Dear Center Community,
I am delighted to announce that The Center’s annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast is back this May as a free virtual celebration open to all! As you may recall, last year’s event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While we continue to reimagine and reinvent our community events to keep everyone safe, it is so important that we uphold our community traditions, celebrations, and fundraising events that strengthen our vital work.
The Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast began as a vision. City Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez, who founded the Breakfast with inaugural co-chairs Dr. Delores A. Jacobs and City Commissioner Robert Gleason, wanted to create an inspiring event to honor the memory of Harvey Milk, an influential civil rights activist and a pioneering openly gay elected official and to celebrate our San Diego LGBTQ community. In addition to celebrating the legacy of Harvey Milk, this yearly fundraising event also provides an opportunity to recognize the amazing contributions of our LGBTQ elected and appointed officials, leaders, and allies. Each year, this special community event provides us with a moment to reflect on our progress and recommit to the work that remains to be done. That inspiration is so important in this moment, as we continue the work to move forward together.
This year’s event will take place virtually on Friday, May 21 at noon and will be free to view on The Center’s YouTube channel! We will be providing fun and exciting Watch Kits to those who sign up with creative ways to watch; please RSVP here to get the latest event information. The funds we raise at the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast will support The Center’s Emergency Fund, that allows us to continue to provide an extraordinary level of emergency services to our community during this pandemic.
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In the absence of ticket or table sales, there will be unique sponsorship and recognition opportunities for this year’s event that range from $1,500 to $20,000. For more information on sponsorship and recognition opportunities, please contact Ian Johnson at ijohnson@thecentersd.org or (619) 692-2077, ext. 247.
Over the past years, The Center and our community have created cherished memories from this powerful and moving breakfast. Although we will miss seeing you in person this year, we hope to create virtual memories this year and see all of you next year in person!
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- Cara Dessert (Pronouns: She/Her/Hers)
Chief Executive Officer
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THE CENTER'S ADVOCACY UPDATE
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On Thursday, April 15th, Mayor Todd Gloria released his proposed Fiscal Year 22 (FY22) San Diego City Budget and then presented the key contents to the City Council on Tuesday, April 20th. Over the next few weeks, the Mayor and City Council will work to finalize San Diego City’s Budget.
The Center believes that the City Budget is a moral document that should equitably prioritize the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. Because it is not possible to fund all projects with limited City revenue, it’s important that our elected officials hear from us. We must advocate for the services that will allow San Diego to be welcoming and supportive to all of our community members.
Please join us virtually next Wednesday, May 12th from 5:30-7:00pm via Zoom for our “Center Advocates Organizing Workshop: City Budget”. Meet The Center's Advocacy team and learn about how you can get involved with advocating for an equitable budget. Plus, our Center team will share about our broader Advocacy work! This workshop will be informative, community based, and action-driven...all attendees will leave with concrete advocacy tools and connections. RSVP here: lgbtcenter.info/organizing
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- Rebekah Hook-Held (Pronouns: She/Her/Hers)
Chief Public Affairs & Civic Engagement Officer
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A big thank you to the Dining Out For Life® San Diego restaurants for their support of this year’s event. Although this year looked different, more than 40 restaurants, volunteers, and thousands of generous San Diegans contributed to help raise funds for HIV/AIDS Services and Prevention Programs and, importantly, fight HIV! It was an uplifting four days as we saw just how special the community is, rallying behind each other to support restaurants, bars and The Center. We couldn't do what we do without your support - Thank you!
- Ian Johnson (Pronouns: He/Him/His)
Director of Development
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THE CENTER'S STONEWALL SOCIETY
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The Center would like to invite you to our first ever Stonewall Society virtual event on May 11th from 12pm to 1pm. We’ve heard from friends like you that in this time of uncertainty many are considering their plans for the future. Estate planning provides protection for you, your loved ones, your assets, and your future legacy. Please join us to hear from current Stonewall Society members and estate planning professionals on the importance of setting up an estate plan and the most common types of gifts. Tuesday, May 11 from 12pm - 1pm. Click here, to register or to register by phone, please call (619) 841-2258.
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THE CENTER'S BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT
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Last week, The Center celebrated both Center Beautification Day and Volunteer Appreciation Week! The Center’s outdoor areas needed a little TLC and 40 volunteers stepped in to help clear the weeds along Centre Street, University Avenue, and inside the parking lot. All volunteers wore masks, and practiced social distancing and were rewarded for their efforts with gift cards to Stella Jean's Ice Cream, one of our participating #DOFLSD restaurants. Thank you to our fabulous Center volunteers! If you want to become a Center volunteer, reach out to Charles at cenciso@thecentersd.org.
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OFFERINGS FROM THE CENTER
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Join us for events, trainings, discussion and support groups, and more via Zoom. Please visit our website, visit The Center's Facebook page, or call us at 619.800.4252 from 9am - 4pm or 619.800.4216 from 4pm - 9pm to find the right one for you. Below find just some of The Center's offerings:
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RESOURCES FOR THE BLACK LGBTQ COMMUNITY
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PARTNER EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
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Mark your calendars for San Diego Women’s Chorus’ Stronger On The Other Side, a virtual concert with songs of hope, joy and resilience, on Saturday May 15th at 7pm PST and Sunday, May 16th at 4pm PST.
Reflecting on the challenges of the past year, the chorus will sing of resilience through the tough times, love that carries us through, hope and dreams for the future, reimagining our world, and the joy of reconnecting with loved ones. Stronger on the Other Side contains EIGHT new virtual productions, including "Feelin' Good," "The Times They Are a Changin,'" and a gorgeous arrangement of "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Climb Every Mountain." The virtual concert also features favorite performances from past seasons. Learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoWomensChorus
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Covered California has officially launched a new special-enrollment period to allow Californians to benefit from lower health insurance premiums-- no matter what their income levels are. This new special enrollment period runs through December 31, 2021 and if you enroll by April 30th, you can have coverage on May 1! Many Californians will be able to get a quality, name-brand health plan for as little as $1 per month or richer benefits for less than $100 per month, but only if they sign up for health coverage through Covered California. Those interested in learning more, call (800) 300-1506 or visit www.CoveredCA.com. Resources iclude:
- “Shop and Compare” tool that allows consumers to easily see exactly how they can benefit from the new American Rescue Plan
- Get local help and free and confidential assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller
- Have a certified enroller call and help for free
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THE CENTER'S EMERGENCY SERVICES
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LOOKING FOR MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT?
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The Center offers employees an amazing environment where community building, compassion, and care are uniquely combined with an insistent striving toward excellence and best practices. The Center is one of San Diego’s most exciting places to work, with staff renowned for dynamic and creative teamwork, professionalism, and unparalleled heart and dedication. Check out our job listings.
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SHARE THE CENTER'S E-NEWS
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