GLENDA Gears Up for 3rd Annual “Dining For Diversity” Fund Raiser

New this year: $10 Tickets available for dessert reception and art auction.

The Gay and Lesbian Neighborhood Development Association, (GLENDA), hosts one of the most unique social and fundraising events in the city, Dining for Diversity on Saturday, September 10. Donations from the event will fund GLENDA's continued growth and enable the organization to make a greater impact in the region.

GLENDA's mission is to foster appreciation of gays, lesbians and all people by working together with diverse communities through volunteer community service to make western Pennsylvania a better place to live. As participants in Dining for Diversity on September 10, people from all over Pittsburgh will host about 25 dinner parties in their homes for several hundred people to raise money to continue GLENDA's mission and increase community awareness of the organization. Dinner guests will be asked to make a donation to the organization.

After the individual dinner parties, all guests will head for a unique dessert reception and art auction beginning at 9:00 p.m. at the Society for Contemporary Craft at 2100 Smallman Street in the Strip District. Individual tickets to the art auction and dessert reception are a low $10 and can be purchased at the door or reserved through GLENDA’s web site at www.glenda.org. The dessert reception includes a rich array of after dinner treats, wine and beer, and a chance to bid on unique and individually designed plates decorated by noted local artists in keeping with the dining theme.

Since 1993, GLENDA volunteers have rebuilt houses, refurbished local churches, organized charity events, staffed charity runs and races, repackaged food and medical supplies for the disadvantaged, staffed soup kitchens and helped beautify Pittsburgh through a series of tree and flower bed plantings.

GLENDA Introduces New Mentoring Program
DiversityWorks is a new mentoring program sponsored by GLENDA that aims to provide young gay professionals in our community with mentors who have more experience in the world of work. The primary objective of this program is to provide emerging professionals with information, experience and support to make informed decisions about career goals and life choices.

The program will also strive to empower the gay young professionals to develop and contribute to the gay community by instilling leadership skills through professional development. Also, the mentors and protégés will get to network with other professionals at their level and get a behind-the-scenes look at the gay work landscape in Pittsburgh.

---