Testimonials from Ogden, UT
“I wanted to give your organization huge congratulations for a very specific effect they are having on a specific community in Utah. Here is the story. When you’re traveling troupe of “It gets Better” was in Ogden last month, they held a Q & A after the performance. Those of us in the audience started talking about GSAs and specifically resources in our area. A woman and her daughter from rural Brigham City had recently applied for a GSA, but were being stonewalled. I am a board member of PFLAG, and with the help of countless allies in several counties and professional support from the ACLU and other organizations, a grassroots effort took shape. Long story short, the Box Elder county school board met last night and paved the way for the GSA. If your group had not been in town to foster community dialogue, I never would have met this woman and her daughters. Now there will be a GSA in Box Elder county home of the highest rate of teen suicide in the state.
Please share this with the entire troupe that came to Ogden for the entire week. They just changed the world (or a little slice of it)! Congratulations”
Please read the whole heartwarming story at: http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/11/14/many-cheer-box-elder-vote-allowing-noncurricular-school-clubs
“While doing a concert in the Ogden area in Utah, we had 8 men from the chorus come to Mound Fort Jr. High. They did a short set list and gave an anti-bullying message to students in the choir class. First, I want to give a little background of my class/school. We are a Title I school with both economic and gang problems. Many teachers who have taught in other schools in the surrounding area say we have the largest bullying problem out of any other Jr. High. The class is mostly comprised of students who needed an elective and were shoved into the choir. Many students have a hard time caring for others, let alone singing music. This age group (13-15) is, I believe, the hardest. With peer pressure at its peak, puberty running rampant, and emotions ready to blow at the slightest glance, it is a minefield that is almost impossible to navigate. I want to let everyone who was involved in this school appearance know that it was an incredible opportunity that both staff and students enjoyed. How I wish that we could have done 20 more performances for every class, so that every student in the school could have had a more intimate setting to hear the music and message that you shared. Your stories, experiences, and support helped everyone in that room and I can already see it spreading to others that didn’t attend. One girl in particular has had some difficult times in school dealing with others who have been insulting her interests and personality. Your strong message of “It Gets Better” meant so much to her. She was starting to tear up by the end of the meeting, and had to quickly hide it, hoping that no one would see. I noticed and wanted to let you know of what it meant to her. Thank you again for your time and sacrifice. I hope that this opportunity comes up again, and we can schedule it for the entire school next time!”
“I just want you know how thankful I am that we had the opportunity today to listen to the Gay Men’s Chorus from LA. The experience was wonderful, and I think that many of the students benefited from it, both musically and socially and emotionally. I wish we could have done that performance with the whole school, but at least 100 of the students got the message. Anytime that they are back in Utah, we would love to hear from them again.”
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