"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

-Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Dear Friends and Allies:

December is the time of year when many of us find ourselves in a spirit of giving-we pour over catalogs for the "perfect gift" or brave the rain and wind to wander stores in search of things that will convey how we feel toward those we care about.  For those of us here at Community Alliance of Lane County, we spend the entire year working to convey this feeling: our mission is to educate and mobilize for peace, human dignity, and social, racial and economic justice and this means striving to improve the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors.

While you contemplate how to spend your money as the year comes to a close and mull over possible gifts to express your attachments and values, consider what the following means for residents of Lane County:

$25 provides educators with training and information to improve the safety and inclusion for students as part of the Safe Schools Working Group, a project of our Springfield Alliance for Equality and Respect. SAfER promotes human rights with the help of people who live and work in Springfield. This program assists public institutions in addressing social justice issues, and youth are a central concern.

$50 supplies art materials for our annual Queer Youth Arts Project in conjunction with Eugene/Springfield Pride−this helps increase the visibility of youth, and to educate the community about the issues faced by queer youth, such as homelessness, bullying, and institutional discrimination. 

$100 gives high school students in all Lane County high schools information and decision-making tools such as "Questions to Ask a Recruiter" as part of our Truth in Recruiting program. This program provides young people with accurate information about military service and introduces them to actual military veteran's who help answer their questions.

$150 promotes peace and alternatives to war through community forums, grassroots lobbying and rallies and vigils through our Progressive Responses program−working to replace the Federal government's unilateral, militaristic foreign policy with cooperative, international diplomacy.

$250 enables the Back to Back program to respond, track and support Hate Crime activity in Lane County. Our B2B program exposes and challenges bigotry and oppression, especially racism, anti-Semitism, heterosexism, and transphobia.

$500 helps keep homelessness and a human right to shelter on the public agenda throughout Lane County, promoting policy changes, increased services and raising awareness about LGBTIQ homeless youth.

For nearly forty-five years, CALC has been the eyes and ears for Lane County.  We pay attention to the challenges that are holding us back from being the inclusive, just, and equitable community we all aspire to. Join us in advocating for human rights and working to take a stand for those most vulnerable by sending your donation today.

Warmest regards for a peaceful season,

Kori Rodley Irons

Co-director, Administration and Development