The Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center (MGLCC) is looking for a few volunteers to staff its front desk, and they’re holding a volunteer training session tonight (Tuesday, Nov. 15th) at 6 p.m. at the center (892 S. Cooper).
The position involves answering the phones and helping clean up the center, but that’s not all. Front desk volunteers are the first people to greet center newcomers, who may be stopping by to find refuge from discrimination at home, work, or school. Here’s a story from the MGLCC’s newsletter:
Several years ago, our board chair, Len Piechowski, was staffing the center one quiet night. A young woman walked into the center. Len greeted her and struck up a conversation. The young woman told him that she’d just come out to her mother and that they were fighting. Her mother was having difficult time dealing with this revelation. The young woman and Len chatted for about an hour, and then she prepared to leave. Before she walked out the door, she turned and said “Thank you for being here for me tonight. I walked around the block four times before I got enough courage to come in.”
For more information on volunteering, contact Martavius here.
