Summer 2005 , Volume 17, No. 2 - New Harvest Foundation

www.newharvestfoundation.org
N E W S L E T T E R
Volume 17 • No. 2 Funding South Central Wisconsin's LGBT Communities Since 1984 SUMMER 2005
In Mutual Support, Teens Make a Difference
by Michael Mitchell
Do you remember what it was
like to be an LGBT teen?
Maybe it has only been a few
years. Or perhaps it feels like a
lifetime ago. Regardless of the
time interval, those years were
probably filled with some very
special challenges and needs in
addition to the usual ones typical
our adolescent stage of life.
Depending on where you were living
at the time, you may have
found support and comfort as you
struggled to find answers to the
many fundamental questions
about your sexual identity. Or
perhaps you were pretty much on
your own working a trial-and-error
method, which often left you feeling
even more unsure and isolated.
Luckily, for teens in south central
Wisconsin, there is Teens Like
Us (TLU), a “social/support group
for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and queer youth and their
allies.”
“TLU is very important to
me. I can’t wait each
week to go…[where I can
be] open with the world
with who I am…and that I
will not be alone. TLU is a
safe place where I can be
who I am without fear of
ridicule.”
— Henry, 14
Mission Statement
Thanks to the staff, volunteers and
management of the Briarpatch
office of Youth Services of
Southern Wisconsin, Inc.
(YSOSW), plus the consistent support
of the New Harvest
Foundation among others, TLU
has spent the past 18 years growing
and changing to meet the
needs of area LGBT youth as they
transition from adolescence into
adulthood. This transformation
has taken the group from a dropin
rap/mutual support group to an
alternative social and LGBT advocacy
program. The membership
has also grown and changed as
more teens from rural communities
have sought out social, recreational,
and educational opportunities
missing in their smaller
towns. The results has been that
today over 115 youth access TLU
regularly, while the group’s outreach
programs like Top Teen
Education Network (Top T.E.N.)
reach another 1500 youth about
LGBT issues, and HIV/AIDS peer
education. In addition to weekly
meetings in which members discuss
a wide range of gay-specific
and general life-skills topics, TLU
members have responded to the
need for safe “low profile” social
outlets by sponsoring a series of
dances at the Lussier Teen
Center. One event this year, the
Pride Prom, attracted 130 youth.
Outreach activities include
Once Again Pride is Blooming Everywhere!
(continued page 3)
Yes, once again the New Harvest Foundation has coaxed over 13 generous gardeners
to open their beautiful private gardens to the public in support of LGBT
community of south central Wisconsin. Mark your calendars for Sunday, July
31, so that you won’t miss this self-guided tour of some of Madison’s most intimate
and original gardens. We’ll start at 10:00AM and end at 4:00PM.
(continued back page)
To empower gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender communities by providing money for projects which nurture our communities’
strengths, pride, diversity and positive character for all to see.
N E W H A R V E S T F O U N D A T I O N N E W S L E T T E R

New Harvest FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER Volume 17 • No. 2 • SUMMER 2005
www.newharvestfoundation.org
2
Advertising in the
New Harvest Foundation Newsletter
New Harvest Foundation is offering the
opportunity to advertise in the New
Harvest Foundation Newsletter. We have a
circulation of approximately 1,200 people
and organizations. Here’s your chance to
send your message to LGBT communities
in South Central Wisconsin.
Advertising Costs per issue:
Full Page (7-1/2 x 9-5/8) $135
1/2 Page (7-1/2 x 4-7/8) $80
1/3 Page Sq (4-7/8 x 4-1/2) $55
1/4 Page (4-7/8 x 3-1/2) $40
Business Card (3-1/2 x 2) $20
10% discount for 3 consecutive issues
prepaid at time of order.
Deadlines:
Fall Issue November 15, 2005
Please send your check payable to:
New Harvest Foundation (note newsletter
ad). If applicable, include your email
address. For more information, call
Mike Mitchell at (608) 846-2860.
The New Harvest Foundation Newsletter is
published three times a year by New
Harvest Foundation, Inc. NHF, founded in
1984, is a non-profit, charitable and
educational organization whose mission is
to empower gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender
communities by providing money
for projects which nurture our communities’
strengths, pride, diversity and positive
character for all to see.
New Harvest Foundation
P.O. Box 1786 • Madison, WI 53701
(608) 256-4204 • nhf@chorus.net
www.newharvestfoundation.org
Board Members
John Beutel, Secretary
Dennis Johnson, Treasurer
Judith Lee
Fay Ferington
Dierdre Gruendler
Joey Johannsen
Liz Winter Dannenbaum
Linda Ketcham, Vice Co-chair
Bill Miller
Michael Mitchell, Editor, Vice Co-chair
Louis Phillips, Co-chair
James Bickers
Linda Vanden Plas, Co-chair
Spotlight on the Board:
Bill Miller
By Jaime Zimmerman
Bill Miller brings a wealth of
experience, education and dedication
to his position on the New
Harvest Foundation Board of
Directors, not to mention a quick wit,
a keen intellect and a big heart.
After earning his Ph.D. in French
literature at UW-Madison, Bill
worked as an Assistant Dean in the
UW-Madison College of Letters
and Science Office of Student
Academic Affairs. After retiring
from his first (and only) job in
2001, he is now serving his fourth
term on the New Harvest
Foundation board, with the same
passion as he did his first, despite
several medical challenges. Bill
loves to travel as a result of having
lived and traveled extensively in
Western Europe. He also enjoys
music, reading and photography.
Bill’s two grand daughters are
wonderful photographic subjects,
and, along with their parents, are
the true joys in his life. Bill has
served the New Harvest
Foundation as a member of several
committees including
Communications, Grant Screening,
Dinner Dance, Art Auction, and
the Garden Tour.
Why did I join the New Harvest
Board of Directors?
“It is exciting and rewarding to be
part of an organization that exists
to fund projects and organizations
that support and improve our
community and give dignity to
our people. This is important to
me because I came out at age 40,
and struggled for a long time to
accept the person I was becoming.
It was particularly difficult because
I thought I was the only person in
the world in my situation. It took a
long time to learn to celebrate
who I am, partly
because I was
unaware of the
few resources
then available in
Madison to support
gay men and
women. I first
learned of New Harvest
Foundation when I was a member
of the Wisconsin Conference of
Churches Taskforce on AIDS and
we applied for a grant to offer a
state-wide conference to inform
ministers of all denominations
about AIDS, and to encourage
them to establish “AIDS Caring
Communities.” Although we did
not receive the requested grant,
New Harvest coached us to
improve our grant-writing skills,
and we subsequently received a
grant that launched a long-term
commitment from The Conference
of Churches that helped pave the
way for the creation of welcoming
and affirming churches, now numbering
about 20 in Madison alone.
The New Harvest Foundation
provides seed money for many
projects that eventually become
self-sustaining. Soliciting grant
requests brings to our attention
projects that we might never know
about otherwise. Our grant screening
committee reviews and assesses
many more grant applications
than we can currently fund, but
the screening process determines
where need is greatest, and where
your money can help increase
the positive images of our
community, not only to our friends
and allies, but also to the general
population.”
Bill, you’re an inspiration and
model for every one of your fellow
volunteer Board members!

New Harvest FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER Volume 17 • No. 2 • SUMMER 2005
Teens ... continued
networking with similar groups
around the state and nation-wide,
plus direct collaboration with
GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight
Education Network) and The
Rainbow Alliance for Youth (RAY
Groups). Six TLU representatives
recently participated in the
“Creating Change” five-day conference
in Oakland, California,
which was sponsored by the
National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force, [towards which the New
Harvest Foundation made a generous
grant]. This “learning by
doing” expands the reality of life’s
options and provides practical
answers for questioning teens.
“TLU is my second family.
Whether school or home is
troubling me, I can let it go at
TLU. It’s nice to be
surrounded by other youth
who feel like you.”
— Emma, 17
“I couldn’t do the job without the
adult volunteers and I wouldn’t
want to either,” says Program
Facilitator, Craig Adamski, in praising
the work of the five adult volunteers
who have served as chaperones,
role models, mentors, and
educators, thus taking some of the
pressure of activity supervision off
what has been a part-time shared
two person position. Since the volunteers,
some of whom have served
for over five years and drive an hour
each way from home, come from
various backgrounds, with diverse
personalities, there is always an
adult around with whom a youth
can relate. However, looking on
society-at-large, Craig regrets what
he sees as a disconnection between
adults and youth in general. “I
don’t see a lot of people investing
in youth to develop their full potential.
I don’t think people realize the
importance of this for the future.
Youth are often seen in limited
ways and not appreciated for their
full potential. Most adults seem
torn between [adopting] a stand
off-ishness, and an inappropriate
over-involvement, with most afraid
to search for the appropriate “middle
ground”. Youth need commitment,
continuity and interaction.”
Always looking to build on success,
Craig would like to grow TLU into
something akin to Milwaukee’s
popular Project Q, where there is a
greater weeklong accessibility, plus
a broader menu of services and
activities. This would also mean
reaching out to the 18-to-21-agegroup
and taking the emphasis off
bars as the primary social venue for
“TLU is family to me. You
can meet a lot of really cool
queer people there.”
— Willow, 16
young LGBT adults. This would
most likely be under the auspices of
a drop-in location or a full-fledged
community center. Unfortunately,
much of the funding for LGBT
youth seems program-specific and
narrowly drawn around target
issues or critical needs. However,
not to be denied, the staff, volunteers
and members of TLU are
always looking for new opportunities,
resources, and innovations. It’s
this spirit, which has carried them
successfully thus far and should
serve them well in the future. For
certain, the New Harvest
Foundation will be there helping to
shepherd along each new LGBT
generation, as it has for the past 21
years.
Readers may contact Teens Like Us
c/o Brairpatch, 512 E. Washington
Ave., Madison, WI 53703 or (608)
251-6211
Ann Schaffer m.s.,m.f.a.
Psychotherapy
313 Price Place
Suite 107
Madison WI 53705
608.232.0005
3

New Harvest FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER Volume 17 • No. 2 • SUMMER 2005
As I See It
By Marie Stanton
Last week I saw a poster advertising the July 31st
New Harvest Foundation 2005 Garden Tour in
the window of a downtown business. I knew the
New Harvest Foundation was at it once again, marshalling
its dedicated volunteer workforce to produce
another community event that would ultimately
fund LGBT-supporting grant recipients. You
did the same thing last February when 300 plus
attendees were joined by Wisconsin's Attorney
General to dance, dine and reflect at Monona
Terrace. And in September, Olbrich Gardens was
the setting for your second benefit Art Auction
where everyone enjoyed the silent and live auctions,
plus tasty refreshments, whether they were
activity bidding or just looking at the beautiful variety
of artistic creations. Amazingly, over $15,000
was raised for your grantees.
CLAIRE FULENWIDER
FINANCIAL CONSULTANT
FINANCIAL PLANNING SPECIALIST
Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, IRAs, Retirement Plans, Tax-
Favored Investments, Educational Funding and Financial
Planning Services.
150 Washington Ave., Suite 301
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 988-7708
(800) 757-3837
©2004 Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Member SIPC. Smith Barney is a division and service mark
of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and its affiliates and is used and registered throughout the world.
CITIGROUP and the Umbrella Device are trademarks and service marks of Citicorp or its affiliates and
are used and registered throughout the world. THIS IS WHO WE ARE. THIS IS HOW WE EARN IT is a
service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Take a bow, New Harvest Foundation. Accept our
applause for your hard work and great success.
And then take another bow for the results you
don't see and hear about, yet for making a difference
in the lives of people who attend your functions
for the first time (or the twenty-first) and
enjoy the refreshing sweetness, which comes with
feeling validated for your vision, hard work and
convictions, at last.
Think I'm kidding? Place yourself at our table during
last February’s annual Dinner-Dance for a few
minutes. There they were, my partner, her daughter
and son-in-law on my right, with my older sister
and brother-in-law on my left. And just two tables
away our special invited guests, eight women from
Green Bay – friends of twenty years – everyone
watching, listening, seeing other friends, with all of
us quietly reaching out and saying "yes", these are
the lives we live. Good lives, of good people.
So thank you New Harvest Foundation board members,
volunteers and supporters, for your generosity
to those you have silently touched and quietly
helped. You've inspired me and countless others to
carry on with pride, to walk along side you with
less uncertainty and move forward with greater
determination. And I’ll bring some new friends to
the Garden Tour, knowing the memory of summer
flowers and good friendships will linger in full
bloom for a lifetime.
www.newharvestfoundation.org
KATHLEEN A. KELLY, D.D.S.
44 E. Mifflin St., Suite 204
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 256-0499
FAX (608) 256-0577
830-3932
443 COTTAGE GROVE RD
COTTAGE GROVE, WI
4

New Harvest FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER Volume 17 • No. 2 • SUMMER 2005
New Beginnings
Louie Phillips
As I write this, my first article as Co-Chair of the
New Harvest Foundation, I reflect upon the wonderfully
entertaining Perfect Harmony Men's Chorus
concert I witnessed the evening of June 11th. Perfect
Harmony Men's Chorus is one of more than 100 entities
that the New Harvest Foundation has supported
over the past 21 years. Unlike so many other locales
in the United States, Madison and South Central
Wisconsin provide the LGBT community and its
friends with a wealth of cultural opportunities and
important services. The New Harvest Foundation has
and will continue to offer seed money to fledgling
organizations and ongoing support to established
organizations, knowing full well that the greater good
of the community at large is served.
As the new Co-Chair of the foundation, I have some
mighty big shoes to fill. Jaime Zimmerman, along
with the two Co-Chairs that he served with, Susan
Buzby and Linda VandenPlas, have taken the
foundation in new and exciting directions. I look
forward to working with Linda VandenPlas and the
rest of our dynamic board to further expand the
foundation's horizons.
On April 28th and 29th, the New Harvest Foundation
Board participated in a strategic planning retreat. As
expected, we all left the retreat energized and determined
to follow through on the exciting ideas that
germinated at the retreat. Let me share a few of
those ideas.
Hand-in-hand with greater recognition is a goal to
increase our donor base, not only individuals but also
businesses and corporations. The greater good can
only be served if more funds are available for distribution
to the grant applicants.
Greater exposure will also take place as we expand
the capabilities of our new website www.newharvestfoundation.org.
If you have not visited the site,
please check it out. You will learn much about our
history, our mission, the grant application process,
and upcoming events.
Speaking of upcoming events, don't forget to attend
the 2005 Pride Is Blooming Everywhere Garden
Tour on Sunday, July 31st. While you enjoy the
beauty of the 13 participating gardens, you will be
supporting the
foundation's mission:
"To empower
the gay, lesbian,
bisexual, transgender
communities
by providing
money for projects
which nurture our
communities"
strengths, pride,
diversity and positive
character for
all to see."
Even though the New Harvest Foundation has been
around for 21 years, many LGBT people and our allies
have no idea that we even exist. We will increase our
efforts to get broader community recognition for the
foundation and the important work that it does.
Thank you for
your continued
support of the
New Harvest
Foundation!
creative design solutions
www.newharvestfoundation.org
5

New Harvest FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER Volume 17 • No. 2 • SUMMER 2005
Why I Support the
New Harvest Founation
“Over the years, New Harvest has nurtured and sustained
dozens of worthy projects advancing LGBT
rights throughout Dane County, offering immeasurable
support to individuals and groups working to
create change. We continue to reap the bounty of
their efforts. In a word, New Harvest plants hope.”
— Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Congresswoman
“For years my partner Donna and I enjoyed the New
Harvest dinner dances; we loved the opportunity to
dress up, have fun, and (ultimately) do a little good
at the same time. We appreciated the opportunity to
help New Harvest raise some money for organizations
and activities benefiting the GLBT community. I
volunteered for the NHF Board so that I could try to
do even more to help fund these groups during these
increasingly oppressive times.”
— Liz Winter Dannenbaum
Pick ‘n Save
A
lthough it’s gotten off to a slow start since it was
announced last summer, we’d like to remind supporters
that the New Harvest Foundation is a designated
charity in the Pick ‘n Save grocery store
chain’s WE CARE donation program. Simply stop in
at your local Pick ‘n Save store in DeForest, McFarland,
Sun Prairie, Stoughton and McKee Road (Hwy. PD
about a mile west of Verona Road) and fill out an
Advantage Plus Savers Club Card form. Be sure to
designate the New Harvest Foundation with number
539825 and a small percentage of each purchase will
be credited to our quarterly donation account. Not
only will you be supporting the New Harvest
Foundation, you’ll save on numerous in-store specials.
The more you shop, the more the New Harvest
Foundation will receive and the more you’ll save.
Everybody wins!
Please let us know why you support the New Harvest
Foundation. Write c/o NHF Newsletter, PO Box 1786,
Madison, WI 53701-1786. Call (608) 256-4204 or
email us at nhf@chorus.net.
Streamline
every accounting process you use.
Our Process Documentation helps you manage
business better. Use it to document a single data entry
task or create a comprehensive procedures manual.
Personalized QuickBooks training also available.
Claudia Vlisides
CPA / Personal Financial Specialist
2002 Atwood Ave
Madison, WI 53704
608 241-5070
Think ahead. Plan well.
6

New Harvest FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER Volume 17 • No. 2 • SUMMER 2005
Pride is Blooming...(continued)
The 13 gardens are spread throughout the Madison
isthmus and near-eastside area and have been created
by people who love to get their hands dirty. These are
your neighbors’ gardens, the private yards you’ve
always been curious to see. They’re all unique urban
hideaways blooming with each gardener’s particular
expression of pride.
Tickets and an attractive program, with map, are available
in advance from select outlets for $10.00 each, or
at each garden location for $15.00 each on the day of
the tour. Please contact the friendly merchants at
Savoir Faire (downtown or westside), J. Kinney Florist
(downtown), Room of One’s Own (downtown),
Tomboy Girl (Atwood Ave.), or Gatherings (Regent St.) or
call 221-3997 or 846-2860.
We would also like to thank our sponsors and door prize
contributors, Keleny Top Soil, Klein’s Floral, Anderson-
Thomas Company, Solvange Tree Nursery, The Flower
Factory, Stonewall Nursery, Johannsen’s Greenhouses,
Wild Birds Unlimited, and Gatherings. Please support and
thank each of them at your first opportunity. Don’t forget to
mention the New Harvest Foundation.
Come out and wander through these beautiful little sanctuaries
and support New Harvest Foundation. Whether you
want to see unique flowers and yard-art, gather new ideas
for your own garden, or just enjoy a peaceful stroll with
some great friends, plan on our mid-summer garden tour at
the very end of July! See you there!
2005 Summer
Benefit Garden Tour
July 31, 2005 • 10am-4pm
Tickets: $10 advance • $15 door
TICKET OUTLETS
Savoir Faire – 117 S. Pinckney Street • 294 8280 OR 1701 Deming Way • 831 7800
J. Kinney Florist – 113 King Street • 255 7500
Room of One’s Own – 307 W Johnson Street • 257 7888
Tomboy Girl – 2334 Atwood Avenue • 242 1887
Gatherings – 2134 Regent Street • 236 9497
For more details go online at www.newharvestfoundation.org
TOUR SPONSORS
Keleny Top Soil • Klein’s Floral • Anderson-Thomas Co.
Solvange Tree Nursery • The Flower Factory • Stonewall Nursery
Johannsen’s Greenhouses • Wild Birds Unlimited • Gatherings
Our Future Is In Your Hands
By Michael Mitchell
One of the major goals to come out of the strategic
planning retreat, in connection with the 20th
anniversary of the New Harvest Foundation, was the
desire to accelerate the growth of the endowment
fund. It is the Board’s goal to build our endowment to
the point, where interest on the principle can be used
to supplement direct fund raising, so that we might
more fully support the growing number and size of
grant requests, which we receive each cycle. The three
primary ways in which this is done is through direct
donations earmarked for the endowment, bequests to
the New Harvest Foundation in wills, trusts, and
estates, plus charitable gift annuities. Each of these
charity options carries a special structure, tax advantage,
and governance depending on the wishes and
objectives of the donor. Therefore, rather than attempt
to go into detail here, the Board would like to encourage
each of our individual supporters to remember to
include the New Harvest Foundation next time you talk
with your financial advisor or estate planner. Regardless
of your age, health, or financial resources, we urge you
to link the legacy of the New Harvest Foundation, with
that of your own. Together, we can assure a bright
future for south central Wisconsin’s LGBT communities,
through viable and well supported organizations and
activities.
7

New Harvest FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER Volume 17 • No. 2 • SUMMER 2005
Task Force Makes Lesbian Health Top Priority
by John Beutel
In awarding a grant in 2003 to the
Lesbian Health Task Force of Dane
County, the New Harvest Foundation was
able to again distribute financial support to
an organization, which serves a critical yet
low-profile need within the LGBT communities.
That grant, reflected the New
Harvest Foundation grant policy of serving
organizations, which increase services to
the underserved segments of the LGBT
population.
According to Co-chair Kari Sievert, the
Lesbian Health Task force is committed to
promoting and supporting lesbian health
and well being through education, advocacy
and networking. As an underlying goal,
the Task Force is dedicated to increasing
the awareness and visibility of lesbian
health concerns among lesbians themselves,
health care providers and throughout
the community-at-large. In March
2004, the Task Force opened a website,
www.lhtf.org. This website is a point of
contact for interested parties to access
information on the Task Force itself, specific
health care needs and services, and to learn
about how to participate in and support
the organization’s many activities. In addition
to the website, the grant made possible
the publication of a brochure, which
details the Task Force’s background, mission,
goals, and contact information.
Currently, the Task Force is publishing its
first newsletter, which will come out in two
issues annually. They are also continuing
their long collaborative relationship with
the Mautner Project, a 15-year-old national
lesbian health organization supported in
part by funding from the federal Center for
Disease Control (CDC). For the past six
years they have partnered in offering a certified
cultural competency training entitled
“Removing the Barriers”, in which health
care providers learn to be more perceptive
and responsive to, lesbian health care
needs. During Madison’s 2005 Pride celebrations,
they will launch a anti-smoking
program called “Delicious Lesbian Kisses”,
with an “official” kick-off in late August or
early September. Monthly meetings are
held the first Tuesday of each month at the
Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center, 953
Jennifer St. on Madison’s Eastside.
The timeliness and success of this grant is
another example of where the New
Harvest Foundation has helped program
achieve greater LGBT visibility, while
supporting new and/or innovative
proposals that respond to unmet needs in
our respective communities in south
central Wisconsin.
Readers may contact the Lesbian Health
Task Force at www.lhtf.org, e-mail
LHTFmadison@gmail.com, call co-chairs
Kari Sievert or Sara Karon at
(608) 242-6392, or write to P.O. Box
8773, Madison, WI 53708-8773
P.O. Box 1786
Madison, WI 53701-1786
Non-Profit
US Postage
PAID
Madison, WI
Permit No. 1179
Please mention New Harvest Foundation to our advertisiers and sponsors
www.newharvestfoundation.org