Press Release
For Immediate Release
LGBQT+ Community Center of Darke County
5395 S. St Rt 49, Greenville, OH 45331
[email protected]6
www.darkecountypride.org
Health & Wellness is a Central Part of Pride: LGBTQ+ Community Center of Darke County Partners with I Am Well Foundation to Launch Wellness Beyond Barriers
(Greenville, OH) The LGBTQ+ Community Center of Darke County (the Center) is pleased to partner with I Am Well Foundation to host Wellness Beyond Barriers, a year-long program promoting self-care, and whole person centered health and wellness. Sessions are held at various times at the Center which is located at 5395 S. ST RT 49 in Greenville, Ohio.
“We’re excited to partner with I Am Well Foundation to bring programming to the Center that nurtures physical, mental, and emotional health and wellbeing for our community. Connecting our community to inclusive health and wellness resources is a key part of our work,” says Dr. George Matar, the Center’s Health & Wellness Programs Coordinator. “LGBTQ+ community members, along with their families, friends, and allies who support the Center’s mission and work are invited to join.”
Many communities, including LGBTQ+ communities, often face chronic stress brought on by discriminatory public policy, food insecurity, and limited access to holistic, whole person centered optimal health and wellness education and care which can lead to poor physical, mental, and emotional health. Wellness Beyond Barriers helps bridge this gap by providing a year-long wellness program that builds resilience and empowers participants to take control of their wellbeing. Each session includes an interactive lesson and personal connections with I Am Well partner providers. The program is provided by I Am Well Foundation at the Center, and is funded by the Dayton Foundation’s Greenlight Grant.
“Our mission is Whole Person Wellness for EveryBody,” says Shelly Acker, I Am Well Foundation Board President. “Wellness Beyond Barriers allows us to expand our services and improve physical and mental health throughout the community by bringing health and wellness resources directly to communities and organizations in places that are familiar and accessible to them. We recognize the health and wellness disparities often faced by the LGBTQ+ community in rural communities and are grateful to be a part of addressing these challenges.”
The program officially kicked off on May 31st with a “Grow Your Own Healthy Food and Community Garden” workshop, and the June 14th “Creative Wellness through the Arts” session launched a year-long Mandala-inspired community arts project. Upcoming sessions include interactive classes focused on Building Resilience through Hard Times on July 12th, Garden Harvesting on September 12th, Creative Wellness Through the Arts on October 18th, and Nourishing the Body on November 8th, among others.
On June 19th, the Center’s 3rd Thursday Health & Wellness Resources event also began including Wellness Beyond Barriers’ “Stress Relief for the Body & Mind” sessions each quarter. These sessions typically include free chair massage, Thai Yoga, sound healing and other activities that help address chronic physical, mental and emotional stress and fatigue. Participants get to experience the healing and preventive impacts of these types of interventions at no cost.
“On the third Thursday of each month, the Center hosts community health and wellness resources from 4:00-7:00pm as part of our core programming,” says Dr. Matar. “Activities include a monthly ‘Talk w/the Doc’ on Facebook Live, and resource partners commonly provide free HIV and STD Testing, Hep C testing, and links to PrEP and gender affirming care resources, addiction and mental health resources, Narcan, and more – all in a safe and nonjudgemental environment.”
In addition to Wellness Beyond Barriers, the Center hosts an independently-run Friends of Bob and Dorothy AA Meeting on Mondays at 7:00pm and the Harmonic Drum Circle on the 4th Sundays of the month from 2:00-3:30pm. This LGBTQ+ and allies inclusive Drum Circle promotes drumming for fun, personal healing, and building community, and is open to learners, beginners, and drummers of all skills. Drums are available for those who don’t already have one. The suggested donation for the Drum Circle is $11.00, but all are welcome.
“Pride season is more than just rainbow flags,” says Dr. Matar. “Pride is about being empowered to live your unique and authentic best life. As an organization rooted in suicide prevention, our Health & Wellness programming is designed to empower people to celebrate their whole selves – body, mind and spirit.
In addition to health and wellness themed programming, the Center also hosts Connections, a weekly peer-to-peer social and support group for LGBTQ+ people 18 and up that meets at the Center on Tuesdays at 6:00pm, and LGBTQ+ Up All Night – a late-night drop-in group featuring games, movies, karaoke, crafts, potlucks, and other activities on Fridays from 10:00pm-2:00am. For youth and families, the Center hosts the independently-run LGBTQ+ Families group on the 1st Saturdays from, 1:00-3:00pm at the Center, and a new program specifically for LGBTQ+ youth is currently in the works.
For more information about the Center’s programs, including times and locations, please email us at [email protected], visit us online at www.darkecountypride.org, or follow us on Facebook (Darke County Pride). To RSVP for the July 12th Building Resilience Through Hard Times session from 1:00-3:00pm at the Center, please email us at [email protected].
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About: The Center was founded in January 2024 in line with the Ohio Suicide Prevention Plan to address increasing rates of suicide, mental health crises and addictions in the Darke County region. The Center’s programs and services are open to LGBTQ+ people, as well as their friends, families, and allies who support the Center’s mission to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive Darke County for all people, including LGBTQ+ children, youth, adults and families. The Center’s programs and services are drug and alcohol free.
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