Make a House a Home at the WGSRC
Tax deductible
MAKE A HOUSE A HOME FOR OTTERBEIN WOMEN’S, GENDER, and SEXUALITY RESOURCE CENTER
8/26 UPDATE: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who donated today! We are so humbled and moved by your generosity. We cannot express how grateful we are for you. We will keep the GoFundMe page up in the hope that others might still donate or check out the Amazon wish list. Our initial dream was to ask for $2,000, but we did not want to ask for more than people can provide. Now we see that we can actually come close to what we really need for the House. You are wonderful, so wonderful, beyond wonderful.
It has finally happened. After more than seven years, Otterbein's WGSRC has a central campus location. Its own House. Located at 150 West Main, right next to the library. Both of us--Suzanne Ashworth and Tammy Birk--have worked with students on this goal for as long as the Center has been in existence.
In our previous location, the Center struggled for visibility and access. Essentially, a space that exists to serve marginalized people -- women, LGBTQIA+ people, victims/survivors of sexual violence -- was re-marginalized in the campus geography. But now, we've got a *house.* Please help us make the house a home for all the students that need us.
The WGSRC is staffed by peer advocates who are students at Otterbein. Three trained members of our staff will live in the House every year and help make it go. The Center provides support and resources to students in emotional distress; students with questions about identity, relationships, or sexual wellness; and students struggling with dating or sexual violence. It is often a first stop for students who need a compassionate and non-judgmental person to hear their story and, when possible, provide more on and off campus resources for support. The House will make it possible for us to serve more students, deepen our work with the larger campus community, and provide a warm and welcoming space for students at their most vulnerable.
Just as importantly, the House will allow us to finally maintain an extra bedroom for any student that needs emergency housing and sanctuary. Sometimes students are trying to leave a live-in situation that has become abusive or volatile. Sometimes they need to be in a protected and private space during or after a crisis. We are here to offer that without question or judgement.
Right now, we lack all furniture for emergency housing, window blinds to replace those that are broken or unusable, rugs for the central rooms in the home, a television that the Center can use for communal gatherings and film screenings, and tables for the living area. We estimate that these items will cost at least $1000, especially if we continue to buy lightly used secondhand furniture. If you prefer to Venmo your donation rather than use GoFundMe, you can venmo to Tammy @Tammy-Birk or Suzanne @smmash13.
We could also use your help providing the house with smaller items that will permanently belong to the Center. The wish list can be found at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/EHM412NSL2J8?ref_=wl_share All items ship directly to the House.
In the midst of so much uncertainty, we thank you all for your help in getting this effort off the ground. The one thing of which we are certain is the need for this stable and secure House. Students are hurting and isolated--perhaps now more than ever. And because the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Resource Center is built by and for the community, we are calling out to our people everywhere to help us raise it up.
All who donate will be recognized and thanked by student advocates that staff the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Resource Center and the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program. And we assure you that any amount of help will not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Our deepest thanks, Tammy Birk and Suzanne Ashworth (faculty advisors for WGSS and the WGSRC)
8/26 UPDATE: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who donated today! We are so humbled and moved by your generosity. We cannot express how grateful we are for you. We will keep the GoFundMe page up in the hope that others might still donate or check out the Amazon wish list. Our initial dream was to ask for $2,000, but we did not want to ask for more than people can provide. Now we see that we can actually come close to what we really need for the House. You are wonderful, so wonderful, beyond wonderful.
It has finally happened. After more than seven years, Otterbein's WGSRC has a central campus location. Its own House. Located at 150 West Main, right next to the library. Both of us--Suzanne Ashworth and Tammy Birk--have worked with students on this goal for as long as the Center has been in existence.
In our previous location, the Center struggled for visibility and access. Essentially, a space that exists to serve marginalized people -- women, LGBTQIA+ people, victims/survivors of sexual violence -- was re-marginalized in the campus geography. But now, we've got a *house.* Please help us make the house a home for all the students that need us.
The WGSRC is staffed by peer advocates who are students at Otterbein. Three trained members of our staff will live in the House every year and help make it go. The Center provides support and resources to students in emotional distress; students with questions about identity, relationships, or sexual wellness; and students struggling with dating or sexual violence. It is often a first stop for students who need a compassionate and non-judgmental person to hear their story and, when possible, provide more on and off campus resources for support. The House will make it possible for us to serve more students, deepen our work with the larger campus community, and provide a warm and welcoming space for students at their most vulnerable.
Just as importantly, the House will allow us to finally maintain an extra bedroom for any student that needs emergency housing and sanctuary. Sometimes students are trying to leave a live-in situation that has become abusive or volatile. Sometimes they need to be in a protected and private space during or after a crisis. We are here to offer that without question or judgement.
Right now, we lack all furniture for emergency housing, window blinds to replace those that are broken or unusable, rugs for the central rooms in the home, a television that the Center can use for communal gatherings and film screenings, and tables for the living area. We estimate that these items will cost at least $1000, especially if we continue to buy lightly used secondhand furniture. If you prefer to Venmo your donation rather than use GoFundMe, you can venmo to Tammy @Tammy-Birk or Suzanne @smmash13.
We could also use your help providing the house with smaller items that will permanently belong to the Center. The wish list can be found at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/EHM412NSL2J8?ref_=wl_share All items ship directly to the House.
In the midst of so much uncertainty, we thank you all for your help in getting this effort off the ground. The one thing of which we are certain is the need for this stable and secure House. Students are hurting and isolated--perhaps now more than ever. And because the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Resource Center is built by and for the community, we are calling out to our people everywhere to help us raise it up.
All who donate will be recognized and thanked by student advocates that staff the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Resource Center and the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program. And we assure you that any amount of help will not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Our deepest thanks, Tammy Birk and Suzanne Ashworth (faculty advisors for WGSS and the WGSRC)
Co-organizers (2)
Tammy Birk
Organizer
Westerville, OH
Otterbein University
Beneficiary
Suzanne Ashworth
Co-organizer