This program is currently available in the state of Ohio and the requests are currently available once per person per calendar year.
How it works
This program sends e-gift cards for emergency community needs. Each option is meaningful for multiple types of community needs. We are mindful of multiple options and needs and hope that this program helps to fill in some of the voids in the community.
This program is funded by donations made that are specific for this program. It is not government funded at this time.
About the gift cards offered.
Each of the gift cards are meaningful for multiple types of situations.
How to Help
We received 30-60 requests a month for emergency help through the Ada Gaden Project. If you would like to support this program please make a donation towards this project. If you are with a company or foundation and wish to help our impact and give back please e-mail us directly for more info to laura@haveagayday.org
Qualifications for Receiving Support:
· Must be 18+*
· Must complete an application (online or in-person)
· Must be requesting aid in the state of OH
Restrictions:
· This program is only made available once per calendar year per household once approved for any funding or services.
· The program is for situations where a person may not be able to access emergency program funding in a timely manner.
· At this time all requests will be digitally delivered. There is no in person gift cards or money that is handed out if you apply. Sometimes the emails received may go to spam.
The Ada Gaden Project is not designed for:
· Non-emergency costs.
· Living expenses such as rent and utilities.
· Any personal debts or account balances.
Applications are reviewed and fulfilled within 24-72 hours. We encourage applicants to continue to reach out to other LGBTQIA+ inclusive resources during the consideration process, as the Ada Gaden Project funding is limited to community donations. Applying is not a guarantee of service and service may be in the form of referral to another agency based on the situation.
* In the State of Ohio, kicking a child out of their home is considered abandonment. Therefore we are not able to provide emergency assistance to minors at this time. We encourage any child facing abandonment to contact an advocate.
Ada Swart Gaden, passed away on April 29, 2022. She was born in Austin, Texas on April 7, 1975. She grew up in Williamson County, Texas and attended Leander High School. Ada attended Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas where she graduated Magna com Laude with Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degree in History. Ada was a historian and a student of the human experience. She loved history, art, music, Karaoke, and dogs, especially Pugs. Ada was a very talented artist. She will always be remembered for her unique and wonderful sense of humor.
These words alone will never fully describe how amazing Ada was and is. She would give you everything she had and opened up her couch and home to anyone in need. She would give you everything even if she didn’t have it to give just to see you thrive. That being said there were times when Ada faced the world and the world wasn’t kind. There were moments when humanity should have been slower to judge and faster to be kind.
The Ada Gaden Project is about being slower to judge and faster to be kind. It is also about being multi-faceted and changing and growing based on the needs of the community and as we learn we will change to fill the need. There were moments that Ada fought to live and thrive and it is beyond fitting that Have A Gay Day as an organization she volunteered with would name this program for her.
