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June 26, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 30, 2004 Abdill-Ellis center gets reprieve from closure By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings What was supposed to be an 11th-hour fundraiser turned into a celebration of new life as the Abdill-Ellis Lambda Center achieved its fundraising goal of $10,500, giving it a new lease on life in a new home. Danielle Mancuso, who helped spearhead the fundraising campaign, was predictably happy at the news of reaching the goal. She spoke of how the community came together in the effort. "It took a lot of community support, which we got from new memberships and those renewing their memberships," she said. "We had a lot of memberships who hadn't renewed step forward saying they had been waiting for some kind of change. Since they have seen changes, they have gotten more involved. "Also we received a lot of outside support. We received help from an outside fundraiser, Greg Evans, and we were not expecting that." Evans helped with several large anonymous donations. The center was under a threat of closure if it did not meet the fundraising goal. To see that this crisis does not arise again, the campaign will soon begin anew. "As far as I am concerned, this won't happen again," Mancuso said. "We are still right at $10,500, which is bare bones. So it would be nice to get a little over that." Having a center is an important link to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, according to Mancuso. "We need to do youth outreach big time around this area," she said. "We had a suicide two weeks ago and that has got to change. There is a great deal of work to be done." And, the center will make a move to a new location in the next week. "The (First Congregational) church is doing renovation," Mancuso said. "So we decided to take that opportunity to relocate. So we now have a space in the old armory. We liked the location and the parking. Plus we get to be involved in the art walk." Frances, who hopes to be sitting on the board after the center's next meeting, said as a relatively new resident of the city, the center plays an important role. "I know what it is like to have silent deaths," she said. "To me, high schoolers and children who are struggling and feel like they are all alone in small towns who commit suicide and cannot acknowledge it need to know there is a place, a phone number they can call. To me it needs life." If the center had closed, it would have left a void in Frances' life and those of others in the community, she said. An upcoming important event will be June 8 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Medford Library. It will be the annual meeting where voting for new board members and discussing the direction the center is going to go will be discussed. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams