#PurpleStateChallenge

 

Zebra Coalition

Mission: 

“The mission of Zebra Coalition® is to foster hope, dignity and self-respect in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and all youth (LGBT+), and to provide them an opportunity to grow up in a safe, healthy and supportive environment.”

Why I choose this group:

June is Pride Month. I’ve been celebrating by covering everything with rainbows – my Facebook feed, my food, my eye shadow – rainbow everything. I am part of the LGBTQA community year round but in June it’s time to celebrate and shout it from the rooftop. The last two years I was able to participate in my local Pride Parade.

This year Pride seems to be more somber. It was only a year ago that I woke up to go to the Pride Parade and heard the news about the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando. 49 people went out with friends to enjoy their night, celebrate, and shout out loud and didn’t come home. It’s terrifying to have a safe space invaded in that way, an LGBTQA club on Latin night. It makes my heart hurt and Monday marked the one year anniversary. It has been amazing to see how Orlando and the world came together to stand with the community. Below is a wonderful list that asked the parents of the those lost how to mark the occasion and they answered with ways to show kindness and love.

So for this month and week I knew that I wanted to find a great LGBTQA organization in Florida and that’s what I found in the Zebra Coalition. It’s a great organization that helps youth in Orlando who are in need find support, resources, and housing. They have all sorts of programs from mental health services, to bullying prevention, to mentoring and education resources, to simply providing a safe space for youth to walk into and find a place where they’re accepted. It’s so so important to build a strong community where people are connected and feel safe and Zebra Coalition is doing that in Orlando.

Check them out:

You can donate here –

Website |Zebra Coalition

Facebook |@zebracoalition Twitter | @zebracoaliton