Located in the
St. Croix Valley of
Minnesota/Wisconsin

Out In The Valley is a non-profit social and community service organization benefiting the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender residents of the St. Croix River Valley of Minnesota/Wisconsin.

We meet to socialize with each other, learn about programs and issues that affect our communities and our world, and support programs that benefit the communities in which our members reside.

Geographical range:
Out In The Valley covers the entire St. Croix River Valley in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Most of our members live in Minnesota's Washington and Chisago Counties, and Wisconsin's St. Croix and Pierce Counties, but some reside as far away as Rochester, MN, St. Cloud, MN, and Eau Claire, WI.

Demographics:
We have approximately equal numbers of men and women of all ages, many with partners and some with children, along with some mixed-gender couples and allies, and also group, organizational, and business members.

Costs:
Out In The Valley is supported by donations from members. If there is a charge for any social event, it's explained in the event's announcement and collected at the event. An annual donation of $12-$20 per member is suggested. We hope all our members choose to be contributing members and attend at least one OITV meeting each year.

OUT IN THE VALLEY
Email:        info@oitv.org
Voicemail: 612-822-0127 ext.9502,
              or 800-800-0350 ext.9502

Monthly Meetings

Out In The Valley's regular monthly meetings are usually held one evening in the third week of the month at members' homes throughout the area, or at more public locations such as restaurants, museums, libraries, or schools.

The home meetings usually start with a potluck dinner. Programs have included musical and sing-along evenings, the showing of GLBT-related movies and television programs, professional financial and legal advice, an afternoon or evening of games, barbecues and picnics, a presentation about ex-gay "ministries," talks by political and religious figures, garden visits, and other programs of interest.

Outdoor events are coordinated with Outwoods, the Twin Cities' GLBT outdoor-activities group. Other events have included participation in annual Fourth of July and Gay Pride parades and other holiday events in the St. Croix Valley communities, visits to local museums and tourist attractions, concert and theatre parties, in addition to the monthly meetings.

How We Keep Members Informed

Monthly newsletter:
A newsletter is sent to all members every month by email. It typically includes a report of the previous month's meeting, announcement of the current month's meeting, listings of all sorts of upcoming GLBT-related events and television programs, stories about individual members, ads for GLBT-friendly businesses in the area, and other items of interest.
Directories:
We issue a membership directory only for the personal use of members, not for business or political mailing-list use. Members individually choose whether or not to be listed in it. Another ongoing project is compiling a directory of gay-friendly businesses in the St. Croix Valley.

Our members maintain contacts with schools, churches, Chambers of Commerce, Human Rights Commissions, and other community social-service organizations. We participate in the area's Adopt-A-Highway program twice a year and sponsor a scholarship fund for GLBTA youth.