Sisters Family Shows Its Love For Shriners Hospital

By: Christine Nicco/TRT Reporter–

BOSTON, Mass. — Recently, a trans-social organization in the New England area, donated $500 to Shriners Hospital in Boston, Mass, according to the organization’s founder.

“Sisters Family raises funds for all types of charities. We have raised money for Toys for Tots, Saint Jude Hospital, The Transgendered Emergency Fund, as well as Shriners Hospital,” said Ashley Amber Bottoms, Founder and Head Moderator for Sisters Family and Moderator for the Boston Chapter of Sisters Family. “Shriners helps a lot of families and children and a lot of their work is done at no cost.”

The Sisters Family’s founder believes in giving as a way to connect society as a whole. Unifying is at the core of her vision.

“We tend to be more involved with raising funds for more mainstream causes as we prefer to focus on those that serve all people, not just one community or class. Shriners helps a lot of families and children and a lot of their work is done at no cost,” she said. “My firm belief is that when you give to a cause that helps all people, it brings all people together and the lines of what are GLBT and Mainstream start to fade and communities are bridged.”

Sisters Family, whose family membership is approximately 2,100, is also focused on assisting organizations that fight against child abuse and molestation, amongst others.

“I have personally looked into organizations that help victims of child molestation and another that raises funds for suicide prevention,” Bottoms explained. “In our opinion, we are all in this together, so to concentrate on GLBT causes only, especially when we have so many now that do, makes us feel as if we shutting ourselves off from society and our mutual problems in the world, when we should all be working together.”

Bottoms’s passion for the causes her organization assists is evident even by the way she celebrates her birthday.

“A lot of our funds are raised annually in December when we get together to celebrate my birthday. Everyone is invited and I ask that instead of presents, that people make a donation,” she said. “This past year I decided to match the donations, even though I am unemployed now 4 years … We are not your everyday trans-organization, but [we are] committed to all communities, and are here to stay.”

When she is not busy working to raise funds for organizations, Bottoms (who is also a part-time actress and model starring in several independent films and television pilots) serves as the co-host of the local weekly Boston talk radio “The Anthony Duva Show starring Anthony and Ashley.” The show can heard every Sunday afternoon live on Unregular Radio (http://bit.ly/GKfJHl).

Sisters Family currently has four chapters in the New England areas of Peabody, Worcester, Gardner, and Manchester NH. According to Bottoms, all are welcome to join the organization, “we welcome our GLBT brothers and sisters, but we also welcome spouses and friends, and just about anyone who can put their judgments aside and just be themselves.”

“Sisters Family was founded in January of 2007 with our Boston Chapter, which is located in Peabody, MA,” said Bottoms. “The other three chapters were started in 2008 when the demand grew for chapters by online members who wanted a gathering location closer to their homes.”

To contact or become a Sisters Family member, visit their FB page at: http://on.fb.me/GTdSmM or via Twitter at: http://bit.ly/GJENjU. To contact the organization’s founder, send your emails to: ashley_bottoms@yahoo.com.