New local chapter of Gay For Good enhances community’s image through service projects
THIS PLACE IS A ZOO | Mark Brinkerhoff, from left, Rob Peters, Emy Lyons, Duncan Smith, Kurt Kirchner, Jason O’Neill, Thomas Christopher Renner were among members of Gay For Good who volunteered recently during the local chapter’s first service project at the Dallas Zoo. (Courtest Rob Emery)
Breeding giraffes requires quite a bit of lubricant, according to Rob Peters, the founder of the new Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of Gay For Good. Cleaning out the breeding room was a surprise project handed to members of the new volunteer organization when they arrived at the Dallas Zoo on Aug. 24.
More than 20 members of the LGBT community responded to a Facebook post looking for volunteers to take down unused cages at the Dallas Zoo animal hospital, complete an exhibit at the reptile house and work on tasks in the bird section of the Wilds of Africa.
Volunteers removed rocks and debris and put down fresh mulch under the tram line in the Wilds of Africa section of the zoo for the vulture exhibit. Cages no longer being used in the animal hospital needed to be removed. In addition, volunteers were told there would be a surprise task given once they arrived.
That surprise was cleaning out the giraffe mating house where volunteers washed out the breeding room where two of the animals recently mated.
When the group asked what needed to be cleaned out after giraffes mate, they were told it can be a little messy.
“It takes a lot of lube,” group founder Rob Peters said.
Peters joined Gay For Good in Boston. When he moved to Dallas last year, he decided to open a chapter here. Each month the group plans an event volunteering in the community.
“It’s not about raising money,” Peters said. “It’s about giving of yourself.”
When he joined the Boston chapter, Peters said he wanted to meet some good people who have a broader sense of community.
“It’s about bridging the gap between the LGBT community and the broader community.
Dallas-Fort Worth is the 10th chapter of G4G and the first with a straight board member. For its first event, Peters was excited that volunteers representing each letter in LGBT were represented.
The zoo projects took three hours to complete. Volunteers worked on a Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon before going out to lunch together in nearby Bishop Arts.
The next project involves sorting and processing clothing at the Genesis Benefit Store that supports Genesis Women’s Shelter. Peters said volunteers will work two shifts in small groups of 10. Because September is Pride month with so many activities going on, he looked for a smaller event.
In October, the group plans to volunteer at the North Texas Food Bank. And for its premier Fort Worth project, it will head over to the Tarrant Area Food Bank in December.
In November, volunteers will participate in Reading Is Fundamental, the largest nonprofit children’s literacy program. Around the city, 11 schools are participating and G4G will be assigned its own school.
Dan Babb knew Peters through a friend and was excited about participating in G4G.
“I’ve always been service-oriented,” he said. “In college, I was in a service fraternity.”
He said he got into the community, met new people and had fun participating.
After the first project, the women’s social group The SOLID Network partnered with G4G.
SOLID organizer Tiff Cochran said her group has already done quite a bit of volunteer work so G4G was a perfect fit.
“We wanted to do more,” she said.
She said her goal was for volunteer work to be the thing to do and the number of volunteers will far outnumber the slots available in monthly projects.
Gay For Good isn’t the first group to work with mainstream organizations to enhance the image of the LGBT community.
While Gay For Good brings groups of volunteers into the community, The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas bundles money. Those donations benefit non-gay organizations, advancing LGBT equality through visibility.
Among the organizations that have benefited from GLFD donations are the AT&T Performing Arts Center, The Dallas Museum of Art, Parkland Hospital and KERA.
Within a year, G4G expects to have a similarly impressive list of organizations that have benefited from the efforts of its members.
G4G will have a tent at the Festival in Lee Park for new volunteers to sign up. For more info, visit GayForGood.org/dallas_tx.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition September 13, 2013.