WeARE (Advocates for Reproductive Education) began in 2015 as a grassroots effort led by four local women responding to high rates of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among area teens. After establishing its mission, governance, and nonprofit status in 2016, WeARE spent 2017 fundraising, building community partnerships, and developing clinical protocols. With extensive volunteer and community support, WeARE opened WeARE-The Clinic in October 2017, following its first free STI Testing Day at Central Lakes College (CLC). From its earliest years, WeARE served LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized groups through inclusive sexual health education and care. As community trust grew, WeARE increasingly became a primary access point for LGBTQ+ patients, particularly transgender and gender-diverse individuals who faced discrimination or lack of care elsewhere. In recent years, WeARE has intentionally expanded its focus to better meet the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals, responding to identified gaps in access to affirming, culturally competent care in the region. Since opening, WeARE has grown into a trusted regional resource, offering nonjudgmental, accessible care through its main clinic and outreach sites at CLC, the local domestic violence shelter, and other community partner organizations. Services now include free or low-cost birth control, STI testing and treatment, and gender-affirming medical therapy. Since 2017, WeARE-The Clinic has provided more than 5,000 patient visits and continues to advance reproductive and sexual health equity across the region. Equally central to WeARE’s mission is comprehensive sexual health and healthy relationship education that is inclusive of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Educational programming includes instruction on contraception, STI prevention, consent, healthy relationships, sexual violence prevention, and gender identity and sexuality. WeARE’s education work began with founders Sue and Julie, who led initial education sessions. That responsibility was later transitioned to our RN Clinic Manager and Staff RNs, who provided education on a smaller scale while balancing their clinical work. In the fall of 2021, WeARE hired our first dedicated Education Coordinator, Chloe. Since then, she has earned multiple certifications and significantly expanded the scope and reach of our programs. Today, WeARE delivers education through classrooms, community workshops, peer-led trainings, and public forums in collaboration with local partners, reaching hundreds of young people and community leaders each year.