Evergreen focuses on the following three priorities:
referrals, resources, and
educación.
Referrals
Evergreen provides referral information on support groups, therapists,
and other organizations available in your area. Our computer database is the
world’s largest listing of resources that can help in the area of
same-sex attraction. Experience shows that individual counseling is
critical to overcoming problem areas that might otherwise go unresolved.
Only licensed professionals who adhere to Evergreen's philosophy are
included on our list.
Thousands of people contact us by phone,
e-mail, or through the Web site. E-mail messages are answered either in
English or Spanish.
We have over 50 affiliate support groups for men, women, spouses,
friends, and family. Most are in the United States, although a growing
number are in other countries. We maintain contact with group leaders,
assist developing groups, and provide guidelines and support materials. Click here for a list of the
groups.
Recursos
- Printed information. We provide over a thousand information packets yearly and sell more than
1,500 books and other materials each year. See the
bookstore. We also have other materials in 20 languages, most of which
appear in the language pages of this Web site.
Contact the office to obtain printed copies. If you
have the skills to translate, review, or proofread other languages, please
let us know. We also publish a newsletter, The Journey, six times a year. We
also publish other written and audiovisual materials. We are always looking
for articles and ideas, as well as the help of qualified editors and graphic
artists.
- Web site. The Web site gets more than 100,000 hits a year. It provides a wealth of
information about overcoming same-sex attraction, including current events
and personal testimonies. You can order books and other educational
materials on the site. The content of the site is being translated into
many languages.
- Independent writing. We encourage independent writing in magazines and books, and have
assisted individuals get many books published in both English and Spanish.
- Library. Evergreen
is the home of the John and Vera Eccles Library, a collection of nearly 500 books, articles,
research papers, and audiovisual materials. We encourage people to donate
items and to use it for individual study and research.
Educación
- Conferences. Evergreen sponsors an annual conference in September in Salt Lake City,
Utah, with world-renowned speakers. These conferences are attended by about
500 men and women strugglers, therapists, church leaders, and family and
friends. Click here for information about the next
conference.
- Seminars and firesides. We also present regional seminars and workshops throughout the year as
needed. Firesides featuring local and national speakers are held every few months in Salt Lake City
and in other areas. Check the Web site often for
current
events.
- Speaker's bureau. We maintain a list of people who are available to speak at group
meetings, workshops, or Church meetings.
- Training for Church leaders. Our Board of Trustees usually includes one or more emeritus General
Authorities and we continue to build relationships with Area Presidencies
and other Church leaders. Upon request, we provide training to hundreds of
stake and ward leaders each year. If your ward or stake would like our
assistance, please contact us.
- Training for Therapists. Evergreen offers training for professional counselors
and organizations. Contact
us for more information.
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What We Stand For:
We support personal
choice
Many people who
experience same-sex attractions (SSA) choose not to act on those feelings
and not to embrace a gay identity. In many cases, they also choose to
affirm and develop their heterosexual desires and pursue their dream of
raising a family. We respect and affirm their choice.
We support the
individual's right to know
We do not seek to
force our viewpoint on anyone, to tell others what they "should" do, or to
shut down others' voices. We do work to raise awareness of alternatives to
living a homosexual life–alternatives
that many have found to be positive, life-affirming, and congruent with their
values, morals and beliefs. We support freedom of information.
We support client
self-determination
Individuals conflicted
over their same-sex attractions have the right to decide whether to seek
counseling or therapy, what kind of counseling to seek, to be made aware of
all alternatives, and to determine the desired direction of their own
therapy program. Professional organizations should enhance rather than
inhibit the client's right of self-determination.
We advocate tolerance
Individuals who have
transitioned out of a former gay identity and lifestyle, or who
choose to pursue alternatives to homosexuality, deserve tolerance and
acceptance. Their choices should not subject them to discrimination,
ridicule, or marginalization, or make them the target of hate speech or
accusations of homophobia. Demands for tolerance by one group can never
justify intolerance or ridicule of another.
We advocate policy
neutrality
All branches of
government should avoid actions or decisions that would inhibit free speech
about, or the practice of, freely chosen alternatives to homosexuality. Of
particular concern are laws regarding hate crimes and sexual orientation
that may be construed to make it illegal to promote or even speak about
alternatives to homosexuality.
We claim equal access
to public forums
We claim equal access
to public forums to state our viewpoint, share our experience, and to raise
awareness of alternative responses to a gay identity and lifestyle.
This is particularly vital in cases where public schools address the issue
of sexual orientation.
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In the
summer of 1989 in Salt Lake City, Utah, a group of eleven met to organize
Evergreen. Believing that homosexual practices are not in keeping with the
gospel of Christ, these individuals were frustrated with their experience in
other organizations. They concluded there must be a solution other than
destroying spiritual beliefs or denying sexual longings.
The next spring, this small group sponsored a conference to publicly
attest to their belief and hope. The conference received national and
international media coverage, and group members were invited to appear on
the Phil Donahue Show, Larry King Live on CNN, and various local television
and radio programs. This prompted public debate over the possibility of
growth out of same-sex attraction. It also inspired interest in those who
felt the truth of the principles promoted by Evergreen, and participation
grew even more.
Support groups were formed for men and women struggling with
homosexuality. Groups were also formed for spouses and for family and
friends of those struggling. In 1992, the name Evergreen International was
adopted as the name of the organization.
From this small group, Evergreen has grown to an international
organization with affiliates in locations throughout the United States and
in many other countries. Click
here to see a list of affiliates. For a more complete history,
click here.
Organización
Mesa directiva
The Board of Trustees is the governing body of Evergreen International,
Inc. Their responsibility is to see that the organization is run in a
professional manner on the corporate level. They do not usually become
involved in the affairs of individual participants or affiliate units.
Members of the board include current and former participants in Evergreen,
mental health-care professionals, business leaders, and others.
Administrative Staff
The staff has the responsibility to support the work of the organization,
provide for support activities to meet the needs of individuals within the
organization, handle public relations, plan events (such as conferences and
seminars), develop and distribute publications, conduct research and
development, and develop and co-ordinate volunteer work (upon which the
organization heavily depends). The Executive Director oversees all staff and
administrative functions.
Privacy Statement
We are committed to protect your privacy. When you
order materials from us, shipments are made in opaque envelopes or boxes. We
do not sell or trade customer information to anyone, whether it is your
personal information or the fact that you are a customer.
We share your concerns for privacy and security of
personal information. Since information is the cornerstone of our ability to
provide you with exceptional customer service, our most important asset is
you our customer. Keeping customer information secure, and using it only as
you would want us to, is a top priority for us. Evergreen International
restricts access to personal information about you to those employees who
need to know that information to provide products or services to you or your
family. We also maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to
protect your personal information. Here is our pledge to you:
- We will safeguard any information you share with us
according to strict standards of security and confidentiality.
- We will limit the collection and use of your
information to the absolute minimum we require to deliver appropriate
levels of service to you.
- We will permit only authorized individuals, who are
trained in the proper handling of customer information, to have access to
your information.
- Whenever we hire other organizations to provide support
services, we will require them to conform to our privacy standards and to
allow us to audit them for compliance.
- We will not reveal your information to any other
external organization unless we have previously informed you in
disclosures or agreements, and have either been authorized by you or are
required by law to make such disclosure.
We collect and use information necessary to administer our
business and provide you with exceptional customer service. We collect and
maintain the following types of nonpublic personal information needed for
these purposes:
- Information we receive from you on your orders.
- Information we receive from you in letters, telephone
calls, e-mails, visits to our office, etc.
- Information we may receive from you when you visit our
Internet Web site.
- Information we may receive from other third parties.
- Information we may receive from credit reporting
companies, bureaus, or agencies.
We may disclose certain information about you without your
prior permission with persons or companies that are not affiliates of
Evergreen International as permitted by law for purposes such as:
- To your attorney, trustee, or anyone else who
represents you or has a legal interest in your transactions with us.
- To our attorneys, accountants, and auditors.
- To law enforcement agencies or other governmental
authorities to report suspected illegal activities.
- To others as permitted or required by law.
Terms of Use
Your access to and use of this site is subject to the
following terms and conditions and all applicable laws. By accessing and using
this site, you accept the following terms and conditions, without limitation or
qualification.
Unless otherwise stated, the contents of this site including,
but not limited to, the text and images contained herein and their arrangement
are the property of Evergreen International, Inc. All trademarks used or
referred to in this website are the property of their respective owners.
Materials with copyright not held by Evergreen International, Inc. are so
labeled and use of such must be handled through respective owners.
Materials may be reproduced for incidental,
noncommercial church, home, or educational use with the exception of Web site
use, provided that you do not modify the material in any way and you keep intact
all copyright, trademark, and other proprietary notices. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the copyright owner reserves sole discretion and right to deny,
revoke, or limit use, including reproduction. Nothing contained in this site shall be construed as
conferring by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to any
copyright, patent, trademark or other proprietary interest of Evergreen International, Inc. or any third party.
This site and its contents are provided "as
is" and Evergreen International, Inc. makes no representation or warranty of any
kind with respect to this site or any site or service accessible through this
site. Evergreen International, Inc. expressly disclaims all express and implied
warranties including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement.
In no event will Evergreen International, Inc. be liable to any party for any
direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, consequential, or other
damages (including, but not limited to, lost profits, business interruption,
loss of programs or data) without regard to the form of action and whether in
contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise, arising out of or in
connection with this site, any content on or accessed through this site or any
site service linked to, or any copying, displaying, or use thereof.
You are responsible for complying with the
laws of the jurisdiction from which you are accessing this site and you agree
that you will not access or use the information on this site in violation of
such laws. Unless expressly stated otherwise herein, any information submitted
by you through this site shall be deemed non-confidential and non-proprietary.
You represent that you have the lawful right to submit such information and
agree that you will not submit any information unless you are legally entitled
to do so. Because of the open nature of the Internet, we recommend that you not
submit information you consider confidential.
Evergreen International, Inc. maintains this
site in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. and you agree that these terms of use and
any legal action or proceeding relating to this site shall be governed by the
laws of the State of Utah without reference to its choice of law rules. If you
attempt to bring any legal proceedings against Evergreen International, Inc.,
you specifically acknowledge that Evergreen International, Inc. is free to
choose the jurisdiction of our preference as to where such action against us may
be held. As you have agreed by using this site to choose the laws of the State
of Utah to govern any such proceedings, we will probably choose to defend any
such action in Utah and we can make this decision entirely as it suits us,
without regard to where in the world you are located, or from where in the world
you visited this site.
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