By Lloyd Gyan
The Rainbow Bridge Community Center is a non-profit community center for the 2SLGBTQIA+ people of the rural communities of Central Vermont. Located on Main Street in Barre, the Center has become a safe space and drop-in center for the queer community, helping to bring them together and give them resources and connections that are increasingly vital as the shifting politics of the country become more frightening and hostile. The Center has grown beyond its queer focus; devastating floods in both 2023 and 2024 turned many people out of homes and deprived them of basic necessities, and RBCC stepped up to become the city’s central hub for food, clothing, healthcare, volunteer help, and more, a program that it continues with a monthly Community Cares Day and a Rainbow Relief fund.
One of the center’s volunteers and Silvershield Hero, Freesia, started up a weekly RPG Night. The Center’s many social groups and clubs are all deliberately designed with as low a barrier of entry as possible, because often, people are shy or hesitant, perhaps dealing with trauma for not having been accepted as they present themselves; helping them take that first step with an innocuous, easy-to-jump-into activity like a board game, a knitting club, or an Open Table RPG, makes it possible for them to form connections to a community, not feel so isolated, and exposes them to more resources and aid.
RPG Night is thus an Open Table game that allows anyone to join in at any time with no commitment; newcomers to the game can just listen, or with the aid of simple handouts, jump in and play even if they might not be sure they’ll be back next week. The games always focus on inclusivity; no matter what the setting, at RBCC, people of all colors, sizes, sexualities, genders, ways of thinking, and personal identities are present in the game world. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations!
Freesia often jokes that they have dice older than a good number of the patrons, although with the passing of time the humour of that achievement has faded. Regardless, as an RPG veteran with many years behind them we are glad to called Freesia one of our stalwart Silvershield members!
Remember that you too can join the ranks of the Silvershields community by signing up at https://modiphius.net/pages/silvershields
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