FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: St. Pete Pride Celebrates 10 Years with New Officers
Published: 10/21/2011 by St Pete Pride
St. Pete Pride is excited to officially announce the theme for the 10th Annual St. Pete Pride Promenade and Street Festival as “Carnivale – 10 Years of Pride in Paradise”. The theme will celebrate the street festival atmosphere that has excited attendees for years, honor the past 10 years of Pride in Paradise, commemorate the many accomplishments in equality this year and look to the future as St. Pete Pride continues to grow and showcase the diversity of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community in Central Florida.
What started as a few thousand native Floridians and a couple city blocks on beautiful Central Avenue in 2003 has become an international attraction – one of the largest Pride celebrations in the Southeast and the largest Pride celebration in the state of Florida. The festival currently spans seven city blocks and attracts tens of thousands of people at the end of June each year, commemorating the Stonewall Riots in late June 1969. This time of year, which culminates National LGBT Pride Month, has become a focal point of solidarity for the LGBT community across the nation – a tradition that started in a couple large cities across the country in 1970.
The Board of Directors of St. Pete Pride would also like to thank the many board members and volunteers who have served the community and St. Pete Pride in the past 10 years, including past board Presidents Scott Turner and Angela Gross. Recently, Turner and Gross along with Derek Lang, Carl Lovgren and Ralph Trent stepped down from their board positions for personal reasons and the Board of Directors would like to take this time to thank them for their service.
In addition, we mourn the loss of past board member Charles Sutton who passed away this past August. Sutton was a big part of St. Pete Pride and the community for many years and we honor his legacy.
St. Pete Pride is also excited about the new leadership recently elected to the organization. Longtime Board member Stanley Solomons was elected Board President on Thursday, October 20, 2011 along with Barry Parks, Jr. as Vice President, Christopher Tate as Treasurer and Thompson D. Kellett as Secretary. Solomons, a longtime resident of Pinellas County previously served as Vice President and Promenade Chair. He has previously worked in San Francisco, New York and Zurich, served on the board of Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County, ran for Gulfport City Council and currently resides in Pinellas Point. “We have a wonderful team here at St. Pete Pride and together we are excited to take the next step toward building the future of Pride in St. Petersburg,” said Solomons. “The stage is set for an amazing anniversary year and we are excited to work with other organizations, uniting the community like never before in an effort to make the 10th anniversary of St. Pete Pride the best one yet!”
Parks, a relative newcomer to the organization, has been on the Board of Directors since August 2010. He also coaches the St. Pete Pride Softball Team – IMPACT, which is part of the Suncoast Softball League and recently completed his Masters in Economics from the University of South Florida. He is currently a teacher at Tampa Preparatory School and resides in Hillsborough County. “St. Pete Pride is an amazing organization with such a great cause,” says Parks. “We fight for those who don’t have a voice and give some a day to celebrate who they are when they might live in fear the other 364 days a year – that is why I got involved and that is why we will all, working together, make this year’s Pride – the 10th anniversary – the best one yet!”
The Board of Directors invites the community to get involved in St. Pete Pride through variety of volunteer opportunities, committee positions, membership, support and celebration. The year ahead will be full of exciting events and we invite you to come celebrate our LGBT community and the history of the LGBT movement. We have much to be proud of in St. Petersburg and with our 10th anniversary we will continue to celebrate our diversity, come together as one and look to the future to fulfill the mission of St. Pete Pride – to promote unity, visibility, self-esteem and a positive image of and among the LGBT community of St. Petersburg and throughout the state of Florida.
For more information on events visit www.stpetepride.com and to volunteer email volunteer@stpetepride.com. Also, make sure to join our mailing list online and join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stpetepride for all the latest news and updates.
St. Pete Pride is a 501(c)3 organization whose purpose is to promote unity, visibility, self-esteem and a positive image of and among the LGBT community of St. Petersburg and throughout the state of Florida by way of cultural and educational programs and activities including an annual St. Pete Pride Promenade and Street Festival Event.
St. Pete Pride is a charitable organization described in section 501(c)(3) and eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with section 170. St. Pete Pride has complied with the registration requirements of Chapter 496, Florida Statues, the Solicitation of Contributions Act. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION #CH18874.
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