The Pensacola organization Sunday’s Child painted The Graffiti Bridge as part of their Holiday Membership Drive.
“We are currently in our annual membership drive and thought painting the bridge would be a fun way to get some exposure. We are always looking for ways to engage our members and promote Sunday’s Child.” Said Gary Rhodes, a VP of the organization's Board.
Named after the children’s Nursery Rhyme “Monday’s Child.” Sunday’s Child was formed by ten friends in the fall of 2013. Together, they sought to create a culture and community of acceptance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) individuals in the Pensacola Bay Area through giving.
To accomplish their mission, Sunday’s Child uses their membership dues to create a pool of monies and award grants to help promote equality and inspire inclusion across the community.
“We raise funds through membership dues,” Rhodes said. “100 percent of membership dues go to local charities in the form of grants between $25,000 and $50,000.”
The charities that apply for grants must demonstrate that they have inclusive policies and benefits to include LGBT individuals, both for their employees and clients. It’s a way to give back to the community in an impactful way while making the community more inclusive in the process.
“To date, we have awarded right at $230,000.00 in grants to various organizations in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. We’ve had three grant cycles going into our 4th.” Explained Rhodes.
Sunday’s Child is an open organization. Anyone is welcome. They have several ways to join. A single membership is $1000.00. They also have duo and trio options available where two or three people can go in together at $500 or $334 apiece.
There are also scholarships available for individuals who would like to participate, but may be low on funds. Scholarship recipients are required to participate in the grant process. Other members participate as much as they can.
“We don’t have an office, we do this on the side because we believe in the cause,” Rhodes said. “We have some great members that are always willing to show up and work.”
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