Stonewall Community Foundation

(Reichen Lehmkuhl and Stonewall Community Foundation Board President Matthew Ryan)
 
A large and lively crowd of about 400 young professionals turned up at the Highline Ballroom for Stonewall Community Foundation's annual young donor fundraiser Revel.  

 
"That's hilarious! I wanna start getting everyone to call it that.">>>
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(Stonewall Community Foundation events manager Lyle Matthew Kan and board president Matthew Ryan at 517 Porgie Walk)
 
Swimmers, kayakers and their supporters gathered at 517 Porgie Walk in the Fire Island Pines on Saturday to celebrate the Stonewall Community Foundation’s third annual Stonewall Swim, the athletically inclined fundraiser that raised over $150,000 for the SCF and their work with local LGBT causes.
 
"SCF Executive Director Paula Ettelbrick also anointed him with his very own PTown-style drag name: Dusty Muffin">>> continue reading »

(Participants of the Stonewall Swim)
 
Spectators of the second annual Stonewall Swim nestled up to the waterfront Saturday morning to congratulate participatants as they doggie-paddled, butterflied, and backstroked across the finish line. It was an early morning for the swimmers— casting off at the docks in Sayville around 9am, it took first-place swimmer Rod McClave less than two hours to cross the bay. "The water isn't too bad," Rod told us. "It was kind of choppy out near the middle, but it's surprisingly warm. The biggest challenge is making sure you don't swallow the water." Oh honey, we never swallow!
 
FULL STORY AFTER THE JUMP! >> continue reading »

(Erik Sherr, Jerry Mitchell & Bill McDermott @ The Vista - Photo: Jeff Eason) 
 
The Stonewall Community Foundation held its annual Stonewall Vision Dinner
2010 last night at the stunning Vista atop Chase Manhattan Plaza. Friends and donors gathered to celebrate 20 years of giving back to the gay community. In attendance were honorees Jerry Mitchell –who is prepping Broadway Bares XX this Sunday—board presdent Ken Green, Gregory Lewis of the True Colors Fund, presenter Simon Doonan, performer Matt Alber and drag superstar and auctioneer extraordinaire Peppermint. “You don’t give to Stonewall, you give through Stonewall,” was the crux of interim Executive Director Bill McDermott’s speech to the capacity crowd who raised an additional $27,000 in the auction alone.

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(LOGO's Cole Escola, Jeffrey Self & Chris Willey @ Bar 13)

Last night, Stonewall Quarter Share, the young professional arm of The Stonewall Community Foundation, threw its first Pointe 25 fundraiser last night at Bar 13.

Having been recruited at the LGBT non-profit's February gathering, we were able to see the fruits of our philanthropic labors put to action. More than 160 members of the Quarter Share program voted to grant their pooled dues to the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, which “aims to help counteract the discrimination, prejudice and violence most in the trans community face on a regular basis,” as  executive director Bill McDermott clued us in.

Hunky do-gooders chatted over Svedka cocktails on the club's second floor where  DJ Van Scott was spinning, while others migrated to the top-floor deck. YouTube and Logo stars Cole Escola and Jeffrey Self were in the  crowd, as was Next editor-in-chief Benjamin Solomon, who was chatting up SCF communications director Thai Pham. With this many philanthropic studs crammed into one room, world-wise folks were calling the night Husband Hunt 2010! – Christopher Dilley

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(Thai Pham & Evan Thompson @ Elmo)
 
Last night’s Stonewall Quarter Share 2010 Kick-Off in the lower level of Elmo Restaurant not only brought out those willing to brave the snow but also a large group of philanthropic and socially responsibly young gay (editor’s note: handsome) professionals. We had a chance to chat with Charity Committee Chair Jimmy Johnson who explained, “Stonewall Quarter Share is a program of the Stonewall Community Foundation. We’re a way for younger donors to pool smaller donations and make a bigger impact even if we don’t have a lot of money as individuals to give. We’re more concentrated on younger donors because we are going to become the new leaders in our community.”
 
With an open Stolli bar, organizers like Johnson and Stonewall’s Thai Pham helped  “cupids” swirl around the crowd to pass fundraising cards—elementary school-style—to anyone yof interest within the room.
 
“Stonewall is New York’s largest LGBT organization serving the local community. It's very community focused and the organizations that we help are all about New York,” continued Johnson. “One of the things I personally love about Quarter Share is you only have to donate $25 a month to be a member and that’s the only thing that is required. Every year as a group, we pool that money and 75% of it goes directly into the Stonewall Community Foundation which they distribute but 25% gets to go as a grant to an organization that we choose. Every year we review proposals from community organizations and focus on emerging non-profits serving the LGBT community. Last year it went to an organization called Queers for Economic Justice which helps LGBT people below the poverty line in New York. Along with recruiting events we also have these very fun social events about once a month. Our first fundraising event of the year, which will be a cocktail and dance party called Pointe 25, will be in April at Bar 13.” See you there, cupid! –Christopher Dilley
 

Wednesday we ascended high above Madison Avenue to join the host committee of the Stonewall Community Foundation's young donors benefit Revel on a private outdoor patio for drinks, gossip and plent continue reading »