Articles From Our January, 2006 Newsletter
The mission of Good Samaritan Project (GSP) is to provide supportive and responsive care for a diverse community of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS through education and advocacy. Good Samaritan Project began as a grassroots volunteer effort in 1985 in response to the AIDS crisis and is Kansas City’s oldest and most comprehensive AIDS service provider.
GSP was the first agency in the Kansas City area to provide services exclusively for individuals with HIV/AIDS. The founders of GSP coordinated volunteer services from the basement of a local church. As the number of people with HIV/AIDS increased, GSP evolved into a professional, non-profit AIDS service provider to meet needs where services were either limited or non-existent. Twenty years later, GSP is still making a difference in the lives of people with HIV/AIDS in the Kansas City metropolitan area and is dedicated to working with people living with HIV/AIDS, their families, friends and loved ones to provide practical solutions, comfort and hope. The agency serves a 15-county area in Kansas and Missouri. Kansas Counties are Leavenworth, Miami, Wyandotte and Johnson.
Missouri counties are Bates, Benton, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Henry, Jackson, Lafayette, Pettis, Platte and Ray.
The Staff and Board of Directors are committed to serving those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and in curbing the spread of the disease in our community. GSP also promotes widespread community understanding of the nature of HIV and its prevention. In addition to a caring, compassionate and experienced professional staff, GSP is fortunate to have approximately 1,000 volunteers who are vital to the agency's success and who are active in many of our programs, services and fundraising events.
Good Samaritan Project is a United Way organization.
All services are provided at no charge without regard to sex, age, religion, race, economic status or sexual orientation.
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Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Doug and hear about this amazing organization and the wonderful work it does.
Our meeting starts at the usual time...3:00pm, at the usual place, Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Room 307.
Sleep in heavenly peace….Sleep in heavenly peace.
Richard and I were excited this year to be celebrating three years of our son being “out”. In the early hours of December 23rd we talked quietly about how very much we have learned in that time with the help of PFLAG. We still marvel at how our lives have changed for the better and what that day must have been like for John.
I adore this time of the year and find myself singing all the standard Christmas songs as I busy myself around the house. This year, however, the last few words of Silent Night really hit me in a new and very powerful way. I thought of my own son and how peacefully he must have slept that night three years ago knowing that he would never again have to veil his conversations or hide from us who he (fully) is. What a celebration. There are LGBT children everywhere who long for that peace—they may be in their teens or in their forties, but they’re still somebody’s kids.
As a mother I just want to say: Sleep in heavenly peace, my son.
Again we are beset with tragic news about one who was so instrumental in the life of our PFLAG chapter, and for life itself. Julian Houston died last Tuesday. He and his wife Mary Jane were the driving force in starting our PFLAG chapter, and were a vital link in the ongoing life of this community. Those of us who knew Julian will always remember his joyous, loving presence, his great smile, and his dynamic response to the many issues that concern each of us so deeply.
Below is his obituary. If you want to send Mary Jane a note or a card, her address is:
Mary Jane Houston
29 Fulkerson Cr.
Liberty, MO 64068
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Julian L. Houston, 79, of Liberty, MO, died Tuesday, December 20, 2005 at Ashton Court Care and Rehabilitation Center in the comfort and company of his family and friends. Julian was born November 9, 1926, in Nashville, TN, to Mabel and Roy Houston. In 1944, after graduating from high school he followed his brothers' path by enlisting in the Navy. He received his BS from Vanderbilt University during his Naval service. Soon after his discharge he responded to God's call to ministry by attending the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. During this time he met and married Mary Jane Campbell.
In Kentucky, they served Stanford Presbyterian Church in Stanford and Iroquois Presbyterian Church in Louisville. In 1961, Julian and Mary Jane and their children moved to Liberty, MO, where he served as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church for 24 years. He subsequently served as associate pastor of Linwood United Church of Kansas City, MO, until his retirement in 1989.
As a faithful servant of God, Julian provided inspiration and motivation to many people that led to the creation of such ministries as the Fellowship of the Concerned, Hillcrest Ministries, Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City, MO, and the Kansas City Chapter of PFLAG. His faith, and gift for extending friendship and love were the foundation for his passionate advocacy for justice, racial reconciliation and opportunity for all people to lead a full and meaningful life. He was drawn to the unique challenges of the inner city which led him to become involved with many people and organizations such as Community LINC, Linwood United Church and the McCue Parker Center, Servant Leadership, and Church of the Savior (Washington, D.C).
Julian is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Jane; daughter, Kate Houston and her partner Barbara Becker of Minneapolis, MN; son, Henry Houston of Destin, FL; son Graham Houston and his wife Kathy Houston, two grandchildren, Jennifer and Jason, all of Kansas City, MO, sister Frances Houston of Nashville, TN, and 11 nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents Roy and Mabel, and his four brothers, Roy, Ralph, Richard and Raymond.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial gifts be made to Community LINC, Linwood United Church, Habitat for Humanity Kansas City, Church of the Savior or to the charity of your choice.
Washington, D.C. – Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) commended Ford Motor Company for its pledge to continue advertising their Ford vehicle brands in gay media as well as to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) events. In addition, the 200,000-member organization cautioned corporate America against bending to the demands of extremist groups such as the American Family Association (AFA). “By recommitting to outreach to the GLBT community through advertising and event support, and to their own policies on GLBT nondiscrimination and inclusiveness, Ford did the right thing,” said Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of PFLAG. “Ford’s response wasn’t just to an outcry from GLBT people, but to the clear message from our families and friends that we will not tolerate Ford or any other corporations’ surrender to the demands of extremist groups like the AFA.”
Members from PFLAG sent a barrage of letters to protest Ford’s decision. Many noted that Ford seemed to be capitulating to a boycott threat from the AFA, a group that has contended that, among other things:
“Homosexuality is not only harmful to homosexuals themselves, but also to children and to society”
“Homosexuals [are] the true inventors of Nazism and the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities,”
AIDS is a “gay plague”
Homosexuality is a choice that can be cured by “reparative therapy” – a strategy declared damaging and ineffective by all major medical, psychiatric, and psychological associations.
“The AFA and groups like it are dangerous to anyone who doesn’t fall in step with their ideas – GLBT people, their families, supporters, people of color, people of faith – and legitimizing their demands with changes to corporate policy will not to be tolerated from any company,” said Huckaby. “Our families deserve equality, and this incident proves that our families will stand up to any individual or corporation who disagrees, sending loud messages with both their voices and their wallets.”
The full joint statement on the Ford issue reads:
“We welcome today’s statement from Ford Motor Company and commend their firm stance in support of inclusion. It is an unequivocal reaffirmation of Ford ’s historic commitment to our community and the core American values of fairness and equality. Moreover, it is conclusive proof of what Ford leaders have repeatedly assured us -- that there never was any deal with anti-LGBT organizations concerning Ford’s support for our community.
We are proud to be back in gear with Ford and look forward to working with them in the years ahead.”
A full background and list of signatories is available at www.pflag.org.
PFLAG SUPPORTS REAL FAMILY VALUES