Please join us for
RU12? Community Center’s 15th Annual LGBTQ Community Dinner: Emerald City. Our
signature event, this year’s dinner celebrates fifteen years of RU12?’s
commitment to LGBTQA community building across Vermont.
RU12’s Annual Dinner
brings together community members and allies for a fabulous evening of dinner
and entertainment in support of our vital health and human rights programs as
well as our social and educational events. It is a time for us to recognize community
leaders, organizations, and businesses dedicated to building and strengthening our
community.
The evening will beging at 5:00PM and take place at the Sheraton Hotel, Burlington.
The Vermont
Pride Awards
RU12? Vermont Pride Awards are given to individuals
and groups that truly stand out in their efforts to improve the lives of LGBTQ
individuals and communities. Their tireless efforts are an inspiration to
us all.
The Vermont
Pride Award for Business of the Year will be presented to TD Bank for being out in front of as a
strong supporter of their LGBTQ employees. Through creating LGBTQ affirming policies TD
fosters a workplace climate where LGBTQ employees can be out and proud. They have received numerous awards at the
national and international levels for their LGBTQ work, including offsetting
the additional federal and state taxes of LGBT employees in domestic
partnerships, relative to heterosexual married couples. Their support of
Vermont’s LGBTQ community clearly reflects their company policies. From TD Bank
Foundation grants and sponsoring RU12?’s Annual Dinner to volunteer hours by
their employees, TD Bank is an admiral example of a business that understands
and supports the true meaning of LGBTQ equality.
The Vermont
Pride Award for Individual Activism will be presented to community activist
David Frye, the coordinator of
RU12?’s LGBTQ Disabilities Rights Network. Two years ago, David began the LGBTQ
Disabilities Group at the Center to foster the health, safety, and well being
of this remarkable group of people. From
creating the support group and setting up a chat line to endless hours of
outreach, David is in the process of connecting LGBTQ individuals with
disabilities across Vermont. This innovative and tireless work has earned him
several accolades including a Green Mountain Self Advocates Award to an
invitation to speak at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s activist
conference, Creating Change. His dedication is bringing much needed attention
to this very marginalized group.
The Vermont
Pride Award for Community Service will be presented to the Pride Vermont Committee. Each year,
Pride takes tremendous amounts of time and energy by a group of individuals
working together for a full year. Filing all the correct city permits and
finding and signing festival performers to contacting and coordinating marchers
and vendors, requires hundreds of hours of planning. Members of this committee give their time to
ensure that we have an amazing Pride Festival, Parade, and events. They bring
their various skills to the table and work through hours of details and produce
events throughout the year. Through this award, RU12? hopes bring much deserved
recognition to this dedicated group of individuals whose tireless efforts bring
us the most recognizable tradition in LGBTQ culture.
The Live and
Silent Auctions
This event is our biggest
fundraiser of the year and there are fabulous items to be bid on in our live
and silent auctions. We have amazing items generously donated from businesses
and individuals across Vermont and beyond. You will be able to bid on
everything from an in-home dinner for eight prepared by Leunig’s Donnell
Collins and her amazing staff, to bowties and gardening supplies, to those
thank you cards you always wish you had handy. Proceeds support the Center’s
social gatherings, educational events, and direct services for the LGBT
community.
The link for tickets will go live on April 10th.
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