LGBTs and allies will gather next week to pay tribute to local and national individuals and organizations that have demonstrated a heroic commitment to the LGBT community.
Big changes accompany LGBT grantmaking agency Delaware Valley Legacy Fund’s 2011 HEROES event — including a new venue, new awards and a new date.
DVLF’s fundraising event will be held from 7-9 p.m. May 6 at 1600 Market St., third floor.
The event has traditionally been held in the fall, but executive director John Moeller said organizers decided to move it forward a few months to create a more balanced fundraising calendar.
“Our events had been very heavy in the fall but then there was this gap in the spring,” he said. “We had TOY coming right after HEROES at the end of the year, so we figured it made sense to spread things out a little bit.”
In addition to the new location, HEROES will this year offer five awards instead of three, with nods to an outstanding youth as well as a national organization.
“We really wanted to make sure we were recognizing youth because they are making an impact. And we want to make sure that they feel represented within our community because they’re a very big part of the community,” Moeller said. “And then, at a national level, we thought it was important to recognize organizations that are doing things for the greater good of the LGBT community and are also having a local effect here in our area.”
Once the nominations for the five awards began coming in, DVLF’s outreach and grantmaking committee reviewed each and made recommendations to the board, who voted on the final honorees.
This year’s individual award will be given to Terri Clark, the prevention services coordinator at Action AIDS.
Moeller noted that beyond her work with Action AIDS, Clark has been instrumental in the LGBT Elder Initiative and helped organize the National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day events.
“She really works within the community to make a difference around HIV prevention,” Moeller said. “It’s not just what she does in her professional life but also what she does with her personal life to make the community better and safer.”
The other individual DVLF will honor is youth winner Michael Pastore, whom Moeller noted has gone above and beyond in his service to The Attic Youth Center.
“There are youth who go to The Attic and then there are youth who are really involved with the leadership at The Attic and that’s what Michael does,” he said. “He’s worked as an Attic intern, been on different committees and is a mentor for other youth as well. He’s not just someone who attends The Attic but is really an active participant and works to make the youth who come there feel supported.”
For the nonprofit award, DVLF selected the National Adoption Center, which Moeller said makes a special effort to reach out to prospective LGBT parents, such as with its recent Adoption Café for the community, which brought out about 100 LGBTs.
The business award will also go to a company that is committed to working with the community, Media Copy — which Moeller said handles the printing and other needs of many LGBT nonprofits, and “really gets the idea of philanthropy and the extreme importance the nonprofits in our community serve.”
The selection process for the new national award was a bit different, as board members selected four groups, researched their histories and reached out directly to the agencies for interviews.
The board eventually decided to award the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, an agency whose work Moeller said has become increasingly relevant in the past year.
“GLSEN’s really taken on the role of working with schools to make sure all students have a safe place to learn,” he said. “Especially with the number of teen suicides that have happened, making sure youth feel safe and are safe is extremely important work.”
In addition to honoring the HEROES for their efforts, the event will also allow guests to learn more about DVLF and its recent grantees through a streaming presentation guests can peruse as they arrive.
HEROES will also include a silent auction, and Moeller said event organizers are anticipating a gross $13,000 in fundraising.
General admission is $50 and VIP opportunities are available. A VIP reception will precede the event from 6-7 p.m.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.dvlf.org.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].