Celebrating Positive Images
We are honored to highlight the recipient of our Fall Grant, Positive Images, a deeply rooted LGBTQIA+ community resource in Sonoma County. Our members voted to awarded them $5,000 in recognition of their powerful work creating safe space, building resilience, and providing support for queer folks across our region.
Founded in 1990 in Santa Rosa, Positive Images has long been a cornerstone of connection and care for the LGBTQIA+ community in the North Bay. What truly sets them apart is their deep commitment to lifting up those often left out — transgender and nonbinary folks, Latiné families, LGBTQIA+ people of color, neurodivergent community members, and others who rarely see themselves centered. Their work is grounded in a clear, hopeful vision: a Sonoma County where queer people are not just accepted, but celebrated, and where the most marginalized among us have the support, affirmation, and community they deserve.
At their community center, Positive Images offers a welcoming, stigma-free environment where people can show up exactly as they are. Drop-in visitors can access a pantry, gender-affirming clothing and supplies, computers and Wi-Fi, and one-on-one staff support. They host weekly peer-run support groups for youth (ages 12–18), adults, and bilingual/bicultural Latine groups — spaces that provide friendship, validation, and a sense of belonging.
Their impact extends beyond the walls of the center. Positive Images runs leadership development programs, provides LGBTQIA+ cultural competency trainings to schools and organizations, and engages in ongoing advocacy across Sonoma County. Every piece of their work is rooted in values of accessibility, equity, anti-racism, and intersectionality.
And their impact is measurable. In the 2023–2024 fiscal year, Positive Images:
Served 311 individuals through support groups
Hosted 99 peer-run groups
Held 99 leadership development sessions
Reached 6,000+ people through community outreach
They also continue to help schools, service providers, and public institutions build more affirming, inclusive environments — a ripple effect that strengthens our entire community.
As a giving circle, our mission is rooted in community building and supporting local changemakers. Many of our members were particularly inspired by Positive Images because their work goes far beyond providing services — they create sanctuary, a place of belonging, and a platform for self-advocacy. Their intersectional, community-centered approach is a beautiful example of thoughtful, intentional support for those who need it most.
By awarding this grant, we hope to help Positive Images expand its reach, deepen its impact, and continue cultivating a Sonoma County where every LGBTQIA+ person — no matter their background — has a place to be seen, heard, and affirmed.
A Message from Positive Images
“We are deeply grateful to the Santa Rosa Women for Good community for selecting Positive Images as this quarter’s grant recipient. Your generous support helps sustain our mission to create safe, affirming spaces where LGBTQIA2S+ youth and adults can find connection, healing, and belonging.
Flexible funding like this is especially vital right now. It allows us to respond to the most urgent needs of our community in real time, from providing mental health support to expanding access to affirming spaces and resources. In times that continue to test so many of us, this kind of trust-based giving ensures that we can keep showing up for our community with care, creativity, and joy.
Thank you for believing in our work and for being part of the collective care that makes it possible.”
— Chase Overholt, Executive Director