Ali Forney Center Breaks Ground On Residence Named For Bea Arthur

Via press release:

On Monday, July 20, 2015, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the Bea Arthur Residence, an 18-bed residence for homeless LGBT youth operated by the Ali Forney Center. In 2012 the New York City Council and the Manhattan Borough President awarded $3,300,000 for the renovation of a long vacant building owned by the New York City Department of Housing and Preservation Development. The building has now been turned over to the Ali Forney Center in partnership with Cooper Square Committee, and renovations are beginning this month. It is anticipated that the building will begin to provide housing by the end of 2016.

Bea Arthur gave one of her final public performances as a benefit for the Ali Forney Center in 2005. She was very upset to learn that hundreds of thousands of LGBT teens were rejected by their families, and driven to homelessness. She said that she would do anything in her power to help these teens. When she died in 2009 the Ali Forney Center learned that she had bequeathed $300,000 to us in her will. At that time, Carl Siciliano, the Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center, pledged that the first building they owned would be named in her memory.

The groundbreaking will be attended by state and city political leaders and by the staff and clients of the Ali Forney Center.

#Pizza4Equality Raises $160K For Cyndi Lauper's Homeless LGBT Youth Fund

Clip description:

In the 26 days leading up to #40ToNoneDay, #Pizza4Equality has raised $160,000 from 4,224 donors! The campaign began with very high goals but low expectations. The support exceeded expectations and provided not only a lot of money but a statement of where our values lie. We're wrapping up soon but wanted to release this thank you video for everyone! (Enjoy the music from Cyndi Lauper's Tony-award winning musical, Kinky Boots!) In it you can get glimpses of the people and programs associated with True Colors Fund. We encourage you to stay in touch with them and help their educational and advocacy efforts to end youth homelessness.

This is the work of activist Scott Wooledge! Donations continue to be accepted at the link above.

Guest Post: Carl Siciliano

"We won't have a faggot in our house."

Those are the words M heard after his mother died of cancer. He was 16. His mom had loved and accepted him. But not his aunt and uncle. They took in his little brother, but left M to fend for himself in the streets.

M lived in a town in Florida that had no youth shelter. He and about 20 other homeless kids slept on the floor of an unlocked building in the town park. He used his knapsack with his school books and his toothbrush and deodorant inside as his pillow. Those were the good nights. The bad nights were when the police chased them out. On those nights he tried to sleep in an abandoned lot, hidden in the weeds. Those nights his allergies tormented him; his eyes and throat swelled, and he struggled to breath.

No matter what kind of night he had, M went to school every day. He did it to honor the memory of his mom, who said she would kick his butt in the afterlife if he didn't get an education. Despite the soul-shattering hardships he endured, he graduated at 18.

"As soon as I get the chance, I'm going to kill you, you fucking faggot."

Those are the words one of M's friends heard when he walked through the courtyard into the youth shelter where most of the beds for New York City's homeless youths are located. Despite local and federal regulations that mandate that youth shelters be in homelike environments with no more than 20 beds, NYC has crowded hundreds of kids into that shelter. Many LGBT kids report being bashed and harassed by the numerous gang members who stay there. M came to New York City after he graduated from high school, and tried to stay at there. But after being attacked too many times he ended up sleeping in the subways.

I met M the day he moved into one of the Ali Forney Center's homelike shelters after sleeping in the subways for six months. That was a really good day for M. He has had some wonderful days since; like the day he was accepted into college, and the day he got hired for his job counseling other teens. Those were good days for the Ali Forney Center as well, as have the been the joyful days in recent months when over 40 of our youths in our new job training program have been hired.

But we have had some really bad days. Since the federal sequestration and it's vast cuts we have lost about $1 Million in government funding. I have been struggling to pay our rents and our food bills, and keep our programs going. I don't sleep in a vacant lot, but I have had more than my share of sleepless nights worrying about the future of the Ali Forney Center.

But in the end I trust we will go forward. Our work of housing and protecting homeless LGBT youths must survive and grow. Too many of the LGBT kids we care for have endured cruelty, violence and contempt in their homes and in other shelters. Over 1,300 kids a year from across our country rely on the Ali Forney Center to provide a home where they are protected and accepted for who they are. I trust that our work will go on, because I trust in the goodness of our community. I was very frightened after Hurricane Sandy destroyed our drop-in center, and yet so many in our community showed me that they would stand by our us in our devastation. The sequestration is a different kind of storm, a storm made by cruel politics, not weather. But no less devastating, especially for the poorest, most vulnerable youths of our community.

I thank Joe, and all of the members of the JoeMyGod community for standing by us with kindness and generosity for many years. Once again, I ask that you stand by us and our youths in a difficult time. Happy Thanksgiving!

NOTE FROM JOE: I'd like to echo Carl's thanks to the JMG community. Carl gives a lovely shout-out to you folks every year at the Ali Forney Center's annual fundraiser, as so many of you have been so very generous over all these years. It's a wonderfully proud moment for me. If you are considering make a donation this year, you can do that here. You can also make donations on PayPal by using this email: mramos@aliforneycenter.org.

In addition, there's an AFC's campaign at IndieGoGo, where "perks" are awarded at various donation levels. The top donation level gets you lunch with famed Brat Pack actress Ally Sheedy, one of Ali Forney's most ardent supporters. Again, thanks so VERY much to all you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, whether you celebrate with your biological family, or as Armistead Maupin famously calls it, your logical one.

RELATED: The Ali Forney Center's financial records are viewable here.

HARLEM: Activists To Fundraise For Ali Forney In Response To Hate Church

On December 3rd, Harlem Against Violence & Homophobia will hold a fundraising event for the Ali Forney Center in response to the continuing attacks on the LGBT community by crackpot Pastor James David Manning, whose church is on the same street as Ali Forney's drop-in center for homeless LGBT youth.

“We can’t sit back and ignore the hateful words on the ATLAH sign,” said Harlem resident Stacy Parker Le Melle, organizer for Harlem Against Violence, Homophobia and Transphobia, the community group comprised of local residents working together to resist ATLAH’s hate speech. “We are trying to help those easily hurt by ATLAH’s messaging, the youth who have been pushed out of their homes due to family rejection, much of it religious-based,” said Le Melle. “We want a neighborhood safe and welcoming for all.”

For their second benefit night, the Harlem residents group will screen Brother Outsider, an award-winning documentary of the life of marginalized civil rights titan Bayard Rustin. Special guests include filmmakers Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer, and Mr. Rustin’s longtime partner Walter Naegle.

"Bayard Rustin spent his life working to build bridges between communities. He sought to heal racial, ethnic, and religious division and he did so in the spirit of love and reconciliation," said Walter Naegle. "Today, our world is still plagued by such strife and thus his work and message is more relevant than ever in seeking to build a just and equal society. 'No Time for Hate,' is a perfect opportunity to carry forth this message."

Hit the link for more information and tickets to the screening.

Cyndi Lauper Advocates For Homeless LGBT Youth At National Press Club Event

From an unusually even-handed report by the Christian site CNS News:

Pop singer and LGBT activist Cyndi Lauper said on Wednesday that homosexual children are “being thrown away because of who they are.” Lauper was speaking at an event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to mark the 40th anniversary of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and to advocate for a new authorization of the bill introduced by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to include language for LGBT youth “protections.” Lauper said that LGBT youth make up to as much as 40 percent of homeless youth in the United States while only seven percent of youth “identify as gay or transgender.” “That, to me is alarming, because that means to me that kids are being thrown away because of who they are,” she said. “I think we need these kids.

Commenters at the above-linked site are, of course, viciously attacking Lauper and LGBT kids. They use Disqus, so feel free to show your support.

RELATED: Tickets went on sale today for Lauper's star-studded benefit concert at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre.

NEW YORK CITY: Cyndi Lauper To Host Benefit Concert For Homeless LGBT Youth

Via press release:

Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund today announced annual “Cyndi Lauper & Friends: Home for the Holidays” benefit concert on Saturday, December 6th at New York City’s historic Beacon Theatre to help raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth homelessness and funds to support the True Colors Fund’s work to address the problem. Cyndi Lauper will be joined on stage this year by 50 Cent, Natalie Maines, Patty Griffin, Salt-N-Pepa, Sufjan Stevens, Emily West, STRFKR, Liv Warfield, Hoda Kotb, and co-hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Laverne Cox. Additional guests will be announced soon. 

“For the fourth year in a row, ‘Home for the Holidays’ will feature an amazing night of performances in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth experiencing homelessness," said Lauper, co-founder of the True Colors Fund. "I am astounded by the artists who continue to give of their time and talent each and every year and I am so excited by the line-up who are joining us in December. The concert plays such an important role in supporting the True Colors Fund’s work to ensure that no young person is homeless again because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

50 Cent! That's interesting. Tickets go on sale here tomorrow. The Beacon Theatre is on the Upper West Side and is one of the most gorgeous venues in New York City.

TOMORROW: Broadway Flea Market

The 28th Annual Broadway Cares / Equality Fights AIDS flea market returns to Shubert Alley tomorrow.

Among the priceless lots available through this year's Grand Auction are private meet-and-greets with stage-and-screen stars Hugh Jackman and Idina Menzel, opening night VIP tickets to 17 of this season's new Broadway shows, walk-on roles at 13 Broadway shows, tribute packages to Elaine Stritch and Joan Rivers, and much more. From posing for photos with your favorite Broadway stars, to buying that lost cast recording, rare costume sketches or special gift you can't find anywhere else – the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction promises something for everyone.

Among the many Broadway stars on hand tomorrow will be Tony winners Boyd Gaines, Lena Hall, James Monroe Iglehart, Nikki M. James, Bebe Neuwirth, David Hyde Pierce, Billy Porter, and Alice Ripley. 

United Nations Celebrates First Anniversary Of Pro-LGBT Campaign

Via press release:

Today, Free & Equal, the United Nations Human Rights Office’s global public education campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality, releases “UN Free & Equal: One Billion Rising” a video highlighting the campaign’s impact to date. “In the past year, more than a billion people around the world have been exposed to Free & Equal’s message of equality and acceptance. Millions of them have watched and shared campaign videos and read and posted materials online,” said Charles Radcliffe, Chief of Global Issues at the UN Human Rights Office. “At a time when the rights of LGBT people being challenged in some countries, the campaign has helped to raise awareness of the stigma, discrimination and violence that continues to affect LGBT communities in all parts of the world.”

Watch the clip.

ATLANTA: Gay Teen Daniel Pierce Speaks At Homeless Shelter Open House Event

Via Project Q Atlanta:

Last month, Daniel Pierce was disowned by his family in a violent confrontation as they attempted a "pray away the gay" intervention. Pierce, a 19-year-old college student, recorded the incident in a video that quickly went viral and was viewed by millions of people. On Friday, Pierce was on hand for Lost N Found's open house and thanked supporters during an event on the steps of a Midtown building the group is working to turn into an expanded shelter for gay teens. "This has been a crazy ride," Pierce said. "I just want to thank everyone for the kind comments. It's just helping me get through a lot of this." Volunteers helped clean up the 7,000-square-foot structure earlier this year in the early steps of a $400,000 renovation. On Friday, the group's executive director, Rick Westbrook said fundraising continues and the group hopes to open the facility in 2015. "There are no words to express what you all have done for us," Westbrook told supporters. "You make this possible for us."

At Broadway Backwards 2014

On Monday night I attended the ninth annual Broadway Backwards at the Hirschfeld Theatre, where Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS raised $424,000 with their show in which men sing Broadway standards written for women and women sing songs written for men. As always, there were a galaxy of gay musical theater stars both on the stage and in the audience, again making Broadway Backwards the gayest night on Broadway - and that's no easy feat. The event benefited Equity Fights AIDS and the New York City LGBT Community Center.

The highlight of the evening for many was the performance by 99-year old Patricia Morrison, who in 1948 originated the role of Kate in Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate. When the curtain rose to reveal Morrison in a wheelchair glamorously draped in purple velvet, I thought the eldergay sitting next to me was going to need his nitroglycerine. After Morrison delivered a quite touching performance of Brush Up Your Shakespeare (from Kiss Me, Kate, of course), the house went wild with a raucous and sustained standing ovation. Tony winner Julie White, the show's co-emcee, came out and attempted to move the show along, but only added to the mayhem when she ad-libbed, "Ladies and gentleman, our next performer is...is..well, he's FUCKED." Because how do you follow that?

I particularly enjoyed super-cute shortie Andrew Keenan-Bolger playing a Starbucks barista smitten with a tall handsome customer in The History Of Wrong Guys from Kinky Boots. I told my buddy Mike that I just want to glue that guy to my dashboard and drive to Fort Lauderdale. Another treat for me was seeing my favorite Broadway diva Beth Leavel (Tony winner from my favorite Broadway show The Drowsy Chaperone) belt out a hilariously lesbi-fied version of She Likes Basketball from Promises, Promises.

Speaking of things lesbi-fied, Debra Monk opened her number by letting the audience know that the lesbian version of a cock-block is known as a clam-slam. Duly noted. Then she told this joke: "Did you hear about the lesbian who went to the gynecologist? The doctor said, 'You have the cleanest vagina I've ever seen!' And she said, 'Well, I have a girl come in once a week.'" Tip your waitress! Monk and Cass Morgan (both of them the co-authors and original cast members of Pump Boys And Dinettes) then launched into a charming duet of I Still Get Jealous from High Button Shoes which included a soft shoe routine that had Monk jibing, "Who says lesbians can't dance?"

I insist you watch all four compilation clips below.

Lesbian Appears At Anti-Gay Harlem Church To Ask For Her Stoning

Post by Jennifer Louise Lopez.

Fearless and fantastic! (Tipped by JMG reader Larry)

Harlem Parents Turn Hate Billboard Into Fundraiser For Ali Forney Center

Wonderful news via the New York Daily News:

A group of Harlem parents are taking a notorious homophobic pastor’s hate and turning it into something positive. Stacy Parker Le Melle and other Harlem parents were so angered by hate-filled signs outside of the ATLAH World Missionary Church on Lenox Ave. that they launched a fund-raiser Tuesday to support a local LGBT youth program. “We wanted to channel our anger into something positive,” said Le Melle, who spearheaded the fund-raiser for the Ali Forney Center. “We had to do something because we don’t want people to think that’s how we feel.” The campaign comes on the heels of Pastor James David Manning’s latest homophobic screed, which he posts on a sign outside of his church despite community disapproval.

Read my previous stories about the church and its evil pastor at this link. Ali Forney, for whom the LGBT youth homeless shelter was named, was murdered on the streets of Harlem in 1997.  The donation page for Harlem Against Violence & Homophobia is right here.

Guest Post: Carl Siciliano

We deal with a twofold tragedy every day at the Ali Forney Center. The first part is that hundreds of thousands of parents drive their children from their homes because they cannot accept having an LGBT child. The second part is that fewer than one tenth of homeless kids in this country can access a youth shelter bed. Hundreds of thousands of terrified, devastated kids are out on the streets tonight with nowhere safe to lay their heads.

Recently I met a girl in Minneapolis who told me about being out on the streets at 16 in the frozen Minnesota winter. She found a bus driver who would allow her to ride the city bus all night. But one night when he was off duty and she didn't have the bus fare, she shivered in the snow, fearing she would die in the cold. Another boy told me of being thrown out of his home in a suburb of Atlanta by a homophobic aunt. Having nowhere to go, he spent three days and nights in the woods near his house, with no food or water, crying and terrified and wanting to die. Finally he staggered out onto a sidewalk and collapsed of dehydration and was hospitalized.

Many kids turn to prostitution, having no other way to support themselves. Deon became homeless in Houston when he was 15. He also rode the buses all night, and would shower in the morning at a friend's house before heading to school. One night he was propositioned while waiting for the bus, and was offered money for sex. Deeply exhausted from his long nights on the bus, he reluctantly accepted. He told me that he felt so ashamed and humiliated by the experience, that he spent over an hour in the shower at his friends house that morning. He was weeping uncontrollably and didn't want anyone to see him like that. Deon lives with us now. Yesterday he told me that at his job at H&M clothing store, he has a portion of his income taken out of each paycheck. He uses this money to sponsor an orphan in Zimbabwe. He was beaming with pride when he told me this. I am more proud of him than I know how to say.

At the Ali Forney Center we respond to LGBT kids in the most horrifying situations imaginable. We respond with food and shelter, with job training and medical care. We work with kids from all over the country. Last year we cared for over 1,000 kids. As important as it is to house and feed these kids, it is just as important to affirm their basic human worth as LGBT people. It is important to show that they belong to our community, that they are valued and loved.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the kids who live with us, that they can have the opportunity to be healed of their terrible wounds. And I am thankful for the community of support that allows us to do this beautiful work. I am especially thankful to Joe and the JoeMyGod community for standing by us year after year. I am especially thankful for the amazing support we received last year when Hurricane Sandy destroyed our drop-in center.

I ask you to consider supporting our kids at this time. We have 200 kids on the waiting list for our shelters tonight, and have to rely on the support of the community in this time of sequestration and government cutbacks. Donations can be sent to us by mail at: Ali Forney Center, 224 West 35th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10001. Donations can be made online here.

I wish all JMG readers a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thank you. - Carl Siciliano.

Father Tony Is Doing The AIDS Ride

Father Tony is doing the Miami - Key West AIDS ride this weekend.  From Tony's rider page where you can sponsor him:

In high school, my idea of exercise was lip-synching Diana Ross. Now, as a 62 year-old gay adventure tour guide and travel writer, I want you to "stop, in the name of love" for a moment and consider supporting the crazy thing I have decided to do. On Friday November 15th, and Saturday November 16th I will join hundreds who will ride their bicycles from Miami to Key West 165-miles. Our journey will be one filled with hope, pride, and the dream of a future free of HIV/AIDS. This year will mark the 10th year of The SMART Ride journey.

So far Tony has corporate sponsorship from South Florida Gay News, where he is their travel writer, and from Key West's Island House. (And from this here website thingy, of course.)  Hit the first link for a worthy cause.

NEW YORK CITY: Banksy Painting Raises $615K For AIDS Thrift Shop

The painting that Banksy donated to Housing Works has sold at auction for $615,000. What an amazing windfall for them.

Al Jazeera On Ali Forney Center

As part of its coverage of the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, yesterday Al Jazeera published a story about the destruction the Ali Forney Center's Manhattan headquarters, which staffers found devastated by chest-high seawater. But Al Jazeera says that the public's reaction to Ali Forney's plight was one of the few "feel-good stories" of the storm. And that good feeling was due in no small part to you, the readers of JMG.

The response to the Ali Forney Center’s story was like nothing it had seen before. The center receives between $250,000 and $500,000 in donations each November and December, the holiday donation season. But in the first 36 hours after the post on Joe.My.God, the center received more than $100,000 in donations. Soon, the total was $400,000. In all, the center received about $1 million in donations right after Sandy, Siciliano says. It remains unclear how much of the bounce was specifically motivated by Sandy or how much of it was because of the center’s elevated profile. A year later, Siciliano is still unsure why or how the center received that level of attention. “We became hot,” Siciliano says. “It was like we were the hot charity for like two months and that had never happened to me before. I didn’t know what that was like.”

The story goes on to note that Ali Forney Center, which has suffered cutbacks in contributions from the state and has not yet seen any FEMA money from the storm, is still struggling for funds. But I will forever be grateful for the fantastic way you beautiful people stepped up after Hurricane Sandy.

At The Ali Forney Center Gala

At Friday night's Ali Forney Center fundraiser, Carl Siciliano thoughtfully seated me and Dr. Jeff at the "Icons & Legends" table, knowing that I would be beyond delighted to spend much of the evening chatting with Stonewall Uprising participants Martin Boyce and Danny Garvin, who were homeless teenagers at the time. Carl forwards us a portion of the note Garvin wrote him afterwards:

Thank you so much for inviting me along with Martin as your guest to a Place at the Table for the AFC. I felt so honored to be there and to see how much the world has changed for gay kids on the street. I wish there had been something like AFC for me when I was on the streets. Maybe I would not have had to live so many nights of out lockers in Port of Authority on 42nd St. Or sell myself for 8 dollars to have a bed to sleep to in and a place to shower. Just some place to be hidden from the world until the next day when it would wall start all over again. I know I would have robbed less food from stores just to get something to eat.

Also seated at our table were Paris Is Burning director Jenny Livingston and one of the film's stars, Junior Labeija, who was also homeless in New York City as a teenager. Labeija, Boyce, and Garvin are all volunteers for the Ali Forney Center. (Amusing side note: Labeija entered in a magnificent cape, which he checked before sitting down.)

Broadway Flea Market: September 22nd

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will hold the 27th annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction on September 22nd in Times Square.

Free and open to the public, the annual event takes place from 10 AM – 7 PM in the heart of the theatre district along West 44th Street (between Broadway and Eighth Avenue) and in Shubert Alley. One of the most popular stops at Broadway’s "one-day sale" is the Autograph Table & Photo Booth. Fans have the opportunity to get autographs and pose for pictures with their favorite stars from Broadway and Off-Broadway in exchange for donations to Broadway Cares.

The celebrities in this year's line-up have collectively won 27 Tony Awards and received 74 Tony nominations. Among those schedule to appear are Tony winners Len Cariou, Gabriel Ebert, Harriet Harris, Shuler Hensley, Cherry Jones, Aaron Lazar, Judith Light, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Bebe Neuwirth, Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Faith Prince and Alice Ripley, as well as other Broadway favorites including Laura Benanti, Robert Cuccioli, Santino Fontana, Jeremy Jordan, Jan Maxwell, Lindsay Mendez, Julia Murney, Rory O’Malley, Laura Osnes, Christopher Sieber, Matthew James Thomas, Patrick Wilson and more.

There will be more than 50 tables of Broadway memorabilia available and the casts of many currently-running shows will be on hand for photos and autographs.

Father Tony Is Doing The AIDS Ride

I don't know where he gets the energy, but in November our own Father Tony will participate in South Florida's version of an AIDS ride.  From the SMART Ride about page:

Like many things that change us and the world in some way, it starts with a dream, a vision, and an idea. The Southern Most AIDS/HIV RideTwenty-Thirteen is no different. It was born out of a dream to make a real and significant difference in the lives of those infected, affected and at risk for HIV/AIDS. The SMART Ride began as a dream to create a bicycle event where 100% of pledges raised could go back to the communities to be used for direct services. That was over eight years ago, and so far $4.2 million dollars have been raised. 100% has been given back to the communities we serve to assist with direct services for individuals infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

From Tony's rider page where you can sponsor him:

In high school, my idea of exercise was lip-synching Diana Ross. Now, as a 62 year-old gay adventure tour guide and travel writer, I want you to "stop, in the name of love" for a moment and consider supporting the crazy thing I have decided to do. On Friday November 15th, and Saturday November 16th I will join hundreds who will ride their bicycles from Miami to Key West 165-miles. Our journey will be one filled with hope, pride, and the dream of a future free of HIV/AIDS. This year will mark the 10th year of The SMART Ride journey.

So far Tony has corporate sponsorship from South Florida Gay News, where he is their travel writer, and from Key West's Island House. And of course, he'll have a JMG sticker on his helmet.

NOTE: Regretfully, I've had to turn down many requests to promote JMG reader participation in AIDS rides and similar events, but since this one is sort of "in-house" for me, I'm making an exception for Father Tony.

Ali Forney Center's Shred Of Hope Celebrity T-Shirt Auction Raised $28,000

Just in via press release:

Shred of Hope, the fundraising campaign for the Ali Forney Center (AFC) presented by Nasty Pig, raised more than $28,000, 100% of which will go directly to the AFC’s programs, the organizations announced today.  Shred of Hope primarily raised funds through an online auction of celebrity-designed one-of-a-kind Nasty Pig Shredders™.  All 29 shirts put up for auction sold. Shredders attracting the highest bids included Adam Lambert’s ($2525), Michael Stipe’s ($2125) and Joe.My.God blogger Joe Jervis’ ($1775).

A full listing of the celebrities who designed shirts for Shred of Hope 2013 can be found at www.shredofhope.com. The campaign raised additional funds at a star-studded launch party held at the Adel Rootstein Showroom in Chelsea, NYC. “It was amazing to be involved in the Shred of Hope and have our kids receive the support of so many generous and creative members of our community,” said Ali Forney Center founder and Executive Director Carl Siciliano. “I am very grateful to Nasty Pig for their commitment and kindness to us. In my mind they are "Wonderful Pig".

I am so amazed that the JMG shirt brought in the third-most amount. Big kisses to all that put in bids for such a fun event for a fantastic cause.