The June Meeting of Action for a Better Tomorrow-Elmhurst will feature two vocal and accomplished advocates for the LGBT community:

Gail Morse, inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2015 for helping to secure civil rights for Chicago’s LGBT communities through her professional, community and political leadership. Gail has been a fierce advocate for securing civil rights for Chicago’s LGBT communities through professional, community, and political leadership. Nobody could sum up her passion for justice better than one of her colleagues, who remarked that “When it comes to marshalling support and resources for the LGBT communities, Gail is a force to be reckoned with: no one can say “no” to Gail.” A California native, she graduated from the University of San Diego in 1979 and earned her law degree from that university’s School of Law in 1982; she subsequently earned a Master’s of Law (Taxation) from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1986.

Lauren Verdich, inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2015 for her key efforts in the establishment of Open Hand Chicago and her leadership in Chicago’s LGBT business community and in progressive and women’s politics. For 30 years, Lauren Verdich has played a critical role in Chicago’s LGBT communities. During the mid-1980s, as the AIDS crisis was taking hold in the city, and as the gay-rights movement was becoming stronger, both she and her company, Lauren’s Catering, were critical contributors to many of the community’s struggles.

ALSO at the June ABTE meeting we will share updates on events and action items, and hear from Reid McCollum, head of The Coalition for a Better Illinois 6th, a network of 20 grassroots groups bound together by a common goal: to make 6th District elected officials (e.g. Peter Roskam) aware of the diverse values of the district and hold them accountable.

This Event is Free, but we ask that you consider bringing a donation: either bring items to donate to First United Methodist's Clothing Center (umcelmhurst.org/serve/community-clothing-center/) OR consider a small cash contribution that we will combine into one check to support the Center on Halsted, the largest LGBT community center in the Midwest with more than 1,000 people walking through its doors every day.

We hope you will join us! #RESIST #ACTIONFORABETTERTOMORROW