True Colors Flint Hills

Goal: $30,000.00

Specific Need

Funds donated to True Colors during Grow Green are utilized in our annual budget to support the following:

• Therapy Fund for our underinsured and uninsured youth.
• Special activites, clubs, and opportunities requested by our True Colors youth.
• Overhead costs and staffing costs.
• Continued flow into our endowed fund (our "long term savings").

Mission

Our Mission: True Colors is a youth-driven organization that provides direct service, advoacy and education in support of Queer and trans* youth.

Our Vision: We envision a world where Queer and trans* youth are celebrated, safe, and connected (with others and with needed resources), where all are included and none are excluded. 

Profile

True Colors is a youth center serving queer and trans youth and their allies. We opened our doors as a drop-in center on July 1st, 2022 and are excited to participate in our second Grow Green event!

Since opening our doors in 2022, we have served well over 180 unique youth and continue to grow our numbers! On average 15 youth will visit the house daily. Our youth primarily come from the Riley County area, but others will drop by from neighboring counties or even come to check out True Colors while visiting Manhattan from out-of-state!

While at the True Colors house, which functions as a drop-in community center, youth are able to participate in a range of activities. While at the house...

• Youth have access to food and snacks and can learn valuable life skills such as food preparation, cleaning, and sharing meals. 
• Youth may visit our gender-affirming clothing closet to "shop" for clothing items at no cost to them. Youth also have access to a range of hygiene products if needed. 
• Youth have access to a range fo leisure and community-building activities, such as pruising our diverse library, playing board games and video games together, working on art projects, and more. 
• Youth may participate in several clubs and activities D&D, Cooking Club, Adulitng 101, Self-Care, Ceramics, Clothing Repair Basics, Knitting Club, and so much more!

Our staff and volunteers pass required background checks and are trained to work with our youth. Under their supervision, the youth are able to build connections with safe adults and particiate in a variety of activities at the house. Sometimes, just sitting around and chatting with trusted peers and adults is just what our youth need. We are constantly evolving and growing to best meet the needs of our youth. 

In order to meet the needs of area youth, True Colors partnes with local vendors and applies for local, state, and national grants to continue to work toward our goal of providing direct service, advoacy and education in support of Queer and trans* youth. True Colors also...

• Provides referrals to mental health services and will cover 100% of the costs for our underinsured or uninsured youth thanks to grant funds and donor support.
• Facilities opportunities for youth to be involved in local and state policies to ensure they are represented and that their voices are heard. 
• Promotes self-care through accessing mental health supports, spending time outside, and spending time with others in safe community. 

We thank you for your support of True Colors! We could not do this amazing work without you.