Join us as we continue to make history with a vision for the entire LGBT community in New Jersey
Vision Gala 2008 by the Pride Connections Center
Buy Tickets Now!
Tickets to our Vision 2008 Gala are available online or via telephone, and are going fast! Our gala on February 29th, 2008, is sure to be a leap into our future as a community, as we kick-off the celebration of our 15 year anniversary in '08, on a day that only comes once every four years! You can purchase tickets here.
February 29, 2008 @ 7 pm
Puccini's Restaurant, Jersey City, NJ, 07306
$125 for members / $150 for non-members
Details coming soon including guest speakers, table / sponsorship information, silent auction prize list, and more!
Click here for the sponsorship letter.
Click here for the ad journal and sponsor form.
Jersey City Group Acquires Building To Launch Regional NJ Service Center
Northern NJ LGBT Community To Have A New Home At Hudson Pride
(Jersey City, NJ) ˆ The Journal Square area of Jersey City will soon be home to a three story community services center for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community, as well as all people living with HIV / AIDS in the Hudson County Region starting later this Summer. Hudson Pride Connections, a 14 year old non-profit in Jersey City, has finalized a contract this week to acquire a building on Jones Street, just steps away from its current rented location in Journal Square.
“This is an amazing opportunity for everyone in the community, including all its members and allies, to rally behind a project that stands for the inclusion, visibility, and equality of all people in our communities,” said Guido A. Sanchez, Executive Director of the organization.
“We need an organization that advocates for us... It would soon be a travesty not to have a place to call home,” said Tracee Ross, a transgender woman from Jersey City.
The group plans to occupy the building starting in August with renovations planned throughout the Summer and a grand opening of the facility in the Fall. Two other groups, the Northern New Jersey chapter of the national organization Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the organizer’s of Jersey City’s annual pride festival Jersey City Lesbian + Gay Outreach (JCLGO) have committed to occupying the space as well to help centralize resources for the community.
Richard D. Burns, Executive Director of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in New York said, "We are happy to see our neighbors across the river be able to establish a permanent space for our community. It is clear there is a need on all local fronts to connect LGBT people through a community service center like Hudson Pride's."
The group launched their capital campaign in February of this year and has garnered support from Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, the city of Jersey City including Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy and members of the Municipal Council, State Assemblyman Lou Manzo, U.S. Congressman Albio Sires, and numerous other corporate, political, and non-profit partners.
“We are thrilled to see Hudson Pride Connections joining the ever-growing ranks of community centers with permanent homes. It is a testament to their strength and commitment to serving the LGBT community,” said Terry Stone, Executive Director of the National Association of LGBT Community Centers in Washington D.C.
More information on the progress of the project, plans for the center, and getting involved in the capital project can be found on the group’s website at www.hudsonpride.org.
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Hudson Pride Connections (HPC), a 501c3 non profit organization, was founded in 1993 to serve the unmet needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, as well as all HIV positive people, through supportive social services, prevention, outreach, advocacy, and development trainings for other service providers, to educate and empower all of our communities in the Hudson County region. Hudson Pride currently offers a youth program, support groups and outreach, legal advocacy, financial assistance for people living with HIV, job development resources, and a number of new and expanded programs starting up throughout 2007 and 2008.
*Making History 2007 Gala Launching HPC's Capital Initiative Was A Huge Success!*
Hudson Pride Connections, alongside Journal Square Councilman Steve Lipski, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy and Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, hosted the Making History 2007 Gala on February 23rd at Puccini's Restaurant in Jersey City to mark the launch of our “Making History” Capital Initiative. The event was a huge success, with over 100 people attending in support of the initiative. Supporters of the project came from other local organizations, the Hudson Pride family of clients and staff, and the larger Northern NJ LGBT community. We also joined by several media outlets in the region, and a diverse array of politicians.
The “Making History” capital initiative's launch drew political support from all levels of government, demonstrating the importance of this project and the broad range of support already in place. The event attracted representatives and supporting donations from a wide array of public officials including US Senator Bob Menendez, Congressman Albio Sires, NJ Assemblyman Lou Manzo, Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, Freeho0lder Maurice Fitzgibbons, Jersey City Mayor Healy, Weehawken Mayor Rich Turner, and Jersey City Municipal Council members Peter Brennan, Willie Flood, Bill Gaugham, Mary Spinello, and Steve Lipski.
Councilman Steve Lipski, Mayor Healy, Mayor Turner, and County Executive DeGise were some of the evening's highlights with moving speeches about the importance of work for our communities. Gala Chair and Hudson Diversity Action Council President Walt Boraczek emceed the event, and HPC Board Chair David Bimbi alongside Executive Director Guido Sanchez spoke to the crowd about how the initiative came about and what we look forward to as it continues. A visual presentation was displayed featuring moving testimonials from some of HPC's clients, many of whom were present at the launch event!
The Making History Gala event was just the beginning of our initiative, and with such a huge success to kick it off, now is the perfect time for you to join us as HPC makes history with you in 2007!
Click here to see the event photos from the launch gala of the Making History campaign.
Click here to see the HPC Making History presentation. (.pdf) or (.ppt)
Click here to see the event announcement for the event on February 23rd, 2007. (.pdf)
Making History 2007: Click Here to View HPC's Case Statement, including a list of sponsors and partners, on the Making History Capital Initiative (.pdf)
Our mission: Hudson Pride Connections, HPC, is a 501(c)3 bridging the gap in services and responding to the unmet needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, & transgender community, as well as HIV positive people of any orientation / identity, through supportive social services, prevention, outreach, advocacy and development trainings for other service providers, to educate, empower, and unite all of our communities.