The HOPE Fund board co-chair Allan GilmourOver 100 guests attended a soiree and fundraiser for The HOPE Fund in the magnificent gardens at the Palmer Woods home of Dr. Boyd Richards and Joshua Ronnebaum June 25. Donors and potential donors sipped champagne and fine wine, nibbled on delicious hors d'oeuvres and celebrated almost a quarter century of philanthropy to benefit the area's LGBT organizations.
Board co-chair Allan Gilmour spoke about the challenges still facing the LGBT community. "A year ago we thought we were in really good shape and it would be downhill going forward. But now, I'm not sure which way we are going in this current political environment." He highlighted several recent grants to Freedom House and Equality Michigan and said The HOPE Fund now has $2.7 million in the endowment fund. He encouraged those present to remember The HOPE Fund in their wills. "Remember, the money doesn't go until you do," he quipped.
The Prism Gay Men and Allies' Chorus of Metro Detroit performed three numbers from their sold out performance at Royal Oak's Baldwin Theater the night before. Gilmour thanked Mariam Noland, president of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan where The HOPE Fund is held and managed, for her and her staff's years of support. Event chair Gerry Banister thanked the hosts of this event and year's past.
