As two of the agency's co-founders, along with dozens of its volunteers, supporters and clients listened, current Lesbian Community Cancer Project Executive Director Jessica Halem, board President Marsha East and board member Christie Dailey assured those gathered at LCCP's April 29 Town Meeting that they were not attending a funeral for the agency.
'LCCP stands for community,' East said. 'The organization grew out of the community. We have a relationship and a responsibility to you.'
With that responsibility in mind, LCCP over the past few weeks has been gathering support for its mission, seeking to fill a $50,000 funding shortage caused by lower individual giving, and decreased corporate, foundation and government funding and grants.
East explained that the LCCP board is treating the crisis seriously, cutting 50% of the agency's four-person staff and seeking to further cut overhead.
The agency has raised more than half of its short-term goal, East said, an announcement met with loud applause. She said they are seeking to build their individual donor base, including with men—only one man, Dennis Sneyers, attended the Star Gaze Town Meeting (outside of a news reporter). But LCCP has seen some support from gay men in the past—and they expect to increase that giving during their current campaign.
Halem said LCCP is also in the middle of changing its mission, becoming less of a service provider than an education, training and advocacy agency. This was probably the most controversial topic discussed at the Town Meeting, as several clients and support group leaders stressed their concern that LCCP still needs to provide those services.
Halem said that LCCP can reach more women by training people in the healthcare community to be more sensitive to lesbians. 'We want the world to change, but in the meantime we have to fill that gap in services. ... The goal is to see support groups everywhere for lesbians. To teach others how to do them. That is a long-term goal. In the short term, we have to have support groups.'
Funding will, however, be critical to keep the support groups going.
'The work can not stop, but we have to be creative and realistic,' Halem said.
The word 'lesbian' in LCCP's name also was debated—and the board said they are committed to remaining a lesbian-identified agency.
'The NAACP didn't change its name,' East said. 'I can't say we would never change it, but I don't see that in the short-term.'
However, if LCCP ends up merging with a larger gay or mainstream group, the project itself may change. From the thrust of the meeting, it appears the agency's leadership wants to remain independent, but merge overhead resources with another entity. But a total merger is not beyond possibility.
Halem said the agency has always struggled to both provide services and represent the lesbian community as a whole. 'We have always had a small staff and board trying to serve a huge community. We struggle to both' represent lesbians and provide services.
That mission is even broader now, as 'transgendered' has been added to their mission statement, so LCCP serves lesbian, bisexual and trans women—and even straight women who have needed support.
One lesbian said that both she and her partner have utilized the support groups, and they were critical in their coping with cancer. In mainstream women's groups, they would feel more like a case study, an example of a lesbian couple.
Supporter Coco Soodek said LCCP provides 'a sense of community where we don't have anything else. This is all we got.'
Support group leader Laura Hawkins was emotional when she pointed out how she first learned of LCCP through 'the ball,' the annual gala, and then learned more about what LCCP actually does. 'I am a better person for knowing that. Lesbians have nowhere else to go. Some can't come out to their doctor, their insurance carrier ... . They need somewhere to talk. These groups are what matters.'
See www.lccp.org for ways to support the agency, or call (773) 561-4662.
