Even though Valentine’s Day has passed, Woody’s will be decked out in red next week — ushering in the creation of a new community-building and fundraising program for the statewide LGBT-rights organization.
Equality Pennsylvania is launching Rising Equality Donors with a kickoff party 8-11 p.m. Feb. 25 at the venue, 202 S. 13th St.
RED is designed as a social-networking outlet for young LGBT and ally professionals that is also meant to generate funds for Equality PA’s 501 (c)(4) political arm, which supports LGBT and supportive candidates.
Equality PA board member Rick Naughton, who is spearheading the program, said the agency was eager to energize a new generation of supporters with RED.
“Last summer we were going through the planning process for what we have coming up, and it was apparent to me that there were very few young professionals involved on a giving level with Equality Pennsylvania, so we wanted to create a program that would reach out to this population,” he said.
The program is modeled after Trevor Project’s Next Generation, which has chapters in New York City and Los Angeles that stage social activities to bring together young LGBTs around the mission of ending teen suicide.
RED functions can take a number of forms, Naughton said — parties, happy hours with elected officials or other politically themed outings — and organizers will depend on the suggestions of supporters for what the program will look like in the future.
“We want to be organized in a very grassroots way,” he said. “We’re not taking a top-down approach with this. If people know that there’s going to be an elected official or a leader in town and want to get together to have a RED happy hour or a meeting, then they can help get it together.”
Naughton said RED Philadelphia events will ideally be held every six weeks, and that RED functions in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Scranton are in the works.
Equality PA suggests that RED supporters make a commitment to donating at least $10 a month to the agency, an effort that Naughton said will be especially important in the coming months.
“We need to be working to elect pro-LGBT politicians in Pennsylvania. This is an election year so this is critical. The presidential election is coming up, but we also have U.S. Congressional elections, so Bob Casey will be up for re-election and there are many local elections that we can impact. We need Equality PA creating brochures and pamphlets for candidates and working to get people elected who have a real shot at winning and who will support the LGBT community when elected.”
As a social program, RED will help grow and unite the community of young progressives.
“There are very few outlets for young professional LGBTs and allies who can come together to meet and share ideas,” Naughton said. “We want to create a space like that, where people can network and get to know each other around their shared passion for equality.”
The $10 cover charge for the RED party at Woody’s, which includes dance-floor admission, goes directly to Equality PA.
For more information, visit www.equalitypa.org/red.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].