 |
|
||||
|
|
||||
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release Date ~ March 10, 2004 One-In-Teen Announces Opening of Youth CenterNashville --- DeWayne Fulton, Board Member and Senior Sponsor of One-In-Teen Youth Services, Inc. (OIT), announces the opening of the One-In-Teen Youth Center. The new Center is located in the 1700 Hayes Street building, which is in the West End/Elliston area of Nashville. An open house will be held in April, on a date to be determined. Fulton, who has been associated with One-In-Teen since 1990, views this as the culmination of a vision for the youth agency, the oldest such organization in the State of Tennessee. Founded in 1989 and formally incorporated as a non-profit corporation [501(c)(3)] in 1993, One-In-Teen serves sexual minority youth between the ages of 14 and 21. Its services have expanded since its inception from a weekly support group to now include support for school-based Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), community education, scholarships, and developing alternative social activities for youth, the most successful of which is the annual Gay/Lesbian Prom. However, one of the factors complicating further development has been a lack of independent space. Until the fall of 2003, One-In-Teen rented space from The Center for Gay and Lesbian Community Services and its successor, The Rainbow Community Center. According to Julia Tate, JD, LCSW, who was elected Secretary/Treasurer in December, 2003, "During this past fall, the OIT Board of Directors was reorganized and we looked carefully at the future of One-In-Teen. One of the new Board’s first decisions was to make finding our own space a priority." From October 2003 to February 2004 One-In-Teen met at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in East Nashville. "We're very grateful to St. Ann's - they stepped in at a critical time in the life of the agency and gave us a space to meet in," Fulton said. During this period, Fulton and other members of the Board searched for more permanent space. This search culminated with a lease agreement for the new Youth Center. Fulton states "I'm very excited about our new home and the flexibility this gives us to better serve our youth." Sixteen-year-old Adria Brooks, a junior at Hume-Fogg Academic High School and one of two youth representatives on the Board, concurs: "I hope that our new space will help both old and new members feel more welcome and secure." Fulton, the driving force behind One-In-Teen for many years, began the process of creating the new Center by reaching out to talented and energetic people to transform the One-In-Teen Board. Robert McNamara, longtime social and political activist, states "I'm proud to be a new member of the One-In-Teen Board. I'm especially pleased to be involved with an organization that is helping gay youth overcome the social obstacles that other youth don't have to face." Brad Beasley, MS, a supervisor at the Metro Public Health Department, STD/HIV educator, and department liaison to the gay community, relates "I'm honored to be on the board of an agency that has a long history of helping LGBT kids. Having a space of their own will help the group develop a strong sense of autonomy in a positive way, in turn allowing the members to become role models for other LGBT kids." Other Board Members include: Carlton Cornett, LCSW, elected Board President in December, 2003 and Frances Bledsoe, LCSW, an expert on family therapy and longtime supporter of One-In-Teen. Further information regarding the One-In-Teen program can be found at the agency's internet website: www.one-in-teen.org. For More Information
Contact: |