Community Partners
As seen in our mission statement, Sylva Pride provides visibility and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community in Western Carolina. We love to connect and partner with local organizations to provide spaces where community members can gather, celebrate, grow, and create more events together. These are just a few of the local community organizations that we partner with:
Cornbread and Roses Community Counseling
CBRCC's mission is to decrease WNC’s regional gap in LGBTQ+ supportive services by offering access to safe community spaces, wellness and therapeutic services, and queer-focused education.
Their mission:
* create educational materials that is easy to access
* create meaningful dialogue for everyone to learn in a safe space
* create a cohesive and supportive queer community on the Qualla Boundary and in WNC
* network with other queer and indigenous organizations
* hold fun community gatherings and community projects
* educate and give back to the community
* work towards queer and trans liberation
Sylva Belles Drag is a community of local drag entertainers who are passionate about bringing the artistry and activism of drag to our small towns in Western North Carolina.
THEM in STEM, dedicated to Transforming Hearts and Enriching Minds, is a science outreach organization committed to spreading love and acceptance through the joy of science in and around Sylva, NC.
Pride Pots socially engaged scholarship fundraising project created by Heather Mae Erickson, taking place in Western North Carolina and surrounding Appalachia.
WCU's Archive of Jackson County
WCU LGBTQ Archive partner with UNC-Asheville and the non-profit organization Blue Ridge Pride to create a regional archive of LGBTQ oral histories and ephemera.
Blue Ridge Pride WNC LGBTQIA+ Oral History Archive
This archive is a community-based oral history and physical artifacts archive dedicated to preserving LGBTQIA+ history of the south. The archive offers community training workshops (where you learn how to do oral history interviews), produces a variety of educational media (from K12 lesson plans to historical walking tours), and hosts community outreach events for intentional gathering among LGBTQIA+ communities.
Blue Ridge Pride's mission is to promote equality, safety, and quality of life for Western North Carolina's LGBTQ+ and allied communities, working as a united community through advocacy, celebration, education, and service. They envision an inclusive community where people are embraced for who they are and feel welcomed to engage and contribute.
Connects our communities to gender affirming care, STI testing and prevention, and harm reduction services.