Why Love Lives in Seekonk Matters

My name is Kris Lyons, and I'm the President of the nonprofit organization Love Lives in Seekonk. I'm an attorney and have lived Seekonk for the past 22 years with my husband and four children. My three daughters have graduated from Seekonk High School and my son is currently attending the high school. I truly love my hometown and really want to make it a better place for all.

In March of this year, when there was a transphobic and homophobic event that caused a children's dance to be canceled at the last minute due to threats, I knew I wanted to help the situation. So I connected on Facebook with another mom - Pam Godsoe - and we created a lawn sign campaign to raise money for the Aitken PTO, and we were able to help them recoup the financial losses from the canceled events. From the support of the town, we were able to raise almost $1,500, which was given to the Aiken PTO in April.

Since we had so much support from the community, we expanded to sell stickers and magnets, and plan to donate money to the high school GSA in the fall. We've sold over 200 lawn signs, 175 stickers, and 135 magnets, with all the proceeds going to schools and other youth programs here in Seekonk. It's a completely volunteer organization. Due to the success of our campaign and great support from the community, we decided that Love Lives in Seekonk should be here to stay. We officially became a Massachusetts nonprofit in August.

Love Lives in Seekonk hosted its very first in-person event Sept. 17, with nearly 50 people of all ages getting together to spread some love and kindness (along with glitter and paint). We had some amazing artists come out, and love all the different ways everyone expressed themselves with their kindness rocks. The library and the surrounding areas with rock gardens are being filled with all these amazing creations. This is the first of many events to be put on by Love Lives in Seekonk, and we hope to see more townspeople at future gatherings.

Going forward, Love Lives in Seekonk will advocate for equal access and representation across the community programs in Seekonk, including but not limited to activities targeted toward youth to promote inclusion for all those who identify as LGBTQIA+ and their families. We'll engage in fundraising activities to support the community programs that further our goals to build a resilient, educated and engaged population that create a healthy community for all our youth. We'll also engage in and promote involvement in volunteer activities across all aspects of our community, as well as create, sustain and advocate for educational opportunities to support the community youth, including but not limited to those who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and their families. If you're interested in getting involved, please follow us on social media. Or you can email us at lovelivesinseekonk@gmail.com. 

Kris Lyons, Esq
President, Love Lives in Seekonk
www.lovelivesinseekonk.org