Counting Down!

Welcome back everyone. And welcome all newcomers to the page!

We're getting ever closer to ABT and, that being said, I'd like to get a few things out of the way.

First: We're entering into the FINAL push to reach my $800 fundraising goal. I've still got a fair amount to go and I have until THIS MONDAY, September 30 to reach it. If you're able to help, please visit my Fundraising Page and donate!

Second: For friends and family from the lakeshore area in Michigan, I'd like to take a minute to highlight TWO organizations that you can get involved in to make a difference in our community.

The first is Holland Is Ready. Their general mission is: "To work for the safety, rights, and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families in the greater Holland area." More recently, they've been tasked with fighting for LGBT individuals to be included in the Anti-discrimination ordinance and policies. The Holland City Council rejected this measure in June 2011. HIR is always looking for financial support as well as volunteers. Visit their website to learn more about how to get involved and follow them on Facebook/Twitter.

The second organization, which I've mentioned once previously, is PFLAG. The wonderful individuals there have a Holland/Lakeshore Chapter that meets once a month. Additionally, if you're not from the lakeshore area, visit PFLAG's website to find a chapter near you!

Finally, Straight For Equality has a super cool page set up just for the ABT! There you can learn more about the organizations we're working with, as well as the other volunteers I'll be traveling with. I'll also be highlighting each organization as I blog from the road.

With those details out of the way, let's move on to a real update!

This one will be a little shorter, but there are some important things to update you all on. My flight to New Orleans leaves one week from today! Can you believe it's almost here? I've begun final preparations on a few things, including verifying my vacation dates at work and getting ahead on homework. The homework part hasn't been nearly as exciting as everything else - I'm turning in two different assignments a week early due to my absences. But doing so is completely worth it!

One of the individuals I'll be volunteering with has set up an ABT specific Instagram account: @abtwithfun You'll be able to follow our adventures there as well as on my Instagram: @Liz_Burgess

Also, as you'll read from the Straight for Equality page, the official hashtag for the trip is #AllyCoalitionABT. You'll be able to search that hashtag on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to find updates from all of the volunteers, as well as the organizations we're working with. Feel free to share those posts with everyone on your social networks!

We also have our final conference call this week to hammer out the last of the details for the trip. I'll be passing some of those on to you in my final update before the trip.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave it in the comments, or contact me via social media.

Thanks for reading!