About Us
The Fernie Pride Society supports and connects the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the Elk Valley. Incorporated in December 2016, the Society is a hub for 2SLGBTQ+ people and their allies, programming special events as well as providing resource referrals.
Our vision is that the Elk Valley will be a safe, inclusive community for 2SLGBTQ+ people.
Our mission is to support and connect the 2SLGBTQ+ community and allies through advocacy, resources, education, and inclusive events.
This year our keen group of volunteers have been hard at work. You can read about current and past projects and programs here. Just a few things we are working on:
- Monthly connectivity events for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals such as Rainbow Connections, Elk Valley Youth Pride events, 2SLGBTQ+ movie screenings, and general getting together;
- Maintaining relationships with local and regional groups and organizations in order to provide resources and referrals to individuals in the 2SLGBTQ+ community;
- Hosting the annual Elk Valley Pride Festival to celebrate, support, and connect the 2SLGBTQ+ communities in the Elk Valley;
- Providing local businesses and community organizations access to education in order to help them create safer spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals;
- Working with local schools and organizations to find opportunities within their organizations to support and connect 2SLGBTQ+ youth;
- As members of Canada’s national Pride organizations Fierte Canada Pride and Enchante Network, we are able to contribute to larger initiatives such as petitioning the federal government for better funding for Pride organizations across Canada;
- As a small Pride organization in BC we are able to connect with the BC NDP Premiere’s office how to proliferate Pride in small communities when resources are limited;
- As a local Pride organization in Fernie, BC we are able to present to local Municipal Governments such as the City of Fernie, the District of Sparwood, and the District of Elkford the need for diversity and inclusion in our communities, the need for funding for local Pride organizations, and the importance of visible support at the Municipal level for people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community to feel safer and more welcome in these small town
Fernie Pride Society is grateful to learn, work, and organize on the unceded ancestral territory of the ?aqam and Ktunaxa Nation.
Board of Directors
Melissa Creelman
President
Anne Keery
Vice-President
Wayde Bosman
Treasurer
L’wren Farkas
Director – Youth Program
Danielle Gibson
Secretary
Andrea Berg
Director
Vacant
Director
Chrisy Hill
Director
Bailey Hill
Director – Youth Representative
Staff
Courtney Baker
Admin and Communications
Kaitlyn Davidson
Youth Coordinator