March 5, 2021 – The Nevada County Chapter of PFLAG is closing, according to an email sent yesterday. The chapter, founded locally in 2002, is transitioning their programs to two other local non-profits.
We’re writing to inform you that in the coming weeks PFLAG Nevada County will be shutting down. This decision comes after years of seeing our board shrink as long time members have stepped down while few new board members have stepped up. We’ve held multiple volunteer recruitment gatherings that saw less than the desired turn out and have attempted to reach out to members of the community on social media and through our email list. While it has been a long time coming, it is not a decision that we’ve made with ease.
Since 2002 PFLAG Nevada County has been providing support, education, and advocacy to this area’s LGBTQ+ population and their families and allies. The tireless work of people like Pat Paddock, Pat Rose, Karle DeProsse, Marilyn Chambliss, Paula Elliot, Rick Duber, Susan Lewis, and others has helped countless people to feel accepted and seen when they were feeling alone and helpless. It is a legacy that has enriched many lives and will live on in all of those who have been touched by the work we have done.
But this is not the end. While PFLAG Nevada County may be closing, the programs that we have built to support our community will live on. Color Me Human will be taking on the task of continuing and expanding our support groups, and Bright Futures for Youth (Formerly NEO) will be continuing to provide the Rainbow Social to support LGBTQ+ Youth. Despite the sadness of seeing our chapter close, we are excited to see the ways in which others here in Nevada County will step in to continue the legacy that PFLAG has built.
Thank you to all of you who have put in time, energy, and deep love to make PFLAG Nevada County a beacon for the LGBTQ+ residents and their families and friends in this area.