Giving Rye: Meet pRYEde
(PHOTO: Genevieve Weber, PhD., LMHC with fellow pRYEde founders Danielle Tagger Epstein and Amanda Timchak. Contributed.)
Giving Rye is a feature series highlighting non-profits and community groups in and around the City of Rye. Today meet Genevieve Weber of pRYEde.
Your Name: Genevieve Weber, PhD, LMHC
Organization: pRYEde Community Group
Your role: Community Educator, Vice-President
MyRye.com: Tell us your organization’s mission.
Weber: pRYEde Community Group (“pRYEde”) seeks to advocate locally for equity and inclusion; celebrate the diversity of Rye and the greater community; engage in educational programming; and strengthen the sense of belonging for all, especially for those who hold minoritized identities. pRYEde began with a focus on supporting Rye’s LGBTQIA+ community members, and has broadened its focus to include the multitude of minority identity groups as defined by race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, disability status, and beyond.
MyRye.com: How long have you operated in Rye?
Weber: Four years since 2020.
What programming or work in Rye is the organization best known for?
Weber:
1) Community education: pRYEde has taken the lead in educating and inspiring the Rye community through impactful initiatives. From hosting presentations on the vibrant city green to engaging with faith-based organizations through thought-provoking talks, our reach has been far and wide. We’ve also published insightful newsletters for the school district, amplifying our mission, and earned national recognition for our work during a presentation with the Department of Education.
2) Student-led mural: Now in its fourth year, our youth-led community mural project continues to unite students from Westchester, Rockland counties, and Connecticut. Together, students brainstorm and then create a large-scale outdoor mural, guided by a skilled art advisor. pRYEde is actively fundraising to make the 2025 mural a reality—join us in supporting this powerful artistic tradition!
3) Rye Town Park Pride Celebration: Every June, we co-host our Pride Month celebration at Rye Town Park. This event is a joyous fusion of arts, live music, engaging activities, a parade, and opportunities for social connection. Open to families and people of all ages, it’s a celebration of love, inclusivity, and community spirit that truly captures the heart of Pride.
Looking forward to 2025, what will be your top initiatives?
Weber:
- Student-led mural project: pRYEde is currently fundraising to support our 4th Youth Led Community Mural Project. We are participating in ArtsWestchester’s Arts$WChallenge, and donations raised through December 31st 2024 will be matched 1 for 1 up to $1,500. Please consider donating to support this incredible project to create a meaningful piece of art that will be shared in public parks and spaces beginning in June of 2025.
- Rye Town Park Pride celebration: This event is scheduled for May 31, 2025. Please look out for more information!
- We are excited to provide continued educational programming and advocacy that address topics relevant to the LGBTQ+ community.
Tell us about the population you serve and how they can get involved with your programming and services.
Weber: At the heart of our mission is a commitment to creating safe, welcoming spaces and fostering a sense of belonging for LGBTQ+ youth and adults in Rye and the surrounding areas. pRYEde is a community organization powered by passionate members and supporters from all walks of life. We are always on the lookout for volunteers—especially those with unique skills and talents to elevate and expand our work.
Are you a 501(c)(3) non-profit with tax exempt status?
Weber: Yes.
Looking back across 2024, what were your organization’s top achievements?
Weber:
- 2024 Rye Town Park Pride Celebration – On Saturday, June 1st 2024 we co-hosted a fun and celebratory pride celebration. We showcased art, enjoyed live music, engaged in various activities, cheered on a parade, and wrapped up the day with an after-party at Barley Beach House.
- 2023 Mural Project “LOVE” – The 2023 youth-led pRYEde mural was a collaboration between local middle school and high school students, pRYEde Community Group, and art educator Donna Wundeler. The mural features student-generated phrases including “Love Has No Labels,” “Love Has No Gender,” and “Love Has No Boundaries.” The statements are further illustrated by skeletons, symbolizing that at the core, humans share common traits regardless of labels and outward appearances.
How can local residents support your organization?
1) Join our Facebook page “pRYEde Community Group”
2) Purchase a pRYEde lawn flag to show your support for our LGBTQ+ community.
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in your current role?
Weber: I have been a member of pRYEde for four years, but a professor, licensed mental health counselor, and advocate for 18 years.
Is the role full time or part time? Paid or volunteer?
Weber: We are volunteers.
How would your friends and family describe you in one word? Weber: “(Good) trouble maker.”
Where did you grow up?
Weber: I grew up in Northern New Jersey and moved to Rye with my sister Lynn Biase in 2008.
What is your favorite unimportant thing about you?
Weber: I love to fish!
If the next five years is a chapter in your life, what is this chapter about?
Weber: I will continue to serve my community by educating the next generation of professional counselors through my role as a professor, and leading non-profit organizations such as pRYEde and Rye Girls Softball. I love my community and want to always help others feel a sense of belonging! People stay when they belong!
What would you do if you were not afraid?
Weber: I am not afraid. That is why I have helped move the needle in Rye, including raising the pride flag on Rye City property, publishing and disseminating a newsletter on gender and sexual identity through the school district, selling and delivering over 500 pRYEde flags throughout Rye, and renovating the softball field at Rye High School, which has been subpar to the baseball field since forever. And please follow the law and keep your dogs off the softball field at Disbrow Park!!
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City?
Weber: I live on Midland Avenue and have been in Rye for 16 years.
Thanks Genevieve!
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