Creating a sense of community, clearing up 2020 General Election confusion, protecting our mental health in the winter months, these are a few of the many topics covered with Blue Ridge Pride’s Generation Plus Program. It is a program designed to enrich the lives of LGBTQ+ adults in Western North Carolina who are living life’s third act, the years beyond fifty. Aging in rural LGBTQ+ communities pose unique opportunities and challenges. Generation Plus seeks to leverage the power of our neighborhoods by connecting community members with area service partners. You can view more about this program and connect to those in the program through the Generation Plus Facebook page here.
“Generation Plus grew from the LGBT Elder Advocates of WNC group. As a program of Blue Ridge Pride, we are able to build partnerships within the Asheville community and beyond. Our goal is to build upon the pillars of Education, Advocacy, Service and Celebration.”, says Butch Thompson, Blue Ridge Pride Board of Directors President.
Blue Ridge Pride is also building on a rich network of WNC partners. We are fortunate to have the AARP of WNC, Land of Sky Regional Council, Council on Aging of Buncombe County, as well as many other partners working in cooperation with for this exciting program.
Generation Plus meetings take place virtually, twice per month. The first meeting is the first Wednesday of every month at noon with topics and discussions in partnership with the AARP of WNC. The second meeting per month is a social hour for participants to gather and discuss what is on their mind and future topics they want to hear about and discuss for future meetings. Called ‘Pride Time’ this virtual gathering is held the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30PM. For more information on topics of interest stay informed through the Blue Ridge Pride website, blueridgepride.org
“Aging does not have to be a scary subject. People over 50 are vital to the LGBTQ+ community and Generation Plus seeks to keep people informed on issues that affect the generations,” continued Butch Thompson.
If you’re interested in participating in Generation Plus, register here.