First-time organizers of rural Prides often have very little to start with. They may not know what resources they need – like, for instance, event insurance or security – or where to go for help with fundraising and logistics.
Supporting Pride Across Rural Communities (SPARC) hopes to change that while still putting on Newark’s Pride, said the Central Ohio nonprofit’s President Brandy Morehouse. Starting next year, SPARC – previously Newark Ohio Pride Coalition – wants to share tips and resources for running Pride and other programs and connect rural LGBTQ+ organizations across Ohio.
Those tips would range from attaining event insurance, securing funding, addressing legal concerns – to just an extra set of hands. These ideas would formalize into a starter kit and advisory council, but SPARC has already reached out to help rural Prides, Morehouse said.
“It takes a lot of resources to do this,” said Morehouse, who uses she/they pronouns. “If you don’t know where to look or how to find the pieces that you need to put together to make this growth happen, it is really hard to get to where you wanna be.”
Igniting SPARC
When Morehouse first joined NOPC’s board as its treasurer three years ago, she didn’t know a lot about what goes into a Pride festival. One of many new faces, they joined amid “huge turnover” on the board.
The board tried to reach out to rural Prides for help and learned they were struggling, too, she said. They tried urban Prides for resources, to no avail.
“They’re kind of caught up in their own stuff, and a lot of the resources that they use or that they provide are very limited to their area,” Morehouse recalled. “And so we were like, ‘There’s nothing for rural Prides to come together and talk about these concerns and figure out how to share resources and stuff. We should do that.’”
With the help of a grant from Leadership Columbus, SPARC went through a full rebranding to provide “more than just a Pride festival every year,” Morehouse said.
And they are already seeing interest from rural Prides.
After learning about Adams County Pride’s inaugural celebration, Morehouse reached out to the organize. SPARC helped them find event insurance–something experienced organizers might know how to do, but someone who just wants to help their community come together for the first time might overlook.
Before SPARC, Morehouse and other board members also helped out Sunbury Pride and Granville Pride with setting up, breaking down and “providing a vibe.” Next year, those connections would be more formalized through an advisory council consisting of rural Pride organizers from across Ohio. For those not on the council, SPARC will provide a Rural Pride Starter Kit which will guide people through the ins-and-outs of organizing a festival.
SPARC board members have also been networking with organizations like Stonewall Columbus, having bigger conversations about increased accessibility and inclusion at Newark’s Pride festival.
“For a lot of rural Prides, they don’t have the time or the people or even the knowledge in some cases to have that access,” they said. “We’re gonna open that door up and we’re gonna be that funnel so that people can come to us and be like, ‘Hey, I need this,’ and we can be like, ‘Cool. We have this whole network. Let me point you in the right direction.’”
SPARC has its own challenges recruiting volunteers, Morehouse said. Right now, the nine-person board is their main volunteer force. For example, SPARC’s vice president has been redesigning the organization’s website in her free time.
“She has a background in web design, but she also has a full-time job, so she’s doing this in pieces as she has time to update,” they said. “ A lot of it is just finding enough people who have the time and energy to help us with getting bigger.”
SPARC is still dedicated to running Newark Pride, Morehouse said. The organization is also running other events and programs, such as projecting mural art on participating businesses in Licking County with the help of a $10,000 grant.
The organization is still getting the word out about their rebranding, which is their biggest goal for the rest of 2026, Morehouse said.
“We love interacting with our community, so if anybody wants to get on board and jump in, we are happy to have them,” they said. 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- To learn more about SPARC, visit their website here.
- Looking for an Ohio Pride? Check The Buckeye Flame’s 2026 Pride Guide here.
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