OUR MISSION
Heart of Winona is a safe and sober space for LGBTQIA+ individuals to find support and build community. Our mission is to empower, uplift, and advocate for LGBTQIA+ individuals, in Winona and its surrounding areas, by fostering a vibrant community grounded in inclusivity, equity, and justice.
OUR STORY
Heart of Winona was born at the crossroads of unmet needs and fierce advocacy, a response to the deep desire for connection, visibility, and belonging within the LGBTQIA+ community of our small river town. Each of our founders knows firsthand what it’s like to be queer in a rural area: the strength it takes, the isolation that can come with it, and the longing for spaces where everyone can truly be themselves.
Seeing a lack of sober, all-ages spaces for LGBTQIA+ folks to gather and thrive, we decided to build what we had been missing, a place that beats with inclusion, celebration, and community care.
Since our founding on April 29, 2024, Heart of Winona has grown quickly through the power of collaboration and joy. From game nights and book clubs to Pride events and partnerships with local businesses, we’re creating safe, welcoming, and affirming spaces that bring people together, not just for an evening, but for a movement.
At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: everyone deserves a place to belong.
LOOKING FORWARD
Heart of Winona began with a simple dream: to create safe, affirming spaces where LGBTQIA+ people can connect, celebrate, and belong. As we continue to grow, we’re dreaming even bigger.
Our vision is to one day open a physical space, a welcoming third space for the LGBTQIA+ community in Winona and beyond. A space filled with color, care, and connection, where everyone can show up exactly as they are.
In time, we also hope to expand our reach by offering mental health and gender-affirming care resources, bridging the gap in access that so many in rural areas face.
Every event we host and every partnership we build brings us one step closer to that future, a future rooted in love, inclusion, and collective care.