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FPride.org Director / Founder, Robert "Lance" Blevins |
"Well beyond his years," Robert "Lance"
Blevins spent most of his life having to forge ahead against all
odds to realize his goals. Thus, becoming a strategic "can-do"
out of the box thinker which has allowed him to accomplish much
in his young years.
During his high school and then later
college years at
Frostburg State University in
western Maryland, Lance interned for the Federal Government
indirectly through sponsored university programs and then later
transferred to a Civil Service Program which employed him during
the remainder of his college years. Working for various
different divisions over the course of his internship career, Lance began to augment his IT skills early
on.
It would be these very skills that would
enable him to help many people throughout the time he spent at
Frostburg State University as he created various websites and also worked for his
university bookstore in addition to launching a small IT
consulting firm. In addition to his college studies and
other associated work, "Titles of the
Wrong Kind" was also published prior to Lance's graduation
from
Frostburg State University.
Featured in the
Frostburg State University
student newspaper "The
Bottom Line" as well as the official
Frostburg State University
magazine the "Profile,"
this short story enjoyed media attention both on and off campus.
After graduating from
Frostburg State University,
Lance pursued an IT career with a private defense contractor
before accepting a position back in academia.
During the summer of 2007, while Lance was
vacationing on a cruise to Bermuda with a very close friend, he experienced discrimination based on the way
both he and his travel companion identified from
countless individuals. As such, upon his return, Lance
began collaborating with many different people regarding his experiences.
The final outcome Lance hoped to produce
from his meetings / discussion was a solution that would help
keep others from experiencing the
same sort of discrimination while also incorporating Lance's
desire to help those affected internationally with HIV/AIDS. The end result of Lance's
discussions and planning was the formation of the Federation of
International Pride and
FPride.org. Providing many online resources,
FPride.org allows everyday people to disseminate their stories
online (many don't realize just how common discrimination
towards LGBT individuals happens to be) while also taking a more "hands on"
approach to help those affected by HIV/AIDS internationally
(2008).
If you wish to donate to
FPride.org to
help us in our efforts to expand and continue providing the
services that so many have become accustomed to,
click here. If you would like to
help us by volunteering,
click here. |