[Note: There is some serious backlog with these posts. The next few events happened as long as 7 months ago, but I thought I’d share them anyway since their message and the work they do is so important.]
The Stonewall Community Foundation (SCR) had their annual Vision Awards dinner atop the CitiBank Building in FiDi back in June 2010.
Back then I was still on their Board of Directors. I had my usual group of young movers and shakers with me at my table. Anthony Allred (The Allred Group), Jose Muniz (John Barrett Salon), Julian Dorcelien (The Belvedere Guest House), Johnny Cooper (Trevor Project), Darren O’Hare (Chelsea Handler’s new show After Lately), Ian Basillion (Fusion Models), and P.A. Chodak (Heir with really good hair).
The space was smaller than last year but that made for a more intimate evening. The previous year the space was so big I wasn’t able to catch up with all the people I knew would be attending. So you could imagine my relief to see that everyone who I wanted to laugh with were right there in plain view.
SCF’s program was a big push for their new Mission Statement which is as follows
Stonewall Community Foundation is the public charity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) New York. Our mission is to promote the well-being of LGBT individuals and strengthen the LGBT community. We do this by increasing resources; targeting those resources strategically to areas of greatest need; and by serving as a catalyst and clearinghouse for ideas and solutions. Through grant-making, donor-advised funds, endowment funds and charitable education, Stonewall supports LGBT organizations and helps donors realize their philanthropic goals. Stonewall believes that a vibrant, fully integrated LGBT community will catalyze the creation of an all-inclusive society.
They introduced their new institutional video which can be viewed here (note to viewer, bring your kleenex):
http://www.stonewallfoundation.org/StonewallVideo2010.mov
Fellow board member Dante Mastri and Joe Eviatar dropped by our table to check in and share dessert. The program was tight and to the point. At the end of the evening I was thoroughly exhausted. Attending an event merely as a spectator is fun and exciting. Shaking hands and being a face on the Board is quite another entirely. When the evening ended I was out the door, threw on my PJ’s, clicked on some bad reality TV, and pigged out with some ice cream. (As if that’s not a nightly ritual…)
The evening of November 6th the National Arts Club played host to the American Indian Community House’ “Honoring the Spirit” which awards achievement in the Native American community.
My tribe gave a large grant to the American Indian Community House last year as seed money so I decided to go. I was surprised to have been seated at the best table, with, what I assume was the best view. My usual partner in crime, Ian Basilion was my guest. I was pleased to see the benefit by and large had Native American inspiration. The food was a delightful menu of traditional indigenous foods of the Americas. Dried cranberries, sweet potato, and corn used generously throughout the appetizer and entree.
The best kind of benefit is a prompt and short one. Because really, we all love a good cause but very few people will remember a program longer than an hour, unless it’s filled with stellar talent. Three courses, performances, and awards were fit into a spritely two hour evening. Kudos go to the emcee for moving things along.
Hattie Kauffman, National News Correspondent for the Early Show on CBS, was the star celebrity get of the evening. She was awarded and gave a moving speech about how she was the first Native American on a national news broadcast… and still is. She urged the crowd to find young Natives who are interested in broadcast journalism to step up and take their role as leaders in news. I couldn’t help asking myself how much longer national news broadcasts would even exist. However, her speech brought out the tears in the audience, not to mention my own eyes were a little wet with sentimentality.
American Indian Community House
National Arts Club
Halloween.
Private party at Michael Baghawandin’s home. Another party in Chelsea followed by dancing until 4:30am at Club 57.
After dieting all week. Then fat burners all day. It was a treat to have a massive pig out of McDonalds before bed.
New York is a metropolis with small cozy villages. Last night was no exception as I was invited to Marty Gruber’s UWS home for a dinner party. Dana DeVille also played host to a an eclectic mix of power queers. The mission was simple. Get a group of philanthropic minded people together and see what kind of alchemy could come about. There were some solid gold moments.
I arrived surprisingly on-time. Obeying the rule, never arrive at a dinner party empty handed I brought along an assortment of exotic sodas I found at Fairway down the block. Exotic simply meant three bottles set me back 15 dollars. I think they were bottled in Canarsie, NY.
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