Adrian Diversity Event Fund

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Adrian Diversity Event Fund Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Adrian Diversity Event Fund, Educational consultant, 1440 West Maumee, Adrian, MI.

The mission of the Adrian Diversity Event Fund is to provide educational opportunities, event planning, and financial support to organizations and individuals committed to honoring and celebrating the diverse populations of the City of Adrian and Lenawee.

🏳️‍🌈 What an incredible way to celebrate National Coming Out Day! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜A full house at Farvers, filled with community,...
10/10/2026

🏳️‍🌈 What an incredible way to celebrate National Coming Out Day! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

A full house at Farvers, filled with community, friendship, love, and support!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who joined us and especially to those who had the courage to stand up and share their personal coming out stories. Each story was unique, powerful, and a reminder that our journeys may be different, but the importance of being seen, heard, loved, and accepted connects us all.

Coming out is not always easy, and for some, it is a journey that continues throughout their lives. Events like this remind us just how important it is to create spaces where people can be their authentic selves without fear or judgment. We had some good chats with others that were not ready to share this year but excited for next year.

Thank you to Farver’s for providing such a welcoming space, to our community partners and supporters, and to everyone who helped make this gathering so meaningful. We weee thankful for a great public space, but also one that provided some privacy too. We used a “no photos please sign” for those that wished to not have their photo on social media.

When we share our stories, we build understanding. When we listen, we build compassion. And when we stand together, we build a stronger, more inclusive community.

From all of us at the Adrian Diversity Event Fund, Lenawee Pride, and Holiday With Heart, thank you for making this a special celebration of courage, authenticity, and love.

🏳️‍🌈 Your story matters. You matter. And you belong.

Join us today at Farver's at the Croswell for National Coming Out Day with Lenawee Pride and Holiday with Heart Charity ...
10/10/2026

Join us today at Farver's at the Croswell for National Coming Out Day with Lenawee Pride and Holiday with Heart Charity Gayla from 4-6pm and share your story and support others as they tell theirs!!!

Join us at the Adrian District Library from 6-8pm on Tuesday to talk about our Coming Out Stories or the stories of our ...
10/05/2026

Join us at the Adrian District Library from 6-8pm on Tuesday to talk about our Coming Out Stories or the stories of our loved ones. We will talk about the book "I have something to tell you" Copies of the book will be provided. Welcome to members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies.

Remembering Irene Butter, 1930–2026Today, the Adrian Diversity Event Fund mourns the passing of Holocaust survivor, educ...
10/04/2026

Remembering Irene Butter, 1930–2026

Today, the Adrian Diversity Event Fund mourns the passing of Holocaust survivor, educator, author, and extraordinary advocate for human dignity, Irene Butter, who died at the age of 95.

For ADEF, Irene’s passing feels deeply personal.

In November 2025, we had the incredible privilege of welcoming Irene to Adrian to share her story with our community. She did more than tell us what happened to her. She challenged us to think about what the lessons of the Holocaust require of each of us today.

Her message was simple and powerful:

Never be a bystander.

That message continued to guide our work long after her visit.

When we created the ADEF Pop-Up Holocaust Museum in downtown Adrian, Irene’s story became an important part of what we shared with thousands of visitors.

Our Lives Intersected: The Story of Three Girls exhibit followed the lives of Anne Frank, Hannah Goslar, and Irene Butter, three Jewish girls whose lives intersected in Amsterdam and again through the N**i camp system.

Through photographs, maps, timelines, survivor testimony, Stolpersteine, and displays tracing their journeys through places including Amsterdam, Westerbork, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen, visitors learned that the Holocaust is not simply a story of numbers.

It is the story of individual human beings. Of families. Of friendships. Of choices. Of loss, survival, and memory.

Irene helped us teach that lesson.

She also taught us that remembrance alone is not enough.

We must recognize hatred when we see it. We must speak when others are being marginalized. We must refuse to reduce people to stereotypes. We must choose compassion over indifference and action over silence.

Irene spoke about “refusing to be an enemy.” Those words capture so much of what the Adrian Diversity Event Fund strives to accomplish in our own community.

We will forever be grateful that Irene came to Adrian, that she trusted us with her story, and that thousands of people in our community were able to learn from her life through our programs and exhibits.

The responsibility now passes to us.

There will come a time when there are no Holocaust survivors left to enter our classrooms, museums, and communities and tell us firsthand what happened.

We must become the storytellers.

We must become the upstanders.

We must never become bystanders.

Thank you, Irene, for teaching us.

We will remember.

We will tell your story.

And we will continue the work.

May her memory be a blessing.

— Adrian Diversity Event Fund

Lenawee Does Detroit was designed to introduce a cross section of adults from Lenawee County to the diverse artists, cul...
10/04/2026

Lenawee Does Detroit was designed to introduce a cross section of adults from Lenawee County to the diverse artists, cultures, communities, and histories represented throughout Detroit. Participants explored the work of LGBTQ+ artists and other historically underrepresented artists at the Detroit Institute of Arts, ranging from historic figures such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to contemporary artists whose work continues to challenge perspectives and inspire conversation.

Throughout the course, participants connected what they encountered in Detroit with the history and culture of Lenawee County. We compared the community ofrenda at the Adrian District Library with the ofrenda at the DIA, examining how both installations preserve memories, celebrate loved ones, and share cultural traditions.

We explored the rich history of Detroit’s Eastern Market, including the area’s earlier use as the Russell Street Cemetery, and compared it with the Adrian Farmers Market, where our culminating trip began. Participants also examined the strong connections between the Underground Railroad in Lenawee County and Detroit’s vital role as a final gateway to freedom in Canada.

At the Detroit Historical Museum, participants explored the racial tensions surrounding the 1967 Detroit uprising and connected that history with contemporary movements for racial justice, including the Black Lives Matter movement. These experiences encouraged participants to consider how history, art, identity, and social movements continue to shape our communities.

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, youth from Raíces de Mi Tierra performed for our adult learners. Each young dancer received a children’s book about Frida Kahlo, extending the program’s celebration of art, culture, and identity to another generation.

Lenawee Does Detroit also provided 12 hours of professional development for seven educators, helping them meet requirements for renewing their teaching licenses while giving them new resources, experiences, and perspectives to bring into their classrooms.

Our adult learners ranged in age from their 20s to their 80s. More than a course about art and history, Lenawee Does Detroit brought together people of different identities, sexual orientations, ages, professions, and backgrounds. Participants learned with and from one another, formed new friendships, and built greater understanding through shared experiences and meaningful conversations.

This program was made possible through the generous support of the Holiday with Heart Charity Gayla, the Stubnitz Foundation, Idali Feliciano, and Bob Behnke. In kind support was provided by the Adrian District Library, Will Camp, the Lenawee Intermediate School District, and the Adrian Diversity Event Fund.

Together, these partners helped create an experience that connected Lenawee County with Detroit, the past with the present, and people from across our community with one another.

Lenawee Does Detroit: We had an amazing trip today to Detroit.
10/03/2026

Lenawee Does Detroit: We had an amazing trip today to Detroit.

Dancers from Raices de mi Tierra Folklorico (sponsored by Chico’s Cinco de Mayo) performed tonight for the Lenawee Does ...
10/01/2026

Dancers from Raices de mi Tierra Folklorico (sponsored by Chico’s Cinco de Mayo) performed tonight for the Lenawee Does Detroit Class. Talk about amazing. It was their first performance this year and they are off to an amazing start and proudly learning and teaching their rich culture and heritage.

We gave each of them a special book on an artist the adults are studying, Frida Kahlo. ADEF is a proud supporter of this dance group.

Great turnout today at Soldiers Field at Oakwood Cemetery. Many thanks to all the volunteers that helped out with this p...
09/29/2026

Great turnout today at Soldiers Field at Oakwood Cemetery. Many thanks to all the volunteers that helped out with this project!!! Anyone that helped please add photos too.

Address

1440 West Maumee
Adrian, MI
49221

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 6pm
Tuesday 11am - 6pm
Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 11am - 6pm
Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm

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