Special guests for the event already include Jack Mackenroth, model, HIV Activist and Project Runway Season 4 star. In addition to appearing on Project Runway, Mackenroth has been a professional designer, nationally recognized competitive swimmer and fitness and fashion model. He has appeared in numerous magazines including a cover story feature in the May/June 2013 issue of HIV Plus Magazine. Mackenroth has always been very open about his positive HIV status. Since his diagnosis in 1990, he has tried to combat the stigma of HIV by living honestly and being a role model through professional and athletic achievements.
Entertainment at the Gala will also include a special performance by comic Karen Williams. Curve Magazinecalls Williams “a laugh riot!” She delights fan-filled audiences from San Francisco to South Beach to Sidney and now makes her way to the Tampa Bay area. Williams is a featured comic in “We’re Funny That Way,” the internationally-acclaimed film shown regularly on HBO, is host of the New York variety show, “In the Life”, and her humor writings appear in numerous anthologies. Williams has worked with numerous HIV/AIDS charities and uses her celebrity status to raise awareness and to work for social justice using humor and healing.
Additional sponsorships are also available. For more information email Kathie Michael at
KathieM@metrotampabay.org.Metropolitan Charities, Inc. d/b/a Metro Wellness and Community Centers is a 501(c)3 organization committed to providing premier HIV services, social networking, and other health and wellness programs that enhance the quality of life. The organization strives to promote a healthy environment for all and to foster diversity within the community as a whole regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or economic status.
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Media Contact:
Metro Wellness & Community Centers
Chris Rudisill
Director of LGBT Community Center Services
Phone: 727-321-3854 ext. 238
Email: chrisr@metrotampabay.org
www.MetroTampaBay.org
Media Contact:
Nancy Seijas-Kipnis
813.817.6731
PRIDE & PASSION 2013 AT THE TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART
KICKS OFF PRIDE FESTIVITIES ACROSS TAMPA BAY
Tampa, FL (May 7, 2013) – The Tampa Museum of Art will host the 8th annual Pride & Passion 2013 event on Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 8 p.m. to midnight, celebrating diversity in the local community as the official kick-off to the month-long Pride festivities across Tampa Bay.
“Pride & Passion celebrates its 8th year as one of the Museum’s signature events,” said Todd D. Smith, the Museum’s Executive Director. “The leadership and committee behind Pride & Passion 2013 continue to delight current and new members by producing a stellar evening that celebrates the Museum’s commitment to diversity while also raising funds for our education and exhibition programs. We are proud to be the home of this significant LGBT event.”
The first Pride & Passion was held in 2005 and the event has significantly grown each year, bringing in over 1000 new memberships and raising funds to support the Museum’s exhibitions and educational programs. Last year’s Pride & Passion raised over $103,000.00 for the Museum, surpassing the previous year’s record as being the most successful event to date.
A second year in a row sell-out is expected when over 800 hundred guests join Pride & Passion 2013 for an evening of art, entertainment, culture, food, and drinks. Tickets are $85 after and available for purchase online at www.prideandpassion.org. Tickets include a fabulous evening where guests will be treated to delicious dishes from Timpano Italian Chophouse, complimentary wine, beer and champagne, open top –shelf bar featuring specialty cocktails, mouth-watering desserts from Piquant Epicure & Cuisine, mind-blowing live entertainment by Penguin Entertainment from Orlando, Florida, music by DJ Dino Bonetti, and gallery access to the Museum’s exhibitions Faded Elegance: Photographs of Havana by Michael Eastman and Miradas: Ancient Roots in Modern Mexican Art. All Pride & Passion 2013 ticket purchasers will also receive an annual membership to the Museum. Current Museum members who purchase tickets to Pride & Passion 2013 will receive a gift voucher for an individual membership that can be given as a gift. All Pride & Passion 2013 guests are encouraged to wear black and white to the event.
About Pride & Passion 2013
Pride & Passion has been nominated for a 2012 Urban Excellence Award by the Tampa Downtown Partnership. The awards honor businesses, organizations, individuals, events and projects that have significantly contributed towards a unique, vibrant and diverse downtown environment for Tampa with both a positive and lasting impact.
Pride & Passion 2013 is produced by a volunteer steering committee in partnership with the Tampa Museum of Art. Pride & Passion 2013 steering committee members are Marc Retzlaff (Chair), Kelley Cato Juneau (Vice-Chair), Dennis Wolfe, Don Kiceina Jr., James Ratliffe, Jess Hille, Jose Garboza, Mariruth Kennedy, Mishou, Okesene “Okie” Tilo, Portia Weiss and Ruslana Panov.
Pride & Passion 2013 is promoted through a volunteer host committee responsible for spreading word about the event and encouraging ticket sales. The committee members are Anthony Moncrief, Bobbie Kingsbury, Brent Baltzer & Alexis Perry, Bryan Farris & Andy Johnson, Cody Conklin, Janet Smith, Jonathan Myers, Mark Nash, Mike Hammonds, Raven Song, Ray Johnson and Vince Anello with the Tampa Bay Social Club.
About the Tampa Museum of Art
The Tampa Museum of Art opened its new award-winning home in 2010 with a commitment to providing innovative public programs with a strong focus on modern and contemporary art. The Museum balances a growing collection with a dynamic annual schedule of special exhibitions. It is the region’s largest museum devoted to art of our time and has built a reputation for embracing contemporary photography and new media. Leo Villareal’s Sky (Tampa) (the Museum’s 14,000-square-foot LED installation on its façade) has become an iconic image for Tampa. Since its founding in 1979, the Museum has been dedicated to providing quality education to students and adults, with more than half of its programs offered free of charge. The Museum is home to Sono Cafe, a Slow Food movement café overlooking the Hillsborough River, and has emerged as Tampa’s premiere venue for special events.
General Hours and Admission
The Museum opens daily at 11 a.m. Hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fridays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission prices are: adult $10.00; seniors, groups, military plus one guest $7.50; students $5; and children ages 6 and under free-of-charge. A-pay-what-you-will fee structure is offered every Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Museum’s address is 120 Gasparilla Plaza. Tampa, FL 33602.
Please visit www.tampamuseum.org and www.prideandpassion.org for more information. Be sure to LIKE Pride & Passion on Facebook/PridePassion and FOLLOW Pride & Passion on Twitter @PridePassionTpa
For Sponsorship information, contact: Brooke Melendi at (813) 421-8368
Brooke.melendi@tampamuseum.org
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At the end of 2010, 95,335 Florida residents were known to be living with HIV/AIDS. In 2010, 5,022 adults and 20 young (age <13) Floridians were newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Florida. Florida ranked second among states in the estimated number of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases diagnosed in 2009 (most recent year available for US data). That year, a total of 4,392 AIDS cases were diagnosed in Florida.
Data statements such as those above, the guiding principles of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), High‐Impact Prevention (HIP), and the need to reduce the number of new HIV infections, are the forces that drive the state’s community planning process along with Metro’s efforts to educate the community on the seriousness of the disease and help prevent new infections.
Although the AIDS epidemic is widespread throughout Florida, the majority of cases were reported from eight counties: Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami‐Dade, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas and St. Lucie, all reporting 100+ cases in 2010. These eight counties reported a combined total of 2,551 cases, or 74% of Florida’s total reported cases in 2010 (N=3,461).[i]
In a new video project, titled “The Raw Facts on Bareback Sex”, Metro seeks to address the spread of HIV as part of its larger prevention program including the Expanded Testing Initiative, City Mix and Healthy Men Unleashed (HMU) which are geared toward gay and bisexual men, Young M.I.N.D.S. (Minorities Identifying Necessary Decisions for Safety) which educates and increases awareness among those 18-24, METRO2 (Minority Empowerment Through Risk-Reduction and Outreach), WEST (Women Empowered Standing Tall) and others. The videos will help reach a new audience that is engaged by social media. In a series of 7 video clips, a diverse group of members from the community helped the organization in direct HIV prevention messages.
To view the videos visit http://www.youtube.com/user/MetroWellCtr/videos and click on “Raw Facts on Bareback Sex”. The videos will be shown through Metro’s social networking sites including www.facebook.com/healthymenunleashed and https://www.facebook.com/metrowellness.
The video project was produced, filmed and edited by Swell Fella Productions in St. Petersburg, FL on site at the Metro Center in St. Petersburg. A special thank you goes out to Jeffrey Klein (producer and editor), Daiv Russell (film crew and actor), Jeremy Westrate (film crew), Richard R. Anasky (film crew), Christopher Tate (actor), Adam Jahr (actor), Shirlene Lightsey-Manuel (actor), Sister Monica Muffdiver of the Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (actor), Erin Brennan (actor) and Leo Gallego (actor).
Metropolitan Charities, Inc. d/b/a Metro Wellness and Community Centers is a 501(c)3 organization committed to providing premier HIV services, social networking, and other health and wellness programs that enhance the quality of life. The organization strives to promote a healthy environment for all and to foster diversity within the community as a whole regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or economic status.
Media Contact:
Metro Wellness & Community Centers
Chris Rudisill
Director of LGBT Community Center Services
Phone: 727-321-3854 ext. 238
Email: chrisr@metrotampabay.org
www.MetroTampaBay.org
