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The Akron Pride Center Celebrated Ten Year AnniversaryThe Akron Pride Center celebrated its ten year anniversary with an awards dinner and silent auction Saturday evening April 12th. Nearly 150 guests attended the event at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Community Center. Center supporters were treated to tables decorated with centerpieces of Hawaiian anthurium and bamboo with live goldfish. A pre-dinner cocktail hour provided browsers the opportunity to view silent auction items while being serenaded by vocal ensemble, 722, who performed an eclectic mix of jazz and standards. Dinner was followed by a presentation from Pride Center board members, all emphasizing the Center’s themes of Building Pride, Building Partnerships, and Building Services in the Community. Tom Bilcze introduced the Center’s ambitious Capital Campaign to raise $100,000 to open the Center’s new building in the Firestone Park area of Akron; while President Tim McCarragher gave his vision of what The Pride Center had to offer the community. Treasurer Steven Antalvari reviewed the year’s financial statement and remained to act as emcee for the evening’s events. Three awards were given during the ceremony. Don Brown was chosen as Community Leader of the Year; Mark Myers, a Pride Center founder, was named Volunteer of the Year; and the Akron chapter of PFLAG was chosen as Community Organization of the Year. The PFLAG award was especially poignant considering the recent losses of two the organization’s most beloved members: PFLAG founder Anne Beebe and long time volunteer Bruce Kriete. Celebrants reveled late into the evening as DJ’s took over the stage and the hall’s center aisle became a dance floor. Proceeds from the evening’s silent auction, raffles, and lottery tree will be used toward the Center’s building fund. The event is the first of many that will build on The Pride Center’s theme of “Building Pride” in the community. Information can be found at AkronPrideCenter.org. Submitted by Jim Lake. Return to Main Page |