Does a Community-Reliant Project Really Have a Chance to Thrive in 2025?
How your support and small acts of generosity are fueling our vision for the future.
The morning of Giving Tuesday, I woke up feeling a mix of anticipation and anxiety. We had set a goal to raise $2,000 by the end of the day to meet our immediate funding requirements for the Rooted Resilience Project, and we were starting a little over $300 short. With my feed already saturated with so many worthy fundraising asks, I wasn’t sure how we’d get there.
Email some folks. Text a few others.
I kept thinking: Can we lean in just a little deeper?
Then, donations began to pop up. One here. Another there.
A friend posted a video in support on Instagram?! My hope started to build.
By 7 p.m., I glanced at my phone and saw a text from my pal Jey:
“Congrats on making your fundraising goal, friends! Love you 😘”
Wait—what?! I hadn’t seen anything come through yet. Another page refresh and I saw it. Jey had made the goal-hitting donation seconds earlier. Tears welled up in my eyes as I replied, “JEY, YOU ANGEL!!!”
This moment wasn’t just about hitting a number. It was a profound reminder of the power of community. The act of reaching out, asking for support, and watching as people—friends, allies, and even strangers—responded to the call reinforced what we’ve always believed: Community makes the impossible possible.
In this particular moment, when fear, cynicism, and scarcity often dominate the narrative, it’s easy to doubt whether a community-reliant project can truly thrive. But this Giving Tuesday reminded me that even amidst the noise, there are people who deeply believe in the work we’re doing. People who want to help amplify the voices of 2SLGBTQIA+ creatives. People who recognize the value of connection, storytelling, and resilience.
So, a big, GIANT THANK YOU is due for showing us that community-reliant projects not only have a chance to thrive but can also transform the way we connect, create, and care for one another.
To support our ability to compensate our featured creatives for the time and knowledge, consider making a donation of any dollar amount.
Meet us at the Market
Today, we’ll be at Yet Another Queer Pop Up Market in Easthampton, Mass., sharing about the project and inviting folks into mini interviews with our mini microphone.
We’ll be asking:
What does “Rooted Resilience” mean to you?
How do creativity and community intersect in your life?
Part of our work is hearing from folks outside the few we are able to formally interview during our first season of production, so we’re looking forward to connecting with some of you there. *This is a masked event*