Colton, CA—On Aug. 27 the Joshua Home hosted the Queer Kickoff, one of their first major events for LGBTQ+ youth in the Inland Empire.
Joshua Home: an LGBTQ Safe Haven is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ youth with meeting essential needs, like clothing and housing. The Queer Kickoff provided resources, clothes, shoes, and food/beverages at the event.
Annette Patterson, founder and Executive Director of Joshua Home, was able to run this event with the help of a few sponsors. “[We are] So thankful for Amazon,” she said. “They came in and brought two trucks of clothes and shoes and hygiene items, and they have been just showing up in a huge way for Joshua Home.”
Amazon’s involvement came as a result of building a relationship with Glamazon, the company’s LGBTQ+ affinity group. “We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Maleah and Maleah’s team at Glamazon,” Patterson said.
Glamazon employee and former CHS student Maleah Espinoza stated, “A few of our partnering warehouses have actually donated a lot of these items that we see here today and as well as volunteer events and supported with setting up and things like that so that is where our role is today.”
The event’s second major sponsor was Riverside-San Bernardino Indian Health. The organization provided catering for the event.
Not only were these sponsors a huge help for this event, but they helped Joshua Home lease the building they are now in to continue hosting large events and give LGBTQ+ members the support they may need.
The Center @ Joshua Home is located at 306 West Hanna Street, ste. 500 in Colton. It is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Nick Daily, President of the Board of Directors for Joshua Home, described how “Over the past 10 years we are looking to build relationships and community with different non-profit and profit organizations offering leadership and other collaboration with organizations that do LGBT support generally, and youth support or homelessness.”
One of the organizations that came out to support Joshua Home during this event was Free Mom Hugs. Free Mom Hugs is an organization whose mission is ensuring members of the LGBTQ+ community are safe and feel welcomed. At the event, members of Free Mom Hugs were there to give both LGBTQ+ and non LGBTQ+ members affirmations and hugs.
Organizations like Joshua Home find their mission to be more important than ever. According to the Trevor Project over 28% of the LBGTQ+ youth have either had experiences with an unstable home or homelessness.
Current legislation for school boards in Inland communities like Chino Hills and Temecula have have brought more than political controversy to the Inland Empire. LGBTO+ students now feel like they have been targeted, making the support of community organizations like Joshua Home more important than ever.
“Not a lot of us have support when it comes to sexuality,” said Regine Williams, a representative for Indian Health. “I feel like one person can really make a difference, but to have a bunch of people come together and say ‘We’re here for you regardless of what we may feel or how we believe’— I think that’s a big, loving thing.”
To celebrate the hard work and achievements Joshua Home has accomplished over the course of 10 years, they will be hosting an anniversary gala at Stone Oak Manor in Oak Glen on September 30.
“This is really an opportunity to celebrate our ten years, but also celebrate the entire community that has helped us get to this point and we’re so honored to be able to do this with our hosts at Stone Oak Manor,” said Daily.
This event was truly a success, not only for Joshua Home, but for all the volunteers and LGBTQ+ members who came out so they could be celebrated and welcomed by the Queer Kickoff.
