Rainbow Party
by Tiffani Carcieri, YPI staff
YPI's Annual Rainbow Party is our organization's largest fundraising event of the year. Hosted at the Dunes Club for the third year in a row, the 2018 Rainbow Party on September 23 was a great success. Over 80 individuals attended and raised more than $10,000 on behalf of YPI. Guests enjoyed an open bar with specialty cocktails, a wide selection of hors d'oeuvres, and a dessert station, while taking in beautiful views of Narragansett Beach. Board members, staff, and YPI youth were present to talk with guests and provide insight into YPI, what we do, and how contributions directly support our programs and services. A slide show highlighting important YPI moments ran throughout the afternoon. Photos from Pride, Rhode Island's NOH8 campaign, State House events, holidays, and more were included. Custom YPI t-shirts designed by our youth were available to guests who donated at the door. Board Chair Michelle Saunders and Executive Director Elana Rosenberg addressed the room. The longstanding history of YPI's discussion group The Way Out was told along with snippets of how and why Michelle and Elana became involved with the organization. Ollie and Rowan (Michelle’s son) are two active YPI youths who spoke about our space and
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how it changed their lives for the better. Ollie says YPI treated them like family and offered unwavering support even when their biological family could not. We sincerely thank Bank of America, Locke Lord, and IGT for being our sponsors. We also extend profound thanks to State Representative Deb Ruggiero who was in attendance. Deb has been a longtime friend of YPI, and a champion for the LGBT community for years.Without the generous support of all these individuals our Rainbow Party could not have happened. We are incredibly overwhelmed with the generosity of our guests.These contributions will immensely help LGBTQQ youth in Rhode Island get connected to the resources and services they need. A full album of photos of the event can be found on our Facebook page. We look forward to seeing everyone next year! Youth Pride Inc. provides support, education, and advocacy for LGBTQQ young people ages 9-23. Our Drop-in Center is at 473 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903. Visit www.youthprideri.org, emailinfo@youthprideri.org, or call (401) 421-5626 for more info.
Options | October/November 2018