The Rape Crisis Center in Wilmington, NC is attempting to get some much needed volunteer assistance for primarily New Hanover County, but also for the 1 woman Rape Crisis Center – Brunswick County program as well. They are hosting a “Hospital Responder Boot Camp” Volunteer Training on Saturday, February 28, 2009 from 9A-5P. Please keep reading for additional details on what Rape Crisis Hospital Responders do. If you want to volunteer, but can’t make training on 2/28, PLEASE e-mail Amy Feath, the Crisis Intervention Services Director, back so another group group of potential volunteers can be placed in another training on a later date.

For some of you, this message is old news, for others, it’s a new plea. In any case, if you cannot help, but can forward this to other women in New Hanover or Brunswick counties who may be willing to help. Rape Crisis Center – New Hanover team (3 staff and 8 volunteers) and Rape Crisis Center – Brunswick (0 staff and 1 volunteer) are quickly being overwhelmed by the requests for on-going services AND trying to cover 24-7 hospital victim response services.

They have scheduled a Rape Crisis Center Volunteer “Hospital Responder 101 Training” Session at Rape Crisis Center on Saturday, February 28, 2009 from 9A-5P for anyone who is interested in becoming a Rape Crisis Center volunteer. They will provide yummy food for all. They will immediately be scheduling interested folks for our required pre-volunteer drug screening and criminal records checks, so as soon as the results are back (5 business days), they can get you on the schedule to start responding, as a “Secondary Volunteer” with veterans to show you the ropes.

Rape Crisis Center is committed to ensure that victims are not facing their crisis alone, but 24/7 services are impossible without dedicated community volunteers.

WHAT DO RAPE CRISIS VOLUNTEERS DO?

Please send out the plea for women who already have a vested interest in assisting victims of sexual violence. The Rape Crisis Center needs women who are willing to be trained to actually respond to the hospitals (in New Hanover and Brunswick counties) when a victim comes immediately after the assault. They realize this kind of volunteering isn’t for everyone, but even if they get a few folks who are willing to get QUICKLY trained, it would help them a great deal. Optimally, if they had 12 community volunteers for each county, and they each would commit to taking “On-call” for ONLY ONE 24-hour period each month, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, from 5A-5A, it would make a WORLD of difference.

Currently, as it stands right now, staff are on call during the weekdays, AND most weekends and holidays. Being on-call doesn’t guarantee getting called to the hospital, just a commitment to GO if a victim presents, which we hope won’t happen. If it does, The Rape Crisis Center wants to be there to support the victim and their family, friends and loved ones.

Please pass this on to any women you think may be willing to give up one 24-hour weekend night each month to help The Rape Crisis Center out!

Queer On Their Feet, a outstanding comedy showcase featuring out comics Jennie McNulty, Jason Dudey and Diane Yanez, who have all been featured nationally on LOGO, are coming to North Carolina, starting on February 19th in Asheville, and concluding their North Carolina part of the tour in the Port City on February 22nd. Queer On Their Feet is refreshing and hilarious, that has each comic doing about 15 minutes of fabulous stand up, with a followup by all three comics together playing improv games onstage with suggestions from the audience. Every show is unique, fun, and totally hysterical. The Wilmington show is a fundraiser for the Frank Harr Memorial Fund at 6:00 PM at St. Jude’s MCC for $15.00.

We recently had a chance to have a fun and frisky roundtable chat with these three fabulous comedians about their upcoming visit:

BW: What does it mean for you to be apart of this tour, Queer On Their Feet?

Jenny McNulty: As someone who’s been touring for years doing comedy by myself, it’s really fun to be part of an ensemble and I LOVE doing the improv as well as the stand up so the tour is really, really, fun.

Jason Dudey: It’s awesome. Jennie came up with this idea a couple of years ago and it incorporates all that I love about comedy. We each get to do some stand up in the beginning and then we do the improv. The improv is fantastic, it brings the whole audience together. Everyone participates and no one knows what’s going to happen. I love bringing a new, different, exciting night out to the gay community. It really provides something different that just heading to the bars. We go there after the shows.

Diane Yanez: It’s a big deal to me to be with this group and on this tour. This is my art and to be in such good company is a bonus triumph. Taking it to the people – I treasure meeting our queer brothers & sisters across the U.S. but I also enjoy meeting our brothers & sisters that are not queer. On the road – & inevitably in our audiences – we always end up meeting a lot of our straight family. I’m a big believer that change is going to happen faster the more people get to know us. And by us I mean the whole GLBT disco ball. Every shiny facet. Everybody laughs, everybody loves, everybody wins.

From our friends at Be Your Own Queero and Be Your Own Hero:

This Sunday, Feb. 1st, 2009:
12:00 noon – 2ish
317 Castle St (Corner of 4th & Castle) Wilmington, NC

Bring items you don’t need, take what you want!

(please respect the space and clean up after yourself! take your items that no one takes to the rescue mission when you leave, or do whatever you want with them, just don’t leave them there!)

This is a community event, everyone is invited!

The Women’s Resource Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington will present benefit performances of Eve Ensler’s award-winning play The Vagina Monologues Feb.12, 13 and 15, 2009. The event is part of the celebration of V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. All profits will go to the Wilmington Domestic Violence Shelter and the Rape Crisis Center at Coastal Horizons.

Performance dates, times and locations are:

Thursday, Feb. 12, Lumina Theater, Fisher Student Center, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 13, “Dinner & Show”, Warwick Center Ballroom, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 15, Lumina Theater, Fisher Student Center, 2 p.m.

Tickets are available at Kenan Auditorium Box Office and Sharkey’s Box Office in the Fisher Student Center. Credit card purchases must be made through the Kenan Auditorium Box Office at 910.962.3500 or 800.732.3643.

Prices for Feb. 12 and 15: $10 General Public; $8 Faculty, Staff, Alumni; $6 Students; Prices for Feb. 13 “Dinner & Show”: $40 Public; $35 Faculty, Staff, Alumni; $25 Students

Last year, more than 4,000 V-Day benefits took place around the world raising funds and awareness toward ending violence against women and girls. Since 1998, V-Day and these highly successful events have raised more than $60 million for organizations working to end violence in their local communities. The University of North Carolina Wilmington supports this global movement as part of the V‑Day 2009 College Campaign.

WILMINGTON, NC, DECEMBER 29, 2008 – Out Impact, a gay online magazine focusing on making a positive impact within the gay community, in our first 2009 event in conjunction with The Soapbox, will be celebrating our first ever Out Impact Friday in a fundraising event for the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation’s Marcia Polimer Abrams Fund for Canine Behavior Studies at The Soapbox in Wilmington, NC on January 23rd, 2009 from 9 p. m. to 1 a. m. Out Impact’s hotel sponsor for this special celebration is the Red Roof Inn, with other sponsorship levels currently available.

The Fund was created in memory of author, regular contributor to Out Impact and CHF President’s Council Member Darlene Arden’s mother, and will benefit studies focusing on unlocking the mysteries of canine behavior. “I couldn’t think of a better way to honor my mother and our shared love of dogs than to create this fund in her memory. Behavior is at the very core of the human-animal bond. I also know that whatever studies the CHF funds will also ultimately benefit people. It’s truly a win/win for dogs and their human companions. I also hope it will help breeders breed dogs that are mentally as well as physically sound. I think my mother would wholeheartedly approve.”

“We are proud to have our first event of 2009 celebrating Marcia’s memory and helping raising funds for their incredible efforts in helping canines and their families,” Bambi Weavil, CEO and Publisher of Out Impact, Inc. said. “We are animal lovers ourselves and believe this is a very important cause.”

Host: Robert West, Out Wilmington & Costello’s
Location:
Historic Firehouse Number 2
Fifth Avenue and Castle Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
View Map
When: Saturday, December 27, 8:00PM
Phone: 910 352-7544 or 910 200-0037

Tired of Uncle Edgar’s stories, Mother-in-Law Mildred’s whining, and Aunt Eunice’s kisses?

OutWilmington invites you and a guest to celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas (and everything in-between).

We’ll have beer & wine, edibles, and neat door prizes. If you desire anything else, we encourage you to bring it, him or her!

Come see and participate in what OutWilmington has planned for 2009, including promoting our LGBT Businesses.

Thank you to all our readers, friends, supporters, activists and fellow LGBTQ media from around the world. We are grateful for you as we continue to grow and our upcoming first event of 2009 on January 23, 2009 in Wilmington, NC at The Soapbox!

A special thank you to my dedicated staff:

-Sean Oakley

-Shannon Smith

-Lynn Casper

-Chardon Moore

-Michael Weaver, Jr.

-Missy Rhodes

Our regular contributing writers:

- Kimberly Wilson

- Arthur D. Wright

- Dr. Patrick Mahaney

- Darlene Arden

- Christi Preddy

- Karl Hampe

- Raven Usher

- Jarko De Witte van Leeuwen

With special thanks to our extended family at SoulGarden.TV, The V Radio, Tristan Renteria, Kim Dicso, and Sirius OutQ’s OutQ In The Morning. We love you, we support you and are grateful for all the encouragement you’ve given us in our year and counting.

Sincerely,
Bambi Weavil

CEO/Publisher of Out Impact, Inc.

OutImpact.com – Making a positive impact in the gay community. Make yours.

Local activist and straight ally, Stephanie Hart, who spoke first in Wilmington, NC’s rally on November 15, 2008’s speech:

“I was not sure what I was going to say. And then late last night I was watching Henry Rollins speak in South Africa, and he also spoke with Desmond Tutu, and they brought up things that inspired me for today.

I quote his holiness, the Dalai Lama, “Ultimately, humanity is one and this small planet is our only home. If we are to protect this home of ours,each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of universal altruism. It is only this feeling that can remove the self-centered motives that cause people to deceive and misuse one another. If you have a sincere and open heart,you naturally feel self-worth and confidence, and there is no need to be fearful of others.”

To read more…

Photos of the Wilmington, NC Against Prop 8 rally – if used on website please credit OutImpact.com.

Article: Wilmington, NC Protests Prop 8 In A National Day of Unity

November 15, 2008 – 1:30p EST – 3:00p

To view more please click on headline.

One-hundred thirty people, both from the gay community and straight allies gathered together in a peaceful protest on a beautiful warm Saturday afternoon in Wilmington, NC at the Federal Building in solidarity with the national protesting of Prop 8 passing in California at 1:30p EST on November 15th. Local organizers Kati Heffield and Mary Eller helped spread the word via social networking sites like Facebook that Wilmington would be represented as part of the estimated 300 cities taking part in the national protest.