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It’s
a
good
week
for
non-profits
organizations
serving
south
Florida’s
gay
community.
The
2nd
Annual
Bartenders’
Boxers
and
Briefs
Auction
at
Bill’s
Filling
Station
Monday
night
doubled
its
dollars
from
last
year’s
event,
raising
$22,000
for
Tuesday’s
Angels,
which
provides
financial
assistance
to
men,
women
and
children
in
Fort
Lauderdale
affected
by
HIV
and
AIDS.
About
four
dozen
Broward
County
bartenders
modeled
boxers
and
briefs
individually
or
as
teams,
and
then
sold
them
to
the
highest
bidder
in
the
audience.
The
top
bid
went
to
Dean
the
bartender
from
Sidelines,
whose
auction
garnered
$4,450.
A
group
of
three
bartenders
from
Rosie’s
were
the
runners-up,
earning
a
bid
of
$4,000.
Winning
bidders
also
received
gift
baskets
packed
with
wine,
prizes,
and
gift
certificates.
“It
was
a
wonderful
event,
probably
the
best
of
the
summer,
and
the
money
means
so
much
to
our
clients,”
said
Chuck
Nicholls,
executive
director
of
Tuesday’s
Angels.
“I
even
stayed
up
until
1
a.m.,
and
that’s
very
unusual,
because
I’m
an
early
riser!”
He
said
the
money
will
be
a
huge
boost
as
they
assist
people
living
with
HIV
and
AIDS
with
food,
rent,
mortgage
payments,
or
their
biggest
expense
–
electricity.
“Utilities
are
huge,
and
more
than
50
percent
of
the
money
we
pay
out
goes
to
FPL,”
said
Nicholls.
Jackson
Padgett,
co-owner
of
Bill’s
Filling
Station,
said
the
auction
set
a
fundraising
record
for
a
one-night
event
at
Bill’s.
“It’s
a
very
worthwhile
event,
because
Tuesday’s
Angels
is
a
wonderful,
community-involved
organization,”
said
Padgett.
“And
it’s
fun,
because
it’s
the
one
night
all
the
bar
and
business
owners
get
together
in
one
venue.
We
plan
to
continue
doing
it
every
year.”
A
fundraiser
at
the
GALA
Choruses
Festival
2008
in
Miami
last
week
resulted
in
a
$8,500
donation
to
Pridelines
Youth
Services,
an
organization
dedicated
to
educating
and
empowering
south
Florida’s
GLBTQ
youth.
Kathie
Michael,
director
of
meetings
and
festivals
for
GALA
choruses,
said
they
hold
the
festival
every
four
years
to
raise
money
for
their
own
membership
programs,
but
they
also
try
to
leave
something
behind
to
make
a
difference
in
the
host
city.
Vivian
Martell,
executive
director
of
Pridelines,
said
that
anyone
who
donated
five
dollars
received
a
green
wristband
imprinted
with
the
words
“We
support
Miami
gay
homeless
youth.”
“It
spread
and
became
like
a
virus
of
green
wristbands
over
the
7
days
of
the
festival,”
said
Martell.
“It
was
the
first
time
the
event
featured
a
half
dozen
youth
choruses,
so
it
was
a
wonderful
fit
that
Pridelines
Youth
Services
became
the
purveyors
of
money
collected.
“The
donation
came
from
the
arts,
so
we’d
like
to
perhaps
develop
an
arts
camp
for
gay
youth
next
year,
maybe
culminating
in
a
chorus
performance,”
she
said.
“Maybe
one
of
Miami’s
Gay
Men’s
Chorus
members
could
teach
them.
It
could
be
a
great
beginning.”
Michaels
said
in
addition
to
the
check
presented
at
closing
ceremonies,
they
also
donated
non-perishable
food
left
over
from
feeding
those
youth
chorus
members
all
week
long.
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