Join our Community Engagement Team and spend time each month giving back to Central Valley nonprofit organizations and representing the LGBTQIA community! We will spend one day a month volunteering to improve the lives of others, as a team alongside others in the Fresno area who are making a difference. Team Members will receive a free Gay Central Valley tee shirt to wear at volunteer events. Gay Central Valley  will do the leg work to set up volunteer days with friendly organizations and send you a reminder to attend and help. Our second volunteer day will be  September 25th, staffing the Family Fest for Gay Visalia on September 25th, where they are excited to managing activities, working a booth, setting up, etc. Because of the distance to Visalia and in order to make sure that everyone participates who wants to, if we get at least 10 people to make firm commitments to go, I will rent a van and drive us down.  GCV will bring your tee shirt and  we will all have a fun evening getting to know one another while doing some good. For more information and to sign up today to be a team member (and give us your shirt size!), send an email to our volunteer coordinator at kate@gaycentralvalley.org .

Photos from August's activity:

Fresno's own Reel Pride Film Festival is kicking off its 21st year (running September 15th-19th at the Tower Theater & Starline) with a Members Only event on the patio at the Fresno Express on Wednesday, August 25th from 6-9PM. Enjoy a summer barbeque, complimentary cocktails and a Silent Auction of exciting prizes to benefit the Reel Pride Film Festival. There are over 50 films scheduled for this year's festival.

This event is only for Members of Fresno's Reel Pride. Membership forms are available online HERE. You can also visit the event's Facebook Page

This Saturday, August 14th, "Friends Family & Community" will be hosting a Benefit Show at The North Tower Circle to raise money for The Living Room, a project of West Care. The Living Room, a local project that provides services and assists those living with HIV/AIDS, recently faced a closing of their facility.

The cuts came from the Fresno County Health Department, and were due, in large part, to a decision by the local Board of Supervisors to close the Specialty Clinic, a local project which provided medical care for those with HIV/AIDS. Community Regional Medical Center took on those displaced patients, but at a higher cost to the Health Department. Therefore, the Health Department was forced to cut their funding of The Living Room.  

Since then, West Care has stepped in with support and The Living Room has made efforts to raise money on their own. You can learn more about the plight of The Living Room by reading Dan Waterhouse's article by clicking  HERE.

We urge the community to come out in support of the cause. Doors open at The North Tower Circle at 6pm and the Benefit Show starts at 7pm, with a great line up of performances, which will be emceed by DivaLicious and Angelina. Admission is $10 at the door, and all proceeds benefit The Living Room. There will be food, fun and entertainment, as well as raffle prizes.

BIG NEWS! - Lee Morris at The Fresno Express has generously agreed to make a cash donation for every customer attending the event. They are also promoting the event throughout their media sites. So the number of people coming to support the event will now have even more of an impact for The Living Room. Also, Virgil Wigley of The North Tower Circle & The Red Lantern, has purchased and donated a 32" Phillips LCD Flat Screen Television, which will raffled off to one lucky winner on the night of the event. Raffle tickets have been on sale at The Circle for some time now and will also be available for sale on the night of the event. Tickets are $1 each or less when purchased in multiples.