Geez Mid-Year Appeal for Donations 2017
Dear Reader and Supporter,
You may know that we only appeal for donations twice a year. This is our mid-year request.
I begin by noting the obvious: political language, especially in the U.S., has taken a harsh, polarizing turn, stoking fear and motivating acts of hatred.
Our mandate here at Geez seems more important now than ever: to nurture and inspire activist-oriented folks at the fringes of faith. We seek to disrupt binary thinking and practice a presence of compassionate critique.
Struggle, survival
For example, in the most-recent issue, Exodus from Empire (Geez 46, Summer 2017), we heard from those who don’t feel safe in their home country or home church.
Alfredo Barahona wrote about leaving El Salvador after decades of oppressive military dictatorship and coming to Canada where he now supports refugees and migrant workers. We interviewed Yahya Samatar who fled Somalia as a political refugee, made it to the U.S., but was placed in prison for 6 months. Upon his release he got a ride to the border and swam across a river into Canada where he found safety.
Kathryn Gray wrote about the girls’ camp at Ontario Pioneer Camp and the women who spoke out against the practice of asking staff for their views on homosexual and lesbian relationships. Elijah Walker, at age 17, left the church after being told he couldn’t serve the congregation while openly identifying as trans. Now he’s a Quaker pastor in Portland, Oregon.
Awards, grants
Again this year we won top honours at the Canadian Church Press Awards: first place for both best original art (by Jonathan Dyck in the Watershed issue) and best layout and design of an edition (big thanks to designer Darryl Brown). We applied for and received a $9,000 grant from the provincial government for marketing and circulation development. This gives us extra staff and resources to reach out to more readers.
Appeal
Please consider making a donation to help support this important work. We don’t get money from advertising (proudly ad-free!) or corporate sponsors. Which is why we rely on individual donors to make up almost half of our budget. Our goal is to raise $8,000 by the end of July.
Thank you so much for your support. This project would not be possible without you!
Give online at geezmagazine.org/donate
Click on your donation amount (or type a number), then Checkout.
Become a Geez Monthly Donor
Choose “monthly” as donation frequency.
Give by mail
Make cheque to “Geez magazine” and send to 400 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2M2.
Phone with donations
Call 204-772-9610 and have your credit card handy.
On behalf of the board and co-workers, thanks in advance for your support.
Sincerely,
Aiden Enns, Editor
Geez magazine
(See contact info here)
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