Today we’d like to introduce you to Gusta Carr
Hi Gusta, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hiya! I’m Gusta, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of SSP4ALL. This is how we got our start.
In the fall of 2023 one of our Co-founders posted on social media that she would like to throw a get together to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community here in South St. Paul. She asked if anyone would be interested in meeting at a local coffee shop to plan an event.
Two more showed up, myself included. We discussed our excitement to plan a social gathering where we could show the residents in our city that someone cares.
In that meeting Bethany, Cindy, and I (Gusta) decided we would name our party planning committee “SSP4ALL ” or South St. Paul For All.
In November of 2023 we put together and hosted our first event. It was a chili and pie fundraiser. We had a small, but encouraging turnout.
We raised money during our raffle and silent auction which we donated to our new Kaposia Library. We worked with the county to select the books that would be purchased with our donation.
We we’re excited that we had our first event under our belt, but quickly realized if we wanted to do this again we would need a little help financially.
In March, 2024 the three of us filed for nonprofit status. In that moment our lives changed for the better, with no going back.
In March we also took on our first five volunteer staff members. That number has since grown to thirteen!!
June 8th 2024, we hosted South St. Paul’s very first LGBTQ+ Pride Festival. We had an amazing day with 30 vendors, six food trucks, and an incredibly talented Cher impersonator who wowed the crowd. It was a colorful and joyous day.
We were gifted proclamations declaring June Pride Month in South St. Paul from the Minnesota Senate as well as the Minnesota House of Representatives. Senator Matt Klein even read the proclamation from the Senate at our festival.
Later in June we had the first Pride float ever in our local Kaposia Days Grande Parade.
Over the next few months we adopted (from the city) a flower garden from a local park where we planted colorful floiage, as well as a stretch of Marie Avenue that we removed any trash from. These efforts helped to show that we care about our city and its beauty.
In October we hosted a Queer Prom for adults. The theme was Vintage, Royal, Glam. We had a magical evening with many attending. Another chance for our community to come together with our allies for a support filled event.
In November we hosted our 2nd Annual Chili and Pie Fundraiser. We had planned for bigger and better in the hopes that our efforts over the last year would be noticed by our city residents. It was a blessing that we had so many people show up, that we ran out of food and space. It was our best fundraiser to date. Next time we need a bigger venue and more food!
We started 2025 off with a bang! We have hosted some smaller more social types of events such as our Valentine’s Card and Food Drive. We invited people to come and craft cards with us for their loved ones. While they were at it they could also make a card filed with positive affirmations for the students that belong to the SAGA group at the high school.
We are actively planning this year’s Pride Festival. The date is June 7th here in South St. Paul, from 11-4. This year we will have food trucks, vendors, entertainment and kid’s games.
Like all of our events, this is family friendly. You can find all the details on our website or Facebook page.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This road has certainly not always been an easy one. When faced with something new or different, people tend to want to turn away or ignore what is happening. Putting ourselves out there meant any of us could face backlash.
It is our organization’s goal to make sure that everyone feels seen, heard and loved.
We quickly realized that some city officials didn’t care for the fact that we started an LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit here.
This year grants are a little harder to obtain, so we pivoted and have created a sponsor packet that we have been sending to local businesses asking for their help.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our mission is to raise funds for awareness and meaningful progress.
We provide a resource table at all of our events. If you are in need of a resource that we do not have, we will do our best to help steer you in the right direction.
We aim to create safe spaces where everyone feels loved and protected.
We work with other local organizations to raise funds, provide information, and to show the LGBTQ+ community here that we are committed to them, and that we’re not going anywhere.
We are so incredibly proud of the changes we have already seen before our very eyes. We have even had allys tell us that they felt like outsiders before they met us. Now they feel as though we are family and they are accepted.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is when all of our voices are heard. When we all have a spot at the table.
When we live united, we cannot be devided.
My hope is that SSP4ALL is here for many years building ties to our city.
Representation matters. That’s why we’re doing this.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ssp4all.org
- Facebook: SSP4ALL-Commuity Group
