Huge thanks to North Thurston Public Schools for a recent piece highlighting our work within their district!
“…Through Pizza Klatch, students have a place to feel welcome and accepted. They can express themselves and talk about whatever is going on in their lives with other kids in person — an exception in today’s fast-paced, online technological social system…”
You can read the full article here.
Thank you Zonta Club of Olympia for awarding Pizza Klatch with a generous grant fund for 2019!
Pizza Klatch was recently selected to appear on Q13 News for a special new series entitled “Changemakers.” “Changemakers,” intends to highlight local folx that are making our community better and we are extremely honored to be a part of it. Huge thanks to Matt Lorch and the team at Q13 for highlighting our organization and the LGBTQ+ community! Because of the attention garnered for PK regarding this segment, we were also asked to appear on iHeart Radio (a link to that interview is available in our News/Events section) so we are eternally grateful for this opportunity and all the continued support.
You can check out our “Changemakers” segment here!
Recently our Executive Director, Rosalinda Noriega and Program Manager, Brett Rader were invited to speak about the history and mission of Pizza Klatch on iHeart Radio. You can listen to the interview here!
PK Executive Director, Rosalinda Noriega, sat down with Emma Margraf and Jim Cooper of the local OlyTalks podcast in November of 2018 to talk about Pizza Klatch and supporting LGBTQ+ youth in general. You can listen to the full interview here.
This Sunday (March 17th) Pizza Klatch has partnered with local venue Le Voyeur as well as some really great bands for a night of music and community support! A percentage of the evening’s proceeds will go towards Pizza Klatch so you can enjoy some great music AND support the LGBTQ+ youth of Thurston County! Huge thanks to Le Voyeur and all the participating bands for this awesome partnership! The show is all ages and $5 at the door. See you Sunday at 7PM!
This past Thursday, PK received a very special visit to the office by a group of students from Vanderbuilt University out of Nashville, Tennessee. The students were spending their spring break traveling to different LGBTQ+ focused organizations here on the west coast and volunteering their time any way they can. During their visit with us, they worked together to paint our logo on a large piece of canvas for the the wall in our meeting space. It looks amazing and we can’t wait to display it! Thank you, Vanderbuilt students!
RAIN (Rainbow Alliance and Inclusion Network) has released their first newsletter of 2019 and included coverage of PK’s 2019 Gayla event! The RAIN business resource group exists to help Washington State create safe and inclusive workplaces where every LGBTQ+ employee can bring their full authentic self to work, enabling them to do their best work every day for the people of Washington. The group will provide resources and support to employees and the stakeholders serviced by state agencies. You can download a pdf of the newsletter here!
Our new address
Pizza Klatch is excited to announce the selection of our new Executive Director, Rosalinda Noriega. Board President Marissa Rathbone says, “I believe Rosalinda is the ideal candidate to lead Pizza Klatch into the future based on her professional experience, personal passion for positive social change, and ability to be a thoughtful and responsive leader.”
For eleven years, Rosalinda served as founding director for Partners in Prevention Education (PiPE). PiPE is a local non-profit dedicated to serving marginalized youth who are victims of various forms of violence including child abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and human trafficking. In this role, Rosalinda was responsible for creating and overseeing the implementation of all aspects of internal organization and infrastructure including program and policy development, human resources/personnel, budget and fiscal management, contract administration, managing day-to-day operations, outreach, and grant writing. In addition to her administrative duties, she continued to provide one-on-one advocacy to victims of violence; develop and provide professional development training; and provide community education on the cycles of violence, homelessness, and the impacts of trauma.
Rosalinda has been a longtime supporter and advocate for Pizza Klatches’ work. As the ED of PiPE, Rosalinda spearheaded organizational efforts to provide financial and in-kind support to Pizza Klatch by incorporating some of PK’s expenses into PiPE’s budget and statement of work in contracts awarded by the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy. As a result, PiPE contributed resources to support the printing of facilitator training materials, as well as to dedicate staff resources to contribute to annual facilitator training and to act as regular guest speakers for various PK groups. For the past twenty-three years advocating on behalf of victims/survivors of violence (LGBTQ, youth, tribal and homeless communities), Rosalinda believes in the Golden Rule. We believe strongly that her skills, experience, and compassionate heart will be paramount to the future success of our organization.
Rosalinda will start her work with Pizza Klatch on Monday, August 21st. For several weeks, she will be working with outgoing Executive Director Erin Honseler, to ensure a smooth transition. Pizza Klatch is grateful to both of these talented and dedicated individuals for lending us their passion and energy. Please join us in thanking Erin Honseler for her work in leading Pizza Klatch over the last fifteen months and in welcoming Rosalinda Noriega to her new post.