Sweet Pride in July event brings community together
Taylor Davison
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RONAN — Ronan held its ninth Sweet Pride in July celebration on Saturday, gathering in Ronan City Park to enjoy music, food, and community activities.
With a Top Chef-style charcuterie board competition, a pavilion full of games, music, and plenty of free food, the family friendly event hosted by SAFE Harbor, SKC Spirit of Many Colors, Mission Mountain Empowerment, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, and Journey to Wellness, drew in plenty of people to enjoy the day.
Sweet Pride in July got its start nearly a decade ago because part of SAFE Harbor’s mission is to promote a safe, inclusive, and connected community with healthy, pro-social activities for everyone, explained SAFE Harbor’s Dana Grant. With numerous partner hosts over the years, the main being SKC’s Spirit of Many Colors, Grant said the goal has always been to create a space where everyone feels safe and able to engage with the community and build a strong network of support.
“We see a need to support everyone, no matter who they are, so that is why this continues to be part of what we’re doing,” Grant stated. “We’ve seen victims that’ve been impacted by violence based on gender, based on the way they identify, based on dress, based on how they’re present in the community. It’s really important to reiterate that here in Lake County and on the Flathead Reservation, there (are) resources and availability of services for all people.”
For anyone in the LGBTQ+ community having difficulty, they can either reach out directly to SAFE Harbor at 406-676-0800 or SKC’s Spirit of Many Colors at facebook.com/spiritofmanycolors. There are also other support groups such as Montana Two Spirit Society at: mttwospirit.org and All Nations Health at: allnations.health, both based in Missoula or The Glacier Queer Alliance (GQA) based out of Kalispell at: glacierqueeralliance.org. “They have staffing and support, and they have access to other things such as counseling that might be beneficial to someone,” Grant commented.
Those interested in supporting SAFE Harbor and these endeavors can do so by donating either time or financially by going online to: safeharbormt.org or by sending a check to them at 63506 US-93, Ronan, MT 59864.
“I think the most important part in supporting this is thinking about how each day in our life do we help to make sure everyone is feeling safe. How do we take steps to do that, whether it’s how we greet people, how we encourage people, how we affirm them? Whatever it might be there’s a challenge there I think for everybody on a daily basis to think about that … There’s a lot of great people working very hard across our community to help everyone each day, whether it’s with food, whether it’s with housing, whether it’s with violence issues. There are many people who value this community and want to keep it going strong and I hope everyone remembers that.”
