Wed. May 2, 2012
By Terrence Chappell
No need for the long, overly descriptive introductions; simply put I've been having an epic time with some great people and even greater causes. From losing gravity at Mad Hatter's Tea Party to guest bartending for the Chicago Coalition for Homeless, Chicago has been giving me its best, one weekend at a time.
"It is our hope to raise 100K this year to underwrite these scholarships and increase the amount of scholarships awarded. Through our events we raise awareness and funding. For our event on May 16, guests can expect to bowl alongside Professional Chicago Athletes, enjoy the best spirits, eat well and go home full after contributing to great cause for our event this year," said Johnson.
My good friend Damian Christopher hosted his art installation at Mini Bar: Hope, a photos series/documentary that chronicles the plight of thousands of children that have become orphans as a result of the recent civil war. Christopher captured the photos while in Nepal working with a priest. Christopher's photos tell a visceral tale of struggle and loss of innocence while reminding viewers that there's a world past ours. There was a suggested donation and all proceeds at the door and a percentage of the art sales went to benefit the Himalayan Children's Charities. Kudos to Christopher for shedding light to a cause and community that might otherwise went ignored by some.
Girls, girls, girls was my initial thought and impression when I attended Equality Illinois' Spring Women's Social at bridal boutique Mignonette, 1747 W. Belmont, in West Lakeview. Since gay men, not complaining either, dominate Chicago it's rare to see so many lesbians and queer women all in one room. I had a great time! I also met the Patti Stanger of our community, Emily Fry. Fry owns In Good Company, a dating service for straight, gay, and lesbian professionals, and was kind enough to offer me advice on meeting and attracting Mr. Right. EQIL's CEO Bernard Cherkasov was also in attendance. It's always great to connect with Cherkasov since he's such sweet guy and is doing great things at EQIL. Congrats to Kevin Mork for organizing such a great and fun event and for his new role as community relations director for the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago; they have a terrific addition! Mork was happy to give back and appeal to sometimes an overlooked demo in the LGBT community.
"EQIL's Spring Women's Social at Mignonette was a fantastic success! A diverse crowd from around Chicagoland came together for the afternoon to socialize, enjoy great food, sip cocktails, and most importantly to support our statewide LGBT-rights work. This social benefited our 501(c)(3) educational arm, Equality Illinois Education Project. With the help of a dedicated group of host committee members and volunteers, we organize two women's socials each year. The next one will take place in the late fall. We are already looking forward to it," said Mork.
Until next update, get those tank tops and beach bods ready because summer is around the corner!
For the complete article (non-reader view with multimedia and original links),
Tap here.
Head to the local LGBTQ news, events, directory and people network at ChicagoPride.com