LGBTQ+ Youth Programming & Support Fund

Rainbow Cafe has provided a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth in Southern Illinois for over 24 years. Throughout those years, our youth programming has given young community members a space to express themselves without the fear of judgment or persecution. While this mission is alive and well, it is currently under threat. Rainbow Cafe has worked diligently to improve the quality and availability of our services and programming. Youth programming and services have seen many iterations over the span of 24 years, from meeting in other affirming spaces to church basements, to most recently moving into a new space, to the ability to offer mental health support and wellness services by staffing youth programming facilitation roles by mental health professionals and interns. We have grown exponentially since our founding in September of 2000, with much of this growth happening since 2022, when we expanded our services to include community health work, a vital resource for our Southern Illinois community.

While our mission is thriving, we need your help to continue this important work.

A great deal of our operational costs are funded through grants, and the coverage is limited to the deliverables of the grant work. To cover other costs that are not related to grants, we rely on private donations throughout the year from our supporters within our community, like you. Because of limited funding abilities, we have had to limit the frequency and duration of our youth programming along with the number of off-site events that we sponsor for our community members. Due to the limitations within our grant scopes, we are not able to provide additional amenities (such as food, beverages, entertainment, outings and activities) without support from our community in the form of one-time or recurring donations. All donations made to Rainbow Cafe go directly into programming and ensuring we have thoroughly trained staff and volunteers to facilitate these programs.

There are other ways to support Rainbow Cafe.

We have volunteer opportunities in different areas within our programming. Volunteers are an important part of Rainbow Cafe’s history and we welcome new and returning volunteers to get involved! More volunteer information can be found at RainbowCafe.org.

Your donation plays a vital role in providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth in Southern Illinois.

"LGBTQ+ young people who had access to LGBTQ+-affirming spaces, and transgender and nonbinary youth who had access to gender-affirming spaces, reported lower rates of attempting suicide compared to those who did not"¹.

"LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than half the rate of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities. LGBTQ+ young people report lower rates of attempting suicide when they have access to affirming spaces and communities. They also need the people in their lives to better understand and support their identities and advocate for them"².

"Most LGBTQ+ young people (65%) reported knowing at least one older LGBTQ+ person they would consider a role model or someone they look up to"³.

¹²³https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2024/assets/static/TTP_2024_National_Survey.pdf

Please join our mission today and keep our community connected and thriving. We truly appreciate your support.

-Your Friends at Rainbow Cafe LGBTQ Center

LGBTQ+ Youth Programming & Activity Fund