Rainbow Rumpus received one of the first four Dot.Org Awards given by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) at MCN’s Technology Conference on April 24, 2024. “This site is what every nonprofit can strive for: connecting people together to help share what connects and unites them,” said MCN’s Nicole Garst as she presented Rainbow Rumpus publisher Laura Matanah, editor in chief Beth Wallace, and webmaster Cary Walski with the award—an Oscar-style statuette with a flash drive hanging on its arm.
An audience of over 300 representatives from a wide variety of Minnesota nonprofits listened, smiling and cheering while Ms. Garst showed screenshots from the site on a large screen and described the site in these words:
“Rainbow Rumpus is an online magazine for kids with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents. As an online magazine, Rainbow Rumpus is taking advantage of the internet to connect kids of LGBT parents to a community of creative and caring support. At Rainbow Rumpus, there is professional fiction and nonfiction; audience-submitted poetry, music, and videos; not to mention the two adorable dragons named Flo and Mo who serve as guides and companions for young visitors to the site.
“On Rainbow Rumpus’s bulletin board, we can see one child with two moms connect with another child in the same situation. Book reviews allow kids to share their opinions on creative work that reflects their lives.
“Rainbow Rumpus takes their work one step further by connecting the kids and parents who visit the site to larger social issues. Keith Ellison, one of the new Congresspersons from Minnesota, shares his views on the site and publicly supports Rainbow Rumpus’s work. In a similar fashion, advertisers can connect here by placing an ad on the site to help parents with everything from age-appropriate entertainment to real estate services. But through and through, Rainbow Rumpus is a great place for kids.
“For their age-appropriate work to empower, inspire, support, and connect children of LGBT parents, we are pleased to present our first Dot.Org Award in the category of Awesome Audience Awareness to Rainbow Rumpus. Congratulations on your excellent work!”
All of us at Rainbow Rumpus are delighted and honored to be recognized in this way by MCN. All the Rainbow Rumpus staff, board members, volunteers, and contributors have a share in the glory of this award. Without everyone’s hard work and support, we could never have achieved so much in the first year of the magazine. So if you’re reading this article, congratulations to you, too—and thanks for your help making Rainbow Rumpus the best it can be.
