Have you taken the time lately to secure your future and guarantee your quality of life consistently improves? This is your world – are you a part of making it a better place to live, not only for yourself, for your community members as well? It’s not hard to do but it does require an investment.

Investing your time and money can make your future a bit brighter. There is one place your investment will honor your past, provide for your present needs and work to make your future even more promising: The Center.

Whether providing counseling for someone with a recent cancer diagnosis, giving would-be parents lists of GLBT-friendly adoption and reproductive services agencies, finding homeless youth a place to live, providing computer classes for seniors, offering confidential HIV tests or keeping the community updated about what’s happening as a result of the California Supreme Court’s recent marriage equality ruling, The Center is a resource for all of us.

Honoring our past, providing for our present and empowering our future – that is what The Center does.

Right now, our community is focused on the future; the anti-marriage amendment is at the top of everyone’s mind. After the jubilation of our Supreme Court victory, it is difficult to fathom we could have marriage rights taken away again in a few months. That’s the fight we face, though, and it is a very expensive fight.

Public support is not yet strong enough to guarantee we would win an amendment battle. And if the proposed amendment passes and the California Constitution is changed to recognize marriage only between one man and one woman, it won’t matter if the court rules in our favor. Marriage equality would be outlawed in California. Discrimination would be enshrined in our state constitution and it could take decades to make any changes.

What does that mean? It means that each of us must do all we can to ensure the amendment does not pass. It means The Center needs your time, your talent and your treasure right now to protect the rights we have all worked so hard for so long to win. It means that your donation to The Center Advocacy Project, The Center’s new 501(c4), which will actively and consistently engage in lobbying and campaigning on the core social issues that affect our community, is absolutely critical.

It is also important to remember the big picture. While it is essential we win the marriage equality fight, we cannot forget, in the meantime, life goes on. Even as we respond to crisis, we cannot forget our community’s ongoing needs. The Center is an intrinsic part of our community’s strength and vitality. It is the center of our community. It keeps us informed, it keeps us involved and it keeps us connected. And it is our continuing contributions that make the work of The Center possible.

To help guarantee we don’t lose the right to marriage equality, visit www.centeradvocacy.org and donate today. To guarantee our community remains healthy, active and able to care for its own, visit www.thecentersd.org/donate.php or contact Kevin Taylor at (619) 692-2077, ext. 200 or ktaylor@thecentersd.org.

It is an investment in your future.