Chicago chapter now has 100-plus members and is set for its first two events.
G4G, as its mission states, aims to energize and mobilize the LGBT community to interact with city communities by volunteering time to various social welfare and environmental service projects. The group selects a different non-profit to donate time to for a community service project.
"The original co-founders [of G4G] thought that by partnering with the larger community of Los Angeles that they would be able to interact with non-LGBT people and, in turn, would enable them to get to know our community by serving their community," Purvis said. "The idea of focusing on volunteerism came from the apparent need for more accessibility to charity work since many LGBT organizations and events ask for [financial] donations. Gay for Good allows for participants to simply donate their time. "
Purvis, 39, lives in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood and is a personal trainer and wellness coach at the Lakeview Athletic Club. A Florida native, he moved to Chicago about three years ago and is openly gay and partnered.
Purvis said his goal for the Chicago chapter is to hit 250 members by the end of the first quarter of 2012, and then 500 by mid-2012.
"Our most important goal is to help as many people as we can while bridging the gap between the LGBTQ community and other communities around Chicago," Purvis said. "We want to become good citizens and stewards of our area."
The group's first event is Monday, Jan. 16, in Chicago's North Lawndale community. Most of the work that day will be painting of rooms, mural painting and some light construction. Projects are designed so that anyone, no matter their skill level, can contribute, Purvis said.
The group's second scheduled event is slated for Saturday, Jan. 28. Members will be helping the MGR Foundation's Care Team host its (g)love event. G4G members will be packing CarePacks, which each contain a winter hat, gloves, socks, personal-hygiene items and food. They then will walk around the neighborhood and deliver the CarePacks to needy Chicagoans.
G4G has about 1,900 members nationally, with chapters in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco and Orange County.
"Success stories can be a little subjective, given that every time we do for others it can be a success story beyond our comprehension," Purvis said. "However, I was excited to hear about the Los Angeles chapter's recent LA Regional Foodbank project, [which] had 140 volunteers. That's 520 volunteer hours in just three hours. They assembled over 3,500 food kits and donated over $570. That donation is equivalent to over 2,800 meals. At the event they had two drag queens and one performed for the volunteers. They also had a DJ spinning tunes to keep everyone motivated.
"Participating in Gay for Good is something you could say I do for selfish reasons. The sense of happiness, well-being, and accomplishment are what drives me to volunteerism. I'm so excited to watch something that began as a conversation of how we could elevate our actions and do good for the community has come to fruition."
Purvis stressed that Gay for Good always advocates for inclusiveness. "I'm so proud to be a part of a group that encourages all types of people to come together for volunteerism," he said. "I'd like for our organization to help break down some of the barriers that we place on ourselves because of internalized homophobia or gay shame. It's time for the judging and separatist behavior to take its place in the past and for the LGBT community to come back together and embrace our individuality. "
For more information, visit www.gayforgood.org and choose the Chicago group.
