Probably once a week I am asked, "What does S-A-G-E stand for?" And up until last month, my response has been complicated -- something like this:

    Our organizations is modeled after Sage in New York City,
    which was established 30 years ago with the acronym SAGE
    standing for "Seniors in a Gay Environment", but since then
    they’ve changed to "Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders."
    When Sage Upstate's founders established our organization
    in 1997, they decided not to use the acronym and just to take
    Sage to mean a wise person, or wisdom.

I think by the end of that explanation most folks forgot what they asked, or maybe ceased caring about the answer. But all that is over now, because in February the Sage Upstate board voted to adopt "Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders." So my response to the question will be much simpler.

Why adopt the acronym? There are a few really good reasons. First, it aligns us with every other Sage in the country who all use this acronym. It connects us to what "Sage" means everywhere else.

Second, it emphasizes that our programs and services are designed to meet the needs of elders in our community. We have no age limit, and a growing number of folks in their 50s and even 40s are participating and joining, but when we develop programs we have aging in mind. We are concerned with the needs of the older folks in the community and the aging process that leads us to that point in the life cycle.

Third, I am going to save a lot of time since I don't have to explain the history of Sage Upstate each time I am asked about the acronym. Whew. Here are a few things we are really excited about this month:

• We are actually able to offer a legal clinic at Sage Upstate with the help of Board Member Mary Traynor.  It’s a legal information and referral clinic for people who can’t afford to see a lawyer -- self defined, no income requirements.

• Ralph Valente, our Board Chair is offering another cooking class. This is a hot ticket, and as with his two prior classes, this one is already filled up. If you are interested, call us and get on the sign-up list for the next class.

• Kyle Bass has agreed to share an afternoon with us, talking about his work on plays like Tales from the Salt City. This event kicks of a series in which performers and professionals share their stories.

It's been awhile since our last blog post, but we wanted to let you know that Sage is featured in this month's issue of 55+ Magazine. Check it out around town, and read Sage Board Member Marilyn Pinsky's article on Coming Out Later in Life, which includes interviews with Sage members and info on our organization.

As many of you know we've just begun our annual appeal. This year we have an exciting new option for donating to Sage, you can donate on our website by following the link on our homepage or by clicking here.

Your support is more important than ever this year as we face cuts in state funding. Sage has already lost funding in the governor's cuts, and we face more ahead. Your support is money that we will need to continue our work in the future.

That work includes not only the programming that we offer here at the center and in the surrounding counties, but also our education campaign for senior service providers and our advocacy work at the state and local levels. We are working hard to ensure a brighter future for all of as LGBT individuals as we age.

In these difficult economic times, we urge you to consider the largest gift you can, but we sincerely say that no gift is too small, and that all gifts are greatly appreciated. Thanks for affirming that Sage matters to you through whatever contribution you are able to make.