TCD denied spot at volunteer event

Sep. 24—The Community Connections Fair organized by the Yuba Sutter Community Task Force was established to help local groups and organizations connect with interested volunteers.

While last Friday's event had called for the participation of community groups who are in need of more volunteer support, the Marysville LGBT resource group Tri-County Diversity was initially denied participation on the assumption that it is a political or social advocacy group.

After emailing the Community Task Force on Aug. 8 to inquire about joining the event, Ameya Scanlon, program coordinator for Tri-County Diversity's YOUTH! Program, said that the organization was initially rejected. Organizer and Marysville City Council candidate Stephanie McKenzie told Scanlon in an email on Aug. 15 that the Community Connections Fair is focused on community service groups and that "political and other social advocacy" organizations were not being included at that time.

In a response sent to McKenzie on Aug. 16, Scanlon explained that as a nonprofit organization, Tri-County Diversity does not have any political affiliations nor does it associate with politics or social activism.

Scanlon referenced the resources that the organization offers related to education, peer support, socialization and community activities for members of the LGBT community. As a volunteer-based organization, opportunities to gain more volunteers and visibility through events like the Community Connections Fair are crucial to carrying out the group's mission, Scanlon said.

"Our organization has focused on a specific goal to become more visible and connected in the community for the last 3-5 years. We try to continue to stay positive and focus on those connections with the other local service organizations in the community who do show us support and allyship, however it can be disheartening when met with exclusion and adversity. This is even more discouraging from an organization who states that they are 'Connecting people, resources, and ideas for a better, stronger Yuba Sutter' to judge our organization without first inquiring directly or looking into our mission and past and continuing work in the community, that is all readily accessible to the public," Scanlon said in an email to the Appeal.

Scanlon did not receive a second response from McKenzie until nearly a month later on Sept 14. McKenzie apologized for not responding and misconstruing the organization's mission. She acknowledged the service that Tri-County Diversity offers and explained that the vendors list for the event had been completely filled.

As the lead organizer for the Community Connections Fair, McKenzie said she is responsible for inviting organizations and approving the groups that request to participate. In a call to the Appeal, McKenzie said that she had already confirmed the majority of the available spaces before the Community Task Force announced the event and requests for participation on its Facebook page.

"We had started this event in 2019 and had vendors that were already established vendors or groups for this event. I had a list of 20 slots that I wanted to fill and there were 17 from the beginning, so I started out not needing many people," McKenzie said. "... I had already reached out to a bunch of people and by the time Ameya reached out to me, we basically had the list full, but my response to her didn't include any of that information and I think that was part of the problem."

She said that she did not look up Tri-County Diversity or its services before initially responding to Scanlon's inquiry.

She also said that other groups with ties to political or social advocacy missions, including unions and Republican organizations, were also denied participation in the event.

"Nobody was excluded from the event on purpose, but mostly the way I organize this event is by invitation," McKenzie said.

The Community Connections Fair highlights community service groups that heavily rely on volunteers to carry out their missions. Sarah Lee, owner of the dance studio Creative Flow Institute and founder of the Creative Flow Foundation, a partner to Tri-County Diversity, was upset to hear that the group was denied participation.

"It's been really bothersome that still in 2022, they are having trouble getting their voices heard. ... In an area like ours, LGBTQ members need the resources. They need a place to be. They need to hear that they are heard and loved and cared for. Tri-County Diversity does a really great job of that. It's just a bummer. It's a real shame that they aren't seen as valid in terms of a nonprofit that serves this community because they very much are," Lee said.

Now that she is familiar with its work, McKenzie said that there's a possibility of Tri-County Diversity being included in next year's Community Connections Fair.