It's Sugar Plum Time!
Christmas is right around the corner and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than to attend the 12th annual Sugar Plum tour. On Sunday, Dec. 8 from 2-5:30 p.m., general admission and patron ticketholders will embark on a self-guided tour of five unique homes, beautifully decorated for the holidays.
General admission tickets are $25 and include the self-guided tour of the five homes, but patron tickets can be purchased for $150 and include access to an exclusive sixth location. From 5:30-8:30 p.m., patron ticketholders will get to tour multiple condos in the arts and entertainment district in downtown Akron, while enjoying an open bar and appetizers prepared by a well-known local chef. A limited-edition holiday ornament designed by local artist Claudia Zeber-Martell is also included in the patron ticket price. Get your tickets early - the Sugar Plum Tour sells out every year. Tickets can be purchased online at www.sugarplumtour.org or by calling 330-376-8522. Cash-only general admission tickets are also available at Angel Falls Coffee Co., 792 W. Market St. in Akron. Attendee sign-in and map pickup will begin at 1 p.m. on the day of the tour at Angel Falls. Proceeds from this event will support the Gay Community Endowment Fund's commitment to the 2014 Gay Games, as well as other LGBT programs. Last year's Sugar Plum Tour raised more than $60,000 for the fund, which supports programs that positively impact the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
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GCEF Named Host Sponsor of GG9 Summit County Events The Gay Community Endowment Fund recently announced a commitment of $100,000 to become an elite sponsor of Gay Games 9, coming to Northeast Ohio in August 2014. This will make the Gay Community Endowment Fund the host sponsor of all events in Akron and Summit County. The games are expected to draw more than 10,000 people to the area next August.
Gay Community Endowment Fund board chair Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands said, "The Gay Games coming here gives us the wonderful opportunity to show the world and our own neighbors what a strong and supportive LGBT and ally community we have."
The board members of the Gay Community Endowment Fund are charged with upholding the fund's mission, which is to fund organizations and programs in this community that make a positive impact on the lives of the LGBT community. Rest assured, nothing has changed with the generous grant to the Gay Games. The $100,000 grant will be composed of sales proceeds from the tickets for this year's Sugar Plum tour, a generous gift from Akron Community Foundation, and a substantial donation from two ardent supporters. We will continue, and always will, to fund grants that make our community a better place for all. |
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Grantee Spotlight
 GCEF Grantees Fight for Equality
The LGBT community at large has long been fighting for equality and fair treatment, and with the help of GCEF grants, two local organizations joined that fight for our local LGBT community. Fair Housing Contact Service's Akron LGBT Housing Rights Project received a grant from GCEF to monitor Akron housing providers for discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and to educate the community at large on LGBT housing rights, while the Domestic Violence Project, Inc. requested funds to ensure that members of the LGBT community who have been victims of domestic violence were served in a dignified manner and educated on the unique issues they face.
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Donate Now
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The Gay Community Endowment Fund is a permanent philanthropic fund of Akron Community Foundation. To date, it has committed nearly $183,000 to organizations and agencies in the greater Akron area that initiate and/or conduct programs or services that support or positively impact LGBT people and serve as a catalyst for full participation of LGBT people in our society. The fund promotes philanthropy within the LGBT and allied communities. Since 2001, it has built a fund balance of nearly $900,000 through gifts, fundraising and bequests. The earned income from this balance is distributed through annual grant-making.
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