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MEDIA ADVISORY

April 3, 2012

Contact:

Cindi Creager, Director of Communications & Marketing

(646) 358-1703, ccreager@gaycenter.org 

Center Gears up for 18th Iconic AIDS Ride

Boston to NYC Center Ride Set for September 21-23, 2012

Kick-Off Rally April 16; New Ride Producer and Manager Named

New York, NY April 3 , 2012 — The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, the world’s second largest LGBT Center, today further revealed plans for our 2012 AIDS ride, the annual event that has been raising critical funds for the Center’s HIV/AIDS related programs and services for 18 years, beginning in 1995. As shared in March with riders and crew, this year’s Boston to New York cycling journey is set for September 21-23. (Registration info here)

The Center is hosting a kick-off rally on Monday, April 16th from 6:30-8:30 PM, providing an opportunity for the community to meet our new producer, new and past riders and crew, and the HIV/AIDS clients we serve. The nationally syndicated Derek and Romaine Show will also broadcast live during the event on Sirius XM Radio. Last year the show raised over 40-thousand dollars for the ride.

“After a great deal of research, due diligence and thoughtful consideration, we are thrilled to announce the selection of LeadDog Marketing Group, Inc. as our 2012 Ride producer,” said Executive Director Glennda Testone. “An event production and marketing agency headquartered in New York, LeadDog has a passion for, and extensive experience in, logistical support and production for run, walk, and bike events across the country.”

In addition the Center is thrilled to welcome Michael Beck as its 2012 Center Ride Manager. Michael joins the Center following a successful affiliation with the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center as a cyclist, fundraiser and most recently, the recruitment coordinator for AIDS Life Cycle.

“Our clients are our number one priority,” Testone said. “Government funding for HIV/AIDS has fallen drastically, while the vast need for our programming continues to climb. Growing and improving our AIDS ride is a vital step to ensuring we have enough resources to sustain and enhance the programs and services we provide to the people who need us most. We’re extremely excited about Center Ride and eager to work with our new production partner, LeadDog Marketing Group, Inc.”

WHAT/WHO: Center Ride Kick-Off Rally! Meet our ride producers, LeadDog Marketing Group, Inc., our new ride manager Michael Beck, Center Staff, HIV/AIDS Clients, Past and Current Riders and Crew, and more! The Derek and Romaine Show will broadcast live throughout the event! 

WHEN: Monday, April 16, 2012, 6:30-8:30 PM

WHERE: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

208 West 13th Street, New York City

CONTACT:  Press should RSVP to: Cindi Creager, Director of Communications & Marketing
(646) 358-1703, ccreager@gaycenter.org 

About the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
A beacon of hope for 29 years, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center builds and supports our community through arts and culture, wellness and recovery, HIV/AIDS services, family services and life-saving youth programs designed to foster healthy development in a safe, affirming environment. The Center envisions a world where LGBT people will no longer face discrimination or isolation because of who we are or who we love. We offer a welcoming home to 300,000 visitors each year and we are committed to serving all LGBT people through a variety of programs, services and activities that are designed to meet existing and emerging needs. The Center is many things to many people. We invite you to experience our home at 208 West 13th Street in person and online at gaycenter.org.

I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Brian C. Offutt as the Center’s new Board President. He replaces Mario J. Palumbo, Jr., who served in the role for the past two years.

Brian Offutt is the Senior Vice President of Creative Operations for Nickelodeon.  Except for two year stints in Boston and Los Angeles, he has been a resident of New York City since 1987. He previously served on New York City-based not-for-profit boards including The Visiting Nurse Service of NYC, The Kitchen and Urban Bush Women.  He received a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard University.

Brian joined the Center Board initially in 2003 serving until 2005, when his job required him to move to Los Angeles. He rejoined the Center Board in 2008, after his return to NYC.   In 2009, he served as the Co-Chair of the Executive Director Search Committee that identified and recruited me to serve as the Center’s Executive Director.  During 2010 and 2011, he served as the Center’s Treasurer and Finance & Audit Committee Chair.

Brian brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our board, as well as a sincere dedication to preserving and growing our life-changing programs and services.  I am extremely excited to work side by side with him to guide the Center’s vital work.

Brian joins fellow members of the Executive Committee including: Board Co-Chair’s, H. Gwen Marcus and Paul Gruber along with Board Treasurer, Tim Chow and At-Large Members, Tom Kirdahy and Jim Anderson.

As New Yorkers mark the 10-year remembrance of 9/11, read the Advocate’s reflection on how the tragedy impacted the LGBT community; the article includes poignant insignts from Executive Director Glennda Testone, about the Center’s role in helping New Yorkers that day and beyond.

Back in May I booked our Executive Director Glennda Testone on the Derek & Romaine Show, a popular national LGBT focused radio program on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. The topic:  Braking the Cycle, the 285-mile cycling event from Boston to New York, which benefits the Center’s HIV/AIDS Services. Glennda was joined by Clay Williams, who is participating in this years ride with Glennda and around 150 other riders.

We appreciated the show giving us a platform to talk about the importance of HIV/AIDS awareness and the need to continue bolstering our efforts to end the epidemic through Braking the Cycle, but never did we imagine what hosts Derek Hartley,  Romaine Patterson, and executive producer, Amber Hall had in store for us.

In a nutshell, Amber Hall signed up for Braking the Cycle soon after Glennda and Clay appeared on the program, and she and hosts Derek & Romaine have been tirelessly raising money for the ride since then.  They invited Glennda and Clay back on the air in early August and to date, the show has raised nearly $27,000 for the Center’s HIV/AIDS Services, making it one of the top three fundraisers for the ride. Eric Epstein, President of Global Impact Productions, the company that produces the ride for the Center, continually updates us on Amber’s progress and the number just keeps going up day by day.

We cannot begin to thank Derek & Romaine and Amber enough for their phenomenal commitment to Braking the Cycle! And we are even more touched that not only is Amber riding, not only does the show continue to raise money for us every night on the program, but Romaine Patterson has also signed on to be a member of the Braking the Cycle crew, a dedicated group of individuals who look out for the riders every mile of the journey.

Bravo and Kudos to this amazing trio!  Amber Hall, Derek Hartley and Romaine Patterson,  hats off to you for the energy you have invested in our small but powerful ride that literally saves lives. We’re excited to see how the rest of your fundraising goes leading up to the September 16-18 event.

Read more about Braking the Cycle here. Donate to Amber’s efforts here. Read about our recent trip to the NASDAQ here and listen to the Derek & Romaine Show here.

Thank you to all those who attended Garden Party 28, the only LGBT food tasting event in the country. This year’s event featured more than 30 restaurants, acclaimed syndicated national talk show host Wendy Williams and honorary chair Florent Morellet.

Thanks to our supporters, we raised nearly $200,000 for the Center’s life-changing and life-saving programs and services that benefit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers 365 days a year; we sold more tickets this year than any other year in the event’s history!

Garden Party started in 1984 as a backyard barbeque. This year, more than 2,000 friends and supporters flocked to Hudson River Park’s Pier 54 to celebrate our kick-off to Pride Week. Guests savored dining “al fresco” on the pier and watching the sun set over the Hudson River, while enjoying an open vodka bar and bidding on delicious dining packages at the fabulous “Foodies” Silent Auction, a popular activity at this culinary event.

The Center was also proud to welcome back longtime supporter Prudential as our Presenting Sponsor, and thanks Capital One and Diageo for their generous corporate sponsorship. The Center was also grateful for the support of our corporate partners Edible Manhattan, Seamless Web and Zagat.

As the only LGBT food tasting festival in the country, Garden Party 28 was a delicious beginning to Manhattan Pride Week in NYC!

In In the last four months two people were hurt and two were killed in a rash of vicious anti-gay attacks in New York City.  The most recent attack happened this past Sunday morning, March 27, here in the West Village. Damian Furtch was brutally attacked by two men outside of a McDonalds who yelled anti-gay slurs.  Furtch sustained facial injuries and required stitches.  Just a few weeks ago the Center spoke out about another horrific hate crime incident in Queens, which claimed the life of Anthony Collao. The Center joined Anti-Violence Project (AVP) and a host of other local organizations in co-sponsoring a vigil for Collao on March 24.   As reported by the AVP:

On March 12, five men entered a party in Woodhaven, Queens, shouting anti-gay slurs and brutally attacked 18-year old Anthony Collao when he tried to flee. Collao died from the injuries he sustained. Collao did not identify as gay; however, this did not stop his alleged assailants from making an assumption about his identity and targeting him for violence.

Two others were attacked in February incidents in Brooklyn and Staten Island.  According to AVP on February 22, Barie Shortell, a 29-year old gay man, was viciously beaten in Williamsburg, Brooklyn by a group shouting anti-gay slurs. On February 26, Staten Island resident Ronald Jones beat and choked his friend, Robert Jenkins, to death. Jones has told police that he was driven into a murderous rage by Jenkins’ unwanted sexual advances.  AVP released this statement about the incidents:

“Recent attacks in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and now the West Village shows us that violence affects all of us,” said Sharon Stapel, Executive Director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project. “This is a wake-up call for every New Yorker: we must work to end violence this culture of violence—and not just violence against LGBTQ people—but all violence. We can end violence through the conversations we have, the relationships we build, and the connections we make. Together we can make our city safer for all people.”

The Center joins AVP’s Executive Director Sharon Stapel in denouncing all of these attacks, and continues to call on our community to condemn violent acts rooted in homophobia.  We send our heartfelt sympathies to all of the victims and to the families of Anthony Collao and Robert Jenkins. We also remind the community that the Center is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year as a safe and welcoming space for LGBT people to be who they are.   Visit our website to find out more about our lifesaving programs and services.