Greetings from Springfield!
PROMO is known as Missouri’s statewide organization advocating for our LGBT community. With our office in St. Louis, it is vital to have remote organizers on the ground in areas which need us most. I am thankful to be one of those organizers serving Missouri’s southwest region including Springfield.
Over the past three months, I have been settling into the position of Field Organizer, and I have to say that there is no limit to the work we need to accomplish for LGBT Missourians. It is crucial for us to expand the work we have already achieved in southwest Missouri in order to ensure equality for LGBT folks in this area.
I’ve spent my first months getting to know many of you, but I’ve learned an important lesson: there are equality supporters everywhere. I hope to meet all of you, hear your stories, and listen to your needs.
If we have yet to meet, I extend an invitation to stop by while I am working in the GLO Center, located at 518 East Commercial Street, Fridays between 1 and 6 pm. You can also usually find me at the Hurts Donuts Company at 320 Park Central on Sunday nights after 6 pm. One of my goals as the Field Organizer in Springfield is to be as accessible as possible to members of our community. I am here for you.
In the coming months, I will continue to work with area businesses, health providers, and organizations making sure that staff are trained to work with LGBT folks and have up to date policies, including nondiscrimination policies. I will also be locating and documenting more resources open to LGBT folks in the southwest region. In addition, I am here to educate you about what is happening in the Capitol during legislative session and the best actions we can take to move towards equality. Finally, I strive to be in meetings and spaces representing LGBT voices in our community making sure that we are included in the conversations and actions that affect all of us.
We have made significant strides in southwest Missouri thanks to the hard work of Steph Perkins. I am honored to be your Field Organizer in Springfield to help further the work that need to be done in this area to ensure equality for ALL Missourians.
I invite you to be part of this work and this movement. Stop by and visit me at GLO or Hurts Donuts. Just send me an email at karis@promoonline.org or call (417) 512-4834 letting me know to expect you.
I can’t wait to meet even more equality supporters here in the Ozarks.