SERVING UP FUN AND SOME FUNDS! by sylvia rodemeyer
The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center (LAGLC) will be serving up summer fun, with the annual Young Professionals Council’s Beach Volleyball Tournament at Will Rogers State Beach on Saturday, Au- gust 11. Not only a great excuse to join the community for a day on the beach, the event is a fundraiser for the Center’s many programs. This year the tournament is open to 60 teams of four to eight play-
ers. Previous years have capped off at 25 teams, but organizers were persuaded to expand the event after the amount of interest from people across Southern California and out-of-state proved there was a bigger demand. Everyone who plays gets free snacks, drinks and an event t-shirt
along with admission to an exclusive after-party, featuring hosted drinks and the presentation of awards and prizes. “For the first few years it was a great opportunity for friends
to gather and raise money for the LAGLC while playing volleyball in the sun. This year though, the event has seen a tremendous growth in business and corporate involvement. It’s really been embraced by the community and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” organizer Dustin Church says of the event. While a day at the beach might sound like just that, the
my experience growing up gay in a conservative community. I spent my formative years hating myself for what I was” he said, “The Center’s Lifeworks mentoring program, the homeless youth program, charter school, Jeff Griffith Youth Drop-In Center, LAUSD anti-bullying initia- tives and various other services are so important to me because no child should feel the way I did growing up. Every kid deserves to know that they are loved unconditionally by someone, and the Center provides that every day.” Young Professionals Council (YPC) is a collection of 20 or so Los
Angeles young professionals, who have a deep passion for the work of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. In their five years of existence, the
“The Center’s Lifeworks mentoring program…and various other services are so important to me because no child should feel the way I did growing up. Every kid deserves to know that they are loved unconditionally by someone, and The Center provides that every day.”
event has been a proven success in raising funds in prior years, and this year they plan to double earlier goals and aim to raise $75,000 over the course of the day. Church says, “Volleyball isn’t just a great fundraiser for an incredible
charity, it’s a blast! I get to spend all day hanging on the beach with beautiful people and catching rays, and it’s to help people. What isn’t there to like about that?” For Church, there is a personal connection to being able to organize such an event: “For me, the reason for raising this money is because of
group has seen remarkable growth and success—last year alone they raised over $350,000 for the Center. “The members on this council are some of the most brilliant and
compassionate people I have ever met, and I really can’t say enough about the work they do,” Church says of his peers. Beyond fundraising, members volunteer at events like Senior
Prom and Models of Pride. They are frequently out in the community educating people about the Center and their mission. For more information or to register a team, please visit
lagaycenter.org.
AUGUST 2012 | RAGE monthly
AUGUST 2012 | RAGE monthly 13
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