The document discusses a trip to Chicago by a group exploring LGBTQIA issues and intersections with poverty and homelessness. Some key experiences included touring a Van Gogh exhibit, meeting inspiring people working to help the homeless youth community, and volunteering with an organization providing food and support to people on the streets. The trip provided many "golden nuggets" or impactful moments that highlighted social issues like the number of homeless children and challenges faced by LGBTQIA seniors.

1. Golden nuggets of the Sparkle Express to Chicago. An exploration
of the LGBTQIA community and the intersections of poverty and
homelessness.
 The Nuggets.. Golden nugget. We drove past this local chain
restaurant, think elevated Waffle House, every time we left
the church we were staying at and it was the running joke
between Rossi and Jim that they had to eat there before the
week was out, We did end up eating there… twice in one
day … but it was so much more. It was one of those bonding
things that just happened, but I took it to heart… nuggets,

2. the pieces of our trip that spoke to our hearts, our souls and
our collective humanity
 We started the week off with touring the Chicago Institute
of Art and Van Gough’s 3 bedrooms exhibit. Little did we
know that this exhibit that showed the artist’s quest for a
home would permeate our trip. So many nuggets that
interjected themselves in our trip panned out into
overarching themes.
 We met so many inspiring people along the way. Frank
Quinn an OWU alum and his partner Craig, who helped plan
our trip- getting us into places and meetings with people we

3. never would have been able to meet. The CEO of the
Howard Brown clinic, David Munar, the program director
Christopher Bourchard, and operational director, Vedda of
the Neon House, a drop in center for homeless spectrum
youth. Our discussions with Antonio and Lillith from the
Center were eye opening. So many youth are displaced for
so many reasons. The typical of course, family issues,
intolerance, but there are those that have just aged out of
the foster system often have no place to go. Youth as young
as 14 living on the streets. For me that was particularly heart
wrenching as the children in my life are 13 and 14, babies in

4. my eyes, learning the ropes of teenage-dom but these kids
that we heard about are out there fighting for survival.
Antonio as I mentioned is an amazing young man who
knows his whole future is ahead of him and is fighting every
step of the way to make a difference and give back
determined to not be a statistic and to become a social
worker and effect positive change in the lives of other
spectrum homeless youth.
 We worked with the Night ministry such an awe inspiring
organization that is dedicated to going into the streets and
meeting people’s needs right there. We made about 12

5. gallons of chili for two evenings of service and gave away all
but 10 of those. We made some friends along the way,
Jimmy a developmentally disabled young man that was at
the stop both nights, he helped set up and proceeded to talk
with us about his gramma and the games he played on his
phone. He was engaging and his smile lit up the area. He
enjoyed our chili and really liked the cookies. Then there
was Philip. He was well dressed, carried a portfolio and may
have been out & about looking for work. He ate several
bowls of chili and talked our ears off. He was engaged, he
wanted to know about us and where were from and why

6. were there. Everyone was so gracious and knowing we
stood alongside our fellow brothers in the streets
acknowledging their humanity and embracing our own
knowing there but for the grace of God go I; We all realized
that while the people that we interacted with were hungry,
maybe hadn’t eaten all day it was also about the connection,
the humanness of all of us, breaking bread, chatting.
 Several discussions opened our eyes to the pervasiveness of
poverty in the spectrum community and the community at
large. 20,000 children in the Chicago public school system
are homeless at any given time. Let that sink in for a

7. moment. 95% of LGBT do not give back to their own causes.
30 % of bisexual or lesbian women live in poverty. What
happens to people on the spectrum as they age? Can a gay
couple live together in a nursing home or senior housing?
the Center on Halstead has answered that by buying for a
dollar the old police station and turning it into the Town Hall
apartments for seniors on the spectrum
 We had so many interactions with so many individuals and
organizations who are dedicated to the dignity and
humanity of each individual we can’t possibly cover it all in
these golden nuggets of our trip. They face a daunting task

8. in the face of a harsh political climate and loss of funding.
They still fight, they still have a valiant spirit of dedication to
their missions. Equality and inclusion dignity and life
 When we talked during our reflections we touched on many
different things. We did so much, saw so many things, ate,
listened, wrestled with personal judgements and tore down
presuppositions. We tried to sum up the trip in a phrase and
maybe Golden Nuggets work.