A giving group is gearing up to wine and dine for the benefit of local seniors.
Philly Women Give to Others (GO!) is hosting “Wine, Women and Song: Help Our Senior Sisters” May 16 at John C. Anderson Apartments, 251 S. 13th St., to benefit the LBT residents at the senior affordable-living complex.
GO!, founded in 2012, follows a “giving-circle” model, in which they host events strategically centered on different needs and nonprofits, with a special focus on the LBT female community. The group has hosted six fundraising events so far, as well as service-focused initiatives, like sprucing up a meeting room at Mazzoni Center and rehabbing the kitchen at the Foyer of Philadelphia shelter.
“Most of the work we’ve done so far has been on behalf of younger or middle-aged people and we felt it was time to do something for our seniors,” said GO! member Bonnie Strahs, one of several co-founders, along with wife Rita Myers. “We ourselves are seniors and a lot of people in the group are middle-aged and older, so we’re very aware of the needs and difficulties our community faces as we age.”
The group connected with Ed Miller, who runs the senior programming at William Way LGBT Community Center, and who suggested they focus their event on the JCAA residents, many of whom, the women noted, are low-income.
Fifteen LBT women were identified, and they will all benefit from next weekend’s event. GO! conducted a survey of the women to determine what type of fundraising would be most beneficial, and compiled a list of the food stores they most often shop at; guests at next week’s event are asked to make at least a $25 donation or bring a gift card to one of the stores, which include Wawa, SuperFresh, Reading Terminal Market, Walgreens, CVS and Walmart.
Myers noted that donors have often given more than the requested donation at their previous events.
“We’ve been astonished by the generosity of the community,” she said.
In addition to providing support for the beneficiaries, GO! events, the women noted, are designed to be fun outings for community networking.
“We really want to encourage people to be joyful and celebratory about giving,” Myers said. “Giving should be a fun thing, so we incorporate something that means you’ll have a good time when you come out.”
For this event, South African musician Sharon Katz of Sharon Katz and the Peace Train will perform, along with duo Joanne and Kevin Joella. Food, beer, wine and soft drinks will be served.
“You’ll have a great time, and it’s an important population to support; we want to support our seniors who paved the way for us,” Strahs said.
Guests are asked to RSVP to Myers at [email protected].
For more information about GO!, email Strahs at [email protected] or visit facebook.com/pwgto.