Rainbow Optimist Update
Three of the events were live: 1. St. Thomas flag raising at City Hall 2. Elgin County Flag raising
3. A Spiritual Celebration at Pinafore Park Bandshell with a performance from the Deshkan Zii Bi Indigenous Women’s Drumming Group. This was the first live performance at the Bandshell in almost 2 years.
The United Way Elgin Middlesex grant funded by the Government of Canada ended June 30, 2021.
Some of the highlands and insights are: The social media campaign was very successful. Our Facebook followers grew to just under 1000 people. Here are the statistics for Facebook and Instagram - December 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021:
• 52,355 Facebook reach, a growth of 114.9%. • 2,552 Instagram reach, a growth of 1.7K%
Students and staff from across the Thames Valley took part in the day of learning with Anthony Johnson on March 30, 2021. From the Learning Coordinator- Equity and Inclusive Education, Thames Valley District School Board: “On behalf of the TVDSB Equity Team, I would like to extend a huge thank you for all your efforts to make the Anthony Johnson presentation possible! I heard from countless students and staff about how much they valued hearing Anthony's words today in recognition of Transgender Day of Visibility. At last count, over 3500 students participated in the session! Your dedication and commitment to affirming the identities of 2SLGBTQ+ students and staff in TVDSB is remarkable.” The JOI of Cooking
St. Thomas got it’s first rainbow crosswalk in front of City Hall. The online events were well attended. While the attendance was low at the live events, it was a great start and has laid the ground work to grow the events next year.
The JOI (Junior Optimist International) and the Rainbow Optimist Club cookbook called the JOI of Cooking is just about sold out. Get yours now so you are not disappointed. The cookbook can be ordered on our website at: www.rainbowoptimistclub. com/cookbook or picked from Mary Lou Abrams or Cheryl Bolton.The cost is $10.00 if you pick it up. Delivery can be arranged. Prices vary depending where it is being sent.
Drag Storytime The virtual Drag Storytime has had a very successful year so far. With the help of the United Way funding and sponsorship from TD Bank, Drag Storytime time had a far and wide reach. Since
the April issue of the Pride Villager. It reached 22,465 people around the world, had 2,260 view sand engagement 687 people. It is being see in counties where it is illegal to be “gay’. More virtual Drag Storytimes are being planned. Also, as soon as we are able to be live in the libraries we will be there. Stay tuned! Resources One of the many things that was done during the course of our United Way project was the updating of our website. This included an extensive list of community organizations, hotlines and crisis support, national organizations and additional resources and links. This list of resources can be found at: www.RainbowOptimistclub.com/resources. The Rainbow Optimist Club will be announcing it’s now home this fall. Stay tuned for details. To find out what’s up: Follow us on Facebook at: Facebook.com/ rainbowoptimistclub Visit our website at: www.RainbowOptimistC l ub.com.
Sponsorships The Rainbow Optimist Club sponsored the Prides in Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford Counties. Special Drag Storytimes were produced for each. Oxford Pride and Strathroy Pride have their own exciting stories to tell. The Rainbow Optimist Club sponsored M.I. Friends and gave 10 programs to the St. Thomas-Elgin Family Services. They continue to reach out to community partners to inform them of M.I. Friends. Elgin County Pride The Rainbow Optimist speared the Elgin County Pride Committee. This year Elgin County Pride was Monday, August 9th to Sunday, August 15th. Events included flag raisings, Digital Drag Queen Bitchy Bingo, Rainbow Speakers Panel: Small Town Pride, Drag Storytime, Virtual Evening of Entertainment and a Spiritual Celebration.
PRIDE Villager
Page 9 Issue 7 • Fall 2021
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