ST. CLOUD — After a week of uproar on social media, Rainbow Wellness Collective in downtown St. Cloud has abruptly closed, according to a message posted on the group’s website.
“The community is very important to RWC. We are a 100% volunteer-based non-profit organization. Unfortunately, recent threats have prevented us from fully staffing our centers. At this time, RWC has decided to take a step back and reevaluate our role in the community. We look forward to working with the community to resolve any issues so that we can once again serve the needs of the community in the future…”
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The group’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were also unavailable as of Friday morning, June 14. Attempts to reach the group’s board of directors this week were unsuccessful.
Recent social media posts have revealed turmoil within the Rainbow Wellness Collective community, which aims to provide programs and support to the LGBTQ+ community in the St. Cloud area.
St. Cloud Live has not been able to verify the details of the allegations. In a public post last week, commenters called the group “unethical” and urged people to “discontinue their involvement with this organization.”
In a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday, June 12, the volunteer committee for Rainbow Wellness Collective said, “The committee has decided to restructure and non-members of Seale Dwyer Counseling are now involved. The committee is currently made up primarily of new and recently joined members and we were unaware of this issue or the concert until it was brought up on social media on June 6th 24th.”
The committee said it would “facilitate consultation with unaffiliated third parties so that we can move forward united.” Comments on the post asked whether the committee plans to hold a public forum to discuss how the community has been harmed and what it would like to see changed.
Contributor / Seale Dwyer
Seale Dwyer was the community’s board president, and Dwyer’s counseling office was a tenant of the community in the community center.
Dwyer responded to St. Cloud Live in an email on Thursday, June 13, saying he couldn’t say much because “anything related to customer information is protected by HIPAA.”
In a Friday, June 14 post on the Seale Dwyer Counseling Facebook page, Dwyer wrote, “Over the past few days, a number of allegations have been made on social media which are false and malicious attempts to disparage me and the counselors I employ. I neither confirm nor deny the identities of any current or former clients.”
“There is a formal, legal process for dealing with allegations and complaints made by counsellors, therapists and social workers. Airing grievances on Facebook is not one of those processes and serves no purpose other than creating division within a community that already faces so much harm outside of it.”
The website, www.rainbowwellnesscollective.org, no longer displays any information about the group other than the closure message.
On Wednesday, June 12, the website listed the board of directors, including board chair Toni Raquet, secretary Angel Height, treasurer Christine Hollingsworth and community representative Stephanie Lolzes. Previously, the website listed other board members, including Dwyer.
According to the Rainbow Wellness Collective’s website, it was founded in 2021 after Seale Dwyer and her colleagues noticed a lack of community spaces. In June 2023, the group officially became a nonprofit. In December 2023, the group announced it would open a queer community center in downtown St. Cloud.
This month, the group held events to celebrate Pride Month, including a Seniors Brunch on Thursday, June 13th.
Dusty Bolstad with St. Cloud Pride confirmed that events scheduled for Pride Month will go on as scheduled, including those at the Rainbow Wellness Collective.
Group events include:
- Saturday, June 15: QueerConnect;
- Tuesday, June 18th, LGBTQ Board Game Social.
- Monday, June 24th, Youth QueerConnect Pride Family event.
For more information, visit facebook.com/stcloudpride/events.
