GREENVILLE, Mich. — Voices of Flat River Pride opened its new Pride Center Thursday in Greenville, giving people a place to find resources, connect with others, and access support.
WATCH: 'A lot of love has gone into this': new pride center opens in Greenville
“There is nothing like this in Greenville or the surrounding communities,” said Amanda Estill, the Pride Center’s director.
Voices of Flat River Pride Chair Joslyn Lillie said having a space in Greenville is especially meaningful to her, because she remembers what it was like when she came out.
“When I came out in this town, I was very scared,” Lillie said. “I did not know anyone in the LGBTQ community.”
The center will offer resources ranging from counseling to recovery support.
“To have that in this community where we didn't have it before, I mean, it gives me such an amazing warmth in my heart,” Lillie said.
Over the last year, Voices of Flat River Pride has worked to turn their building off W Carson City Rd. into a welcoming place for everyone.
"A lot of love has gone into this," Estill said.
As a licensed professional counselor, Estill said the center's focus on connection and support can play an important role in local mental health.
“The ideas of community and togetherness and building something is big values in mental health and how people get well, and so it just seems to go really well hand in hand,” Estill said.
For recovery support, Voices of Flat River partnered with the recovery community organization Outreach 419.
Robin Ballard, a member of the Pride Center's mental health committee, became a peer recovery coach with Outreach 419 to help others struggling with addiction.
“Just seeing the light come on in somebody's eyes after they've been dark for so long, there's something magical about that moment,” Ballard said. “So, being a peer recovery coach now and being able to see that almost daily, it's like, let's go. I love it.”
Now, Ballard gets to help others working toward recovery in the community where she lives. When asked what helped her most during her own recovery, Ballard pointed to the people around her.
“In my recovery? Finding people, finding a community, that was really important,” Ballard said.
As the center opens its doors, Estill said hearing from people who are excited to have the space has been one of the most meaningful parts of the process.
“To have the representation in this town for people has been so uplifting, and it warms my heart so deeply to hear these people say things like, ‘I am so happy to have this here,'" Estill said.
The Pride Center's hours are still being worked out. You can follow the organization’s updates on their Facebook.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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