Florida Agenda

POVERELLO THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE
Women in Network (WIN) and Varsity Club are holding a Thanksgiving Food Drive benefitting The Poverello Center now through November 17. You can drop off your non-perishable canned food at The Pride Center at Equality Park (2040 N Dixie Highway), BankUnited (2723 N Dixie Highway, Wells Fargo (2525 N Dixie Highway), Starbucks (1015 NE 26 Street), Out of the Closet (2097 Wilton Drive or 1785 E Sunrise Blvd.), Pink Submarine (2041 Wilton Drive), American Pain Experts (6333 N Federal Highway), Fast Printz (3528 NE 12 Avenue) or Law GC (707 NE 3 Avenue, Suite 300).

GEAR UP FASHION SHOW AT BOOM
On Friday, November 18, at 10 p.m., BOOM will host the Gear Up Fashion Show, in association with MyTropixxx and Tropixxx Video, which will benefit Broward House. For more information, call 954-522-5988.

TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBERANCE
US Congressman Alcee Hastings will speak at this year’s local Transgender Remembrance Day candlelight vigil on Saturday, November 19 at 6 p.m. at the Sunshine Cathedral at 1480 SW 9th Ave in Fort Lauderdale. Hastings will speak on the injustice and struggle suffered by transgender individuals and what action Congress must take to protect the most vulnerable and marginalized members of our community. A reception will follow the vigil. This is a free event and all are welcome to participate.

LATE NIGHT SHOPPING
Friday, November 18 from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Pet Project Thrift Store, 1164 E Oakland Park Blvd in Ft. Lauderdale. Fifty percent off everything storewide. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cocktails available. Raffles with great prizes.

“SUNSERVE BOULEVARD”
A fundraising dinner and movie to benefit SunServe on Monday, November 21 starting at 6:30 p.m. at The Manor Entertainment Complex, 2345 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. The evening includes a 3-course seated dinner, screening of the classic Sunset Boulevard, and a cash bar. Dinner includes a Norma Desmond Caesar Salad, a choice of Cecil B. DeMeatloaf, Mr. DeMille Chicken Parmesan, or Max von Whitefish for your entrée. Dessert choices are Not So Silent N.Y. Style Cheesecake or Suicide by Chocolate Cake. $50 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at www.SunServe.org. All proceeds benefit SunServe.

WORLD AIDS DAY RALLY AND MARCH
Comedienne Margaret Cho will headline this year’s Broward House’s World AIDS Day Rally and March, which will take place starting at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Shoppes of Wilton Manors on December 1.

WILTON MANORS, FL – SunServe is opening their third location, this time on the entire second floor of the Wilton Executive Suites at 2312 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. This space was previously occupied by the former 411 Magazine and South Florida Blade newspaper.

SunServe will move their Mental Health and Youth Services along with administration to the new site while the Noble A. McArtor Senior Day Care Center and You Group space will remain on the campus of the Sunshine Cathedral/MCC.

SunServe has run out of therapy space at their current home. With the new space, SunServe hopes to double the number of therapy clients it serves. “While we honor our history, and continuing relationship with the Sunshine Cathedral, this move will physically bring us into the heart of Broward County’s gay community,” said Mark Ketcham, Executive Director. The new space will also house the new Youth Services program, recently funded by United Way.

The new space will require some modifications, but SunServe expects to have the space open and serving the community by the beginning of August.

“With the new space and layout, we will finally be able to have volunteers helping us in the office. It has always been hard to say no to people who wanted to volunteer for SunServe but we just did not have the physical space,” Ketcham said.

Citing the recent Florida court decisions p e r m i t t i n g homosexuals to adopt children, the Pride Center/GLCC, in conjunction with SunServe, will present a seminar on adopting children. The seminar, “Adoption for the LGBT Community: What to Expect and How to Do It,” will be held on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors.

The seminar will be conducted by attorney Elizabeth Schwartz and is open to all people interested in learning about the process to adopt children legally.

For more information, call (954) 549-0263 or e-mail kdrumm@SunServe.org.

TUESDAY’S ANGELS KICK-OFF DINNER Join the members and friends of Tuesday’s Angels on Tuesday, October 5 at Primavera Restaurant at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard in Oakland Park. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. with dinner served at 7:15 p.m. This new season of dinners to benefit Tuesday’s Angels will feature a new full bar a Primavera. Reservations must be made by this Sunday, October 3. The charge for dinner is $20 and includes all food items. Reservations can be made simply by emailing blakemored@bellsouth.net or by calling Dan at (954) 463-7345. Cocktails and wine are $5, beer is $3 and soft drinks are $1.

SUNSERVE RECEIVES GENEROUS GIFT This week, SunServe announced a gift from long-time volunteer therapist and board member, Steven Schwabish. The gift will underwrite the Medical Director for SunServe’s mental health services allowing SunServe to become a Medicaid provider. With this d e s i g n a t i o n , SunServe will be able to serve more clients and will have enhanced revenue opportunities. Schwabish is making this gift in honor of his mother, Shirley Schwabish Margolies. Mrs. Margolies’ work in health care most of her life. This gift, to assist in mental health care, would make her smile. Schabish has volunteered for SunServe for the past four years. He received his undergraduate degree and masters at Tulane University. For more information about SunServe, please call (954) 764-5150.

“THAT ‘70S PARTY” Do you have your tickets yet for “That ‘70s Party” slated for Thursday, October 7 at the Manor Entertainment Complex in Wilton Manors? It’s to benefit Team 995 for this year’s Smart Ride. The Smart Ride is a 165-mile ride from Miami to Key West and will take place November 19 and 20 with proceeds going to six HIV/AIDS charities in South Florida. “That ‘70s Party”will feature internationally known deejay, Robbie Leslie who is well-known for his time at Studio 54 and The Saint in New York. Also featured will be gold and platinum-album award-winning Styxx’s co-founder and bass guitarist, Chuck Panozzo. Tickets for the party are available at Juiceblendz and The Manor with general admission tickets$ 20 and VIP tickets.

SHORT TAKE Introducing Radio Red Hispana, WHIV. Log on to redhispanaFl.org for news, interviews, event information, music and much more. Red Hispana Florida is dedicated to those living in South Florida with free oral HIV testing, referrals and counseling to the HIV community. For more information, call (954) 462-8889. That’s it for this week. Do you have an event you’d like to promote here?

Send details to Dalemadison1@aol.com

SunServe, Broward’s primary LGBTQ social service care provider, would like to announce that Mark Adler is stepping down as its executive director to pursue other opportunities.

“We are thankful for Mark Adler’s dedicated service to SunServe since our inception”, said Andy Zalman, SunServe’s Board Chair.

“We are excited to announce that Mark Ketcham is joining our team immediately as the interim executive director. Ketcham’s diverse experience in community leadership and in the nonprofit arena make him a great fit for SunServe and the people we serve”. Ketcham has served as director of client services at the Tampa AIDS Network and executive director of the Bay Area AIDS Consortium in Tampa. “I am looking forward to working with Sunserve’s experienced and passionate staff and Board to improve the lives of our clients,” Ketcham said.

Recognizing that the entire LGBTQ community has the right to quality care, SunServe’s mission is to provide critical life assistance and professional mental health services with an emphasis on economically disadvantaged, marginalized youth, and senior adults in the greater South Florida metropolitan area.

For more information about Sunserve visit www.Sunserve.org. —FA