[HeartStrongList] 20th Outreach Trip Commences August 10th!

[heartstrong at heartstrong.org]

20th Outreach Trip Commences August 10th!

Seattle,WA - HeartStrong, Inc., is proud to announce its 20th Outreach &
Educational Trip beginning August 10, 2007 and ending on December 18,
2007.
	Since October 1997, the all volunteer HeartStrong Outreach team has self
driven more than 340,000 miles around the United States and small parts
of Canada.
	HeartStrong first began outreach work in October 1996, when founder and
now executive director, Marc Adams began researching ways to provide
outreach and support to GLBT students from religious educational
institutions around the world.  One year later, the first outreach team
was formed.
	“I always say it’s a very long, lonely, dusty road,” Adams reports. 
“This is pretty much the most difficult thing I could have chosen to
spend my time and energy doing.”
	After ten years of outreach and outreach trips, HeartStrong is still the
only organization in the world with the sole mission of outreach and
support for GLBT students in religious educational institutions.
	“On the past 19 outreach and educational trips we have made dozens and
dozens of school visits, hosted hundreds of educational forums and
provided life saving and ongoing support to scores of students around the
world,” Adams says.
	The 20th trip will not be any different.  The trip begins in northern
California.  According to the US Department of Education, California has
more religious educational institutions.  According to the California
DOE, San Francisco County has more schools and more students than any
other county in the state.
	“It’s appropriate that we begin this landmark trip in northern
California,” Adams says.  “While great strides have been made in
California to protect GLBT students in public schools, absolutely nothing
has been done for GLBT students in religious schools.  That’s why our
work is so necessary and needed there.”
	The 20th trip continues throughout most of the rest of the state of
California and Nevada and Arizona.  On October 13, the trip continues in
the midwest starting in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky
and moving on to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, Massachussetts,
New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maryland and Delaware.
	“With the explosive growth of nearly every type of religious educational
institution worldwide, our work is more important and more relevant today
than when we began,” Adams says.
	For a complete, daily updated schedule of HeartStrong Educational forums
on this trip, go to www.heartstrong.org.


Note From Marc Adams:
	We are waist deep in our preparations for our 20th Outreach Trip.  It is
a very exciting and inspiring time for us.
	There aren’t many things to say about this trip that haven’t already been
said except one thing.  We have less than a month to go and we still need
to raise the $10,000 needed for this three month trip.
	Since HeartStrong has never been eligible for grants, all of our funding
comes from the gifts of individuals and groups.  So, it is only because
of your help that we have been able to do any of the work we’ve ever done
over all of these years.
	Our annual budget is less than $150,000 and yet, we’ve never been able to
raise that in one year.  This is why we must ask you, our faithful
supporters to help us.
	Thanks so much!

	Marc Adams