Guild hosts member meeting
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The Coastal Business Guild will hold its members’ meeting on July 6, 5:30 p.m., at Grand Strand Law Group, 401 Broadway St.
Participants are encouraged to bring a guest, as well as business cards to use during networking.
Focus for the meeting will be on the details of the upcoming 2016 Business Expo Business Expo & Gala on Aug. 20, at the Marina Inn at Grand Dunes, 8121 Amalfi Pl. This is being held in conjunction with Takeover Grand Strand’s Pride celebration from Aug. 18-21.
The Business Expo is free and open to the public and runs from 4-7 p.m., along with a cash bar. Beginning at 7 p.m., the Gala will take place. Attendees will enjoy a plated dinner, musical entertainment by Too Much Sylvia, dancing and more.
Event organizers are seeking sponsors. Opportunities close on July 15. Program booklet ads for Presenting, 20/20 Vision and Visibility Sponsors receive a full-page ad with measurements of 5.25” wide x 8.25” high, with .25” bleed and .5” away from the edge. Exposure and Not-for-Profit Sponsors receive a half-page ad measuring 4.5” wide x 3.8125” high. All ads are printed in color and submitted in high resolution .JPG format and sent to terry@takeovergrandstrand.com. Assistance is available for ad creation through a guild graphic designer whose name is available online on the guild’s website. All copy and ad materials are due by July 15.
An additional perk for sponsors includes a guild membership through September 2017 and an invitation to a special sponsors’ only appreciation party on Aug. 17.
Exhibitor space is still available.
More information, including sponsorship and exhibitor space forms, as well as membership application, is available online. Additional Pride events will be announced as they become confirmed.
For accommodations, call 843-913-1333. Takeover Grand Strand rates are $161/grande guest room and $249/two-bedroom suite. Cutoff date is July 20.
info: coastalbusinessguild.com.
Trans grant program launched
CHARLESTON, S.C. — We Are Family has announced the launch of its transgender South Carolinian grant program, the Trans Love Fund.
The summer 2016 cycle will award small, need-based grants to support transgender lives in the Palmetto State.
According to Lambda Legal, transgender people are four times more likely to live in poverty than non-transgender, or cisgender individuals. Transgender people experience unemployment at twice the rate of the cisgender population and transgender people of color experience unemployment at more than four times the national rate.
Transgender people often incur expenses that non-transgender people do not. These can include things like medical care (doctor’s visits, medications), legal fees (name changes, gender marker changes), counseling costs and the cost of new clothing, We Are Family shared. They added that many transgender people lack access to basic necessities like rent, food and transportation.
The ultimate goal of Trans Love Fund is to finance the cost of any goods and services relevant to supporting the lives of transgender South Carolinians. At this time, Trans Love Fund is not funding surgeries, revolving debt (i.e., credit card bills) or vehicle purchases. Trans Love Fund can only issue checks to vendors, not individual applicants.
Applications are available online and printed applications are available at the We Are Family office by appointment by calling 843-637-9379 or email info@waf.org for more information.
info: waf.org.
Bingo raises funds for ASO
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Lowcountry AIDS Services (LAS) will hold its “That ’70s Bingo: It’s Not Your Grandma’s Game!” fundraising event on Aug. 9, 6 p.m., at Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain St.
Gay bingo has not been seen in the Lowcountry since 2001 and this is a revival of it. It was originally known as Bubba Bingo which honored Atlanta drag queen Bubba D. Licious who served as emcee.
The evening is slated to be filled with fun and frivolity and will pair with an important message: “The HIV/AIDS epidemic is still affecting many in our community, LGBT and straight alike.”
Patti O’Furniture, a local drag icon who performs regularly at Dudley’s, will provide entertainment throughout the signature event and participants are encouraged to don costumes. It is being held in conjunction with Charleston Pride from Aug. 6-14.
“We know gay bingo is going to be a truly fun evening and a wonderful fundraiser for our agency,” said Bradley Childs, LAS executive director. “But just as important, we see this event as an exercise in awareness, tolerance and advocacy for our entire Lowcountry community. We want people to pause and realize the very real HIV epidemic sweeping our community and how they can join in our fight.”
Included in the evening’s fare are six games of bingo with prize packages for winners, a raffle, special guests, local beer, food trucks and more.
Early general admission tickets are $20 through June 30; then $25 for advance general admission tickets thereafter.
Reserved tables, VIP tickets, host committee tables and sponsorship are all available. For information on tickets, sponsorship and event details, call Jason Kirk, director of development, at 843-747-2273, ext. 216 or email jkirk@aidsservices.com.
info: charlestongaybingo.org.
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Share your news with us
Does your organization or special interest group have events or great information to share with our readers? If so, be sure to send in your information to specialassignments@goqnotes-launch2.newspackstaging.com. In the upcoming months, we’ll feature one of you in our news notes section in each issue. Are you a part of a Meetup, Yahoo or Google group and do you do something that’s really newsworthy? Do you provide a service for the community or hold fundraisers for worthy causes? Do you educate the public about LGBT issues or concerns? Of course, this is only a sampling of things we are interested in. It’s the aim of these pieces to inform, enlighten and educate our readers about what we’re doing here in the Carolinas to champion LGBT rights, as well as offer resources for those who may be interested in what your group is doing.