March 2009 Newsletter

Inside This Issue:
New Program Aims to Reduce HIV Infection Among African-American MSMs
GLBT Housing Assistance
Executive Director Nominated as Pride Parade Honorary Grand Marshal
Your Old Cell Phone May Be the Critical Link for Someone In Trouble
Baylor/Methodist Community Health Fund Renews its Support of MCC

SAVE THE DATE!
Bringin' in the Green, Friday, March 13
Ann Walker of Sordid Lives comes to Houston, Saturday, March 14
Best Kept Secret Tours of MCC, Thursday, April 2, and Wednesday, April 22
Carl Han's 4th Annual Love Party, Saturday, May 2
HATCH Alternative Prom, Friday, June 12
SPRY Socials: Food, Entertainment, & Education
Continuing Education Classes: March 20, April 17

Photo Gallery
Thanks 1,000,000!

New Program Aims to Reduce HIV Infection Among African-American MSMs

Montrose Counseling Center's Community PROMISE team is looking for African-American Men who have sex with Men (MSM) to train volunteer advocates who will in turn teach their peers how to reduce their risk of HIV infection. Members of the MSM community include all men who engage in sexual activities with men, regardless of whether they identify as gay, bisexual, straight, or "on the down low." Outreach programs to find and train Peer Advocates are set to begin this month.

This program is made possible by a five-year federal grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration's [SAMHSA] Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Since September 2008, Community PROMISE specialists have been collecting data for needs assessment, including the analysis of Harris County ZIP codes by HIV infection and collaborating with other agencies.

Community PROMISE stands for Peers Reaching Out and Modeling Intervention Strategies. The program works because it allows individuals that are already members of the target population to share personal stories about how they have lowered their risk for HIV infection. Ways of reducing risk include increasing condom use, reducing the number of sexual partners, decreasing substance abuse, and engaging in safer methods of drug use through cleaning needles with bleach kits.

Education Program Coordinator Jaymie Mielke, MA, has found that the motivation for most Peer Advocates' participation is the desire to help lower infection rates in their own community. Besides sharing their own stories, Peer Advocates distribute the stories of other African-American MSM role models and pass out condoms and bleach kits. Their participation allows MCC to reach sectors of society that otherwise might not receive services. Incentives for participants include gift cards for completing surveys and making referrals to other members of the target population.

Mielke said, "This program is important because the HIV numbers among African-American MSMs are very high, and we have the opportunity now to address the specific needs of this community." It is estimated that 15.4 percent of all new HIV infections and 13 percent of all people living with HIV are African-American MSMs or Intravenous Drug User MSMs. If you compare this with the fact that less than one quarter of one percent of Houston's population identifies as African-American MSMs, it becomes astoundingly clear that HIV infection in this group is disproportionately high.

The goal of the program is see a decrease in HIV infection in this population, and therefore an overall decrease in Houston's HIV rate. MCC's Community PROMISE Department also includes a program which targets Intravenous Drug User MSMs of all races.

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GLBT Housing Assistance

You're down on your luck. You have to make a choice between paying your utilities or putting food on the table. The downturn in the economy, Hurricane Ike or a few unexpected medical bills -- what's next? Eviction or foreclosure? Montrose Counseling Center's GLBT Housing Assistance program may be able to temporarily help you through this rough time. Income and residency requirements apply; those already receiving certain subsidies may not qualify. Please contact Case Manager Mandy Loyd, LBSW, at 713.529.0037 x340 for more information.

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Executive Director Nominated as Pride Parade Honorary Grand Marshal

In recognition of her dedication to Houston's GLBT communities for more than 20 years, Montrose Counseling Center Executive Director Ann J. Robison, PhD, has been nominated as this year's Pride Parade Honorary Grand Marshal.

Show your support for MCC's incredible leader by casting your vote for Dr. Robison. Voting will close Thursday, March 26. Winners will be announced at the Pride Celebration Kick-Off Party on Friday, March 27. To vote online or to view voting locations, visit Pride Houston's website.

In December 2008, Ann J. Robison celebrated her 20th anniversary at the helm of Montrose Counseling Center. Dr. Robison came to dedicate herself to MCC and Houston's GLBT communities after working in the violence-against-women movement and witnessing discrimination against members of the GLBT population.

When Dr. Robison came to MCC, the organization's budget was $350,000, and there were times when the soda machine had to be emptied in order to meet payroll. Now, MCC's budget is $4 million, and at a time when many other nonprofits are struggling, MCC remains fiscally strong.

Under her leadership, MCC's programs have continuously expanded to meet our communities' needs. When a client was set on fire for being perceived as gay, Dr. Robison began MCC's Hate Crimes Program. When her dear friend Jack Jackson struggled in his senior years, she developed SPRY. She brought HATCH and Gay & Lesbian Switchboard under the agency's umbrella. More recently, she oversaw MCC's expansion into a new building. The first floor of this building is the GLBT Cultural Center, which is dedicated to providing much-needed space for other GLBT-friendly nonprofits groups.

Imagine all the people who are able to receive services because of the agency's growth. Imagine all the people who have found better quality of life through MCC, HATCH, the Switchboard, SPRY, and the new GLBT Cultural Center. Dr. Robison ensures that Montrose Counseling Center is an openly proud GLBT organization, even when this may not be popular with funders or other service providers.

Perhaps she put it best when she said, "As an ally who comes from a rural, conservative, religious family, I have a passion - and I feel an obligation - to make sure people are not hurt by the misguided views of people who think that only people like them deserve rights."

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Your Old Cell Phone May Be the Critical Link Between Law Enforcement and Someone in Trouble

Help Montrose Counseling Center provide emergency phones to Houston's GLBT seniors and survivors of abuse. We will accept working and non-working cell phones at the 2nd floor reception desk, and you will be given a receipt for your donation.

Your donation may help MCC receive emergency law enforcement phones through our partnership with 911cellphonebank.org. Each phone donation ensures that MCC will receive a small monetary gift and that one more phone will be added into the "bank" of law enforcement phones that are available to the clients we serve.

For other simple ways you may donate to MCC, many of which don't require you to spend a dime, click here.

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Baylor/Methodist Community Health Fund Renews its Support of MCC Counseling Services

Baylor/Methodist Community Health Fund has renewed its support to Montrose Counseling Center in 2009, this year expanding its grant to assist with the costs of counseling both youth and seniors in the GLBT community. In our mission to keep counseling services affordable to those with the greatest need, we offer a sliding scale fee schedule. The discounted portion that a client is responsible for often covers only a fraction of the actual cost. For HATCH youth and seniors in the SPRY program, this fee is waived, making grant support a crucial element in meeting the demand. MCC thanks Baylor/Methodist Community Health Fund for its continued support and concern for the well-being of Houston's youngest and eldest generations of GLBT citizens.

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Save the Date! Mark Your Calendars for these Upcoming Events

Bringin' in the Green, Friday, March 13
This year marks 20 years of our annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. Bringin' in the Green is a favorite of MCC's supporters, a long-held tradition in Houston's GLBT communities, and one of our most enjoyable fundraisers.

The event will take place at the beautiful home of our host, John Danielson, at 3618 Burlington Street. Due to his generous underwriting, all of the funds raised at the event will go directly to client services. Hors d'oeuvres are provided courtesy of Dwane Todd, Attorney.

Tickets are $30/$25 for seniors and may be purchased at the door or online. Just designate Bringin' in the Green when you make your online donation.

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Ann Walker of Sordid Lives comes to Houston, Saturday, March 14
If you know and love LaVonda Dupree of the Sordid Lives film and LOGO series, you won't want to miss the chance to meet the woman who brings this character to life. Ann Walker will be at Meteor on Saturday, March 14, at 9 p.m. Donate $5 to Montrose Counseling Center and have your photograph taken with Ms. Walker.

Admission is free and includes monologue, question/answer session, and the opportunity to get Ms. Walker's autograph. Bring your DVD to have it signed.

Click here to view the flyer for this event.

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Best Kept Secret Tours of MCC, Thursday, April 2, and Wednesday, April 22
You may think you're familiar with MCC's services, but do you know that we offer couples counseling? The only emergency shelter in Texas for domestic abuse survivors in a same-sex partnership? Transgender support group for youth? Individual/group counseling for hate crime survivors? Case management for individuals living with HIV and GLBT seniors?

Find out why MCC and the variety of programs under its umbrella have been called the Best Kept Secret of Houston's GLBT communities. Visit us for a free tour to find out more information about our programs and to hear real-life examples of how we improve lives.

All tours begin at 6:30 p.m. sharp. If you would like to attend, please contact 713.529.0037 x372 or email.

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Carl Han's 4th Annual Love Party, Saturday, May 2
Join us at Meteor on Saturday, May 2, from 6:30 - 9 p.m., for Carl Han's 4th Annual Love Party, "Beautiful." Han is a long-time supporter of MCC and HATCH, and all of the proceeds from this event will go towards HATCH's Alternative Prom in June.

Suggested donation for entry is $10. Performances include Houston's premiere belly dancing troupe the Tribal Lillies and drag performances by Yna Nova, China Doll, and Christina Lee.

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HATCH Alternative Prom, Friday, June 12
The 17th Annual HATCH Prom, "Flashback to the 80s" will be held from 7 p.m. - midnight on Friday, June 12, in the Community Room of the GLBT Cultural Center, on the 1st floor of MCC. The prom is free for GLBT and questioning youth, and their allies, ages 13-20. Many don't attend their own high school dances because they fear teasing and physical abuse.

A special invitation is extended to GLBT adults who may not have had the chance to attend their own high school prom dressed as they wished or with a same-sex date. Anyone 21 or older may attend for a $25 donation.

If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact 713.529.3590 or email info@hatchyouth.org.

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SPRY Socials: Food, Entertainment, & Education

Are you 60 years or older and looking to build relationships with your peers? Upcoming SPRY Socials include potlucks, movie screenings, and field trips to the museum and international festival.

For more information about upcoming SPRY Socials, click here.

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Continuing Education Classes: Cultural Sensitivity/Diversity on March 20, HIV/AIDS on April 17

Montrose Counseling Center's Continuing Education classes will feature Cultural Sensitivity/Diversity on March 20 and HIV/AIDS on April 17. Classes take place in the GLBT Cultural Center on the 1st floor of MCC and are open to everyone. Continuing Education Units (CEU's) are available for LMSWs, LBSWs, LCDCs, and LPCs. Classes cost $10 per hour if prepaid. If not prepaid, there will be an additional $10 fee at the door.

Please call MCC's Education Department at 713.529.0037 for more information.

For more information about these classes and how to register, click here.

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Photo Gallery

     
Community members gather at the GLBT Cultural Center to experience a communal celebration of the inauguration of our 44th President on January 20.


Pride Houston President Brad Odom, Event Host Gary Wood, and Pride Chairman Eric Skains present MCC Executive Director Ann J. Robison, PhD with a $2,000 check on January 22 from 2008's Coming Out Day Celebration.


Emperor and Empress XXV J.P. and Marcia Mink Anne Gill of the Empire of the Royal Sovereign Imperial Court of the Single Star, Inc., announce HATCH as one of this year's beneficiaries at the Investiture on February 14.

 
MCC Community Projects Specialist Sally Huffer and Staff Therapist Rick Steele show their support of MILK by dressing in 70s attire at the Award-Viewing Party February 22 while party attendees cheered the film onto victory in the categories of Best Actor and Original Screenplay.

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Thanks 1,000,000!