CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 24th Annual Human Rights Campaign (HRC) North Carolina Dinner will be held on Feb. 23, 5 p.m., at Le Méridien Charlotte, 555 S. McDowell St., North Tower, and features actress Bellamy Young and comedian and auctioneer Dana Goldberg.
The theme for this year’s event is “This Is Me” and focuses on the message, “This is Me! This is Us! We Matter!”
Awards will be presented to the Person of the Year and the Organization of the Year. The awardees’ names were not available at press time. Updates will be provided as they are known.
Young, who was born in Asheville, N.C., is best known currently for her role on award-winning “Scandal” as the ex–first lady, a former senator, and later the president. Her performance earned her a Best Supporting Actress statue from the Critics’ Choice Television Awards, Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Best Characters on TV, #15 on Entertainment Weekly’s 50 Best TV Scenes of the Year, NY Post’s Top 10 TV Actors, as well as TV Guide Magazine’s Fan Favorite Award.
On the big screen, Young recently appeared in Disney and Ava Duvernay’s “A Wrinkle In Time.” Her extensive television resume has included recurring roles on CBS’ long-running series “Criminal Minds” alongside Thomas Gibson and Joe Mantegna, ABC’s “Dirty, Sexy, Money” alongside Donald Sutherland and Jill Clayburgh, portraying ASA Monica West on “CSI: Miami” and her appearance alongside Zach Braff on the hit-comedy, “Scrubs.”
Her other roles include a plethora of other television appearances on popular shows.
Young graduated from Yale University in 1991 with dual degrees in English and Theater Studies; she also holds a certificate from Oxford University in England.
Her career, which began in the 1990s, has spanned the stage and small and large screens, as well as being a recording artist. She is a long-time supporter of shelter adoption and has also lent her services to help fundraise nationally for causes that are dear to her (domestic violence), and was a headliner for the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. She performed at the Christmas Tree Lighting in 2015 and was made a co-ambassador, along with Chelsea Clinton, of the Trust for the National Mall in 2016.
Goldberg was voted one of the “Top Five Funniest Lesbians in America,” CURVE Magazine reported.
Contributions to the live and silent auctions are still being accepted. Offerings include original artwork, home furnishings, professional services, dining and entertainment, jewelry/fashion, health/beauty/fitness and high-quality travel packages, and new this year is the “homegrown” category. Email silentauction@hrccarolina.org to inquire or donate.
Or become a corporate sponsor (sponsor@hrccarolina.org), or better yet, volunteer services (volunteer@hrccarolina.org) to help make the dinner a success (phone banking, gala set up, registration, etc.).
Tickets are $250 and are on sale online. Federal Club members can attend for $125 as a benefit for their sustained support. Students, seniors and active duty military personnel can attend for $125.
For those who wish to make more of an impact on the evening’s fundraising, volunteer to be a table captain (tablecaptains@hrccarolina.org) and invite nine others to join in the event. Guests can either purchase their own tickets or table captains can make the purchase themselves). Perks, depending upon the number of tables reserved, range from program recognition, lapel pin, bottles of wine, VIP reception tickets, discounted gala ticket and tickets to the pre-auction event.
Other activities that are paired with the dinner are a weekend kickoff Takeover at Vivace, 1100 Metropolitan Ave., on Feb. 22, 8 p.m., and a Fun Run & Breakfast on Feb. 23, 9 a.m., from The People’s Market at Dilworth. The takeover is free to attend. Attendees will be able to enjoy drink specials and an Equality Menu. Ten percent of bar sales will go to support the work of HRC. The Fun Run is being held in partnership with Charlotte Front Runners and is free to attend. Participants can enjoy a tasty morning meal and a fun-filled jaunt around the neighborhood.
info: hrccarolina.org. hrc.org.