What Sustains You Pride Campaign
A spring campaign honoring the beloved pets of our Coalition community
What sustains you in difficult times?
If you're LGBTQ+, or you love someone who is, you probably know what we mean.
The fear. The fatigue. That feeling when you open the news and wonder, What now? The grief of watching communities we care about get targeted again and again. Some days, just showing up, checking on one another, or finding the energy to care can feel overwhelming.
And yet, we keep going.
We keep going because most of us have something (or someone) that helps us hold on.
Maybe it's your dog who still thinks you're the greatest person alive, even on the hardest days. Maybe it's chosen family. A friend who checked in without needing an explanation. Music in the car. The garden. Church. Therapy. Protest. Prayer. A group chat that makes you laugh when things feel unbearable. Someone who just gets you. Creating. Journaling. Swimming. Running.
We all have something that helps carry us through.
As we move through Pride Month, the Open and Affirming Coalition invites you to reflect on a simple question:
What sustains you?
We're inviting supporters to make a gift in honor of the people, pets, practices, communities, and small joys that help carry them through difficult times.
Need a little inspiration?
• $10 for your dog (or cat, plant, or daily walk)
• $25 for chosen family
• $50 for the friend who kept showing up
• $100 for the joy, faith, or community that carried you through
Or give for multiple reasons. Or simply give what feels meaningful to you. Every gift matters.
Then, if you're willing, we'd love to hear your story.
Share a photo or story on social media using #WhatSustainsONA, or text "Pride26" to 855-589-2210 and tell us what sustains you. You can also visit Click here to share your story online.
Tell us about the people, pets, practices, communities, and small joys that help carry you through. Maybe it's your dog, your garden, chosen family, prayer, therapy, music, activism, creating art, cooking a favorite meal, or simply a friend who keeps showing up.
Because sometimes the very thing that helped you make it through a difficult season is exactly what someone else needs to hear today.
When you give, you help sustain something real: affirming churches, leadership development, advocacy, coaching, and communities where LGBTQ+ people of faith can remember they are loved, worthy, and not alone.
For more than 50 years, the Open and Affirming Coalition has helped LGBTQ+ people and communities find belonging, courage, and hope.
And right now, that work matters.
Because in difficult times, joy matters. Community matters. Love matters. And the things that sustain us are worth celebrating.