They were popping bottles in the place all night long. Affirmations LGBTQ community center in Ferndale hosted its most successful Fall Fling fundraiser ever Saturday night. The party's theme being Wizard of Wine, attendees were asked to bring two bottles of wine – one to share and one to be auctioned – in place of an entrance fee. With close to 300 attending the event, which returned to its roots and took place at the center this year, nearly an equal number of bottles was auctioned off and more than 200 were consumed.
Photos by Tih Penfil.
The auction and raffle raised $4,000 while a direct plea for donations from Affirmations' Executive Director Dave Garcia netted an additional $25,000 on the spot. A third stream of revenue, corporate sponsorships and ad sales for the official booklet, brought in $17,000. Adding that to all of the in-kind donations and the grand total was just over $56,000.
“It's important to note that because people brought the wine and the food was all donated and we used our own building, we had very little cost associated with this event,” Garcia said. “We spent about $1,000 on the event.
“My goal with this event has always been to showcase the building and have a great night with good food, music and, of course, wine,” Garcia continued. “I'm happy with the number, but I'm much more excited about all the people who came into the building and walked around getting to know all the various programs we have.”
Garcia started the Fall Fling during his first tenure as executive director of Affirmations. It was designed to be a low-cost alternative to the annual Spring Bash gala, which is a black-tie fundraising event.
“It has always been important to me that this event be inexpensive and easily accessible for everyone in our community,” Garcia said. “It was important to bring it back to its roots and not sell tickets and only have the two bottles of wine rule to get in.”
Longtime Affirmations volunteer Michelle Fox-Phillips was pleased with the change, noting that at one time under the leadership of executive director Darrious Hillmon the cost of the Fling had risen to $75. Fox complained to the Affirmations board earlier in the year about the increased cost. But the two bottles of wine rule, Fox-Phillips said, was perfect for any budget.
“I thought it was awesome, to be honest,” Fox-Phillips said. “Dave came back and he instituted the two bottles of wine. He also moved the Fling back to Affirmations, too. So that was cool.”
The bar set up in the center's cyber café was so besieged by thirsty attendees that Brianna Dee Kingsley, who'd come to the party to enjoy the festivities, was inspired to set down a fresh plate of food to jump behind the counter and help out. She went onto serve behind the bar, pouring a bleary river of reds and whites, sweet and dry, for over two hours.
“Ever since Dave returned, I have been spending more and more time at the center,” Kingsley said. “It is full of life again. I see hope in the faces I meet there.”
Affirmations to partner with Corktown Health Center
Midway through the evening, the leadership of Affirmations addressed the crowd and announced a new joint initiative between the center and the Corktown Health Center. The partnership “will expand healthcare and community services provided to the LGBT community in Wayne and Oakland counties,” said Affirmations Board President Mike Flores, who announced he is stepping down immediately to move to Corktown Health Center and oversee the partnership from that end.
“The details of this partnership will be outlined in the future, but both Affirmations and Corktown have already taken several steps to clearly signal the importance of such a partnership,” he said. “The partnership is extremely important for our community. … My transition to Corktown will require me to step down from the Affirmations board but it will ensure this project will be successful for both Affirmations and Corktown.”
Flores announced that Affirmations Board Vice President Cheryl Czach would be stepping into the interim president role. For her part, Czach thanked Flores on behalf of the board for his ongoing efforts.
“Mike, thank you for your years of dedicated and selfless service to Affirmations and our community,” Czach said. “It was your vision and, frankly, your tenacity, that got us through some very difficult times. Affirmations is more stable and a thriving organization because of your leadership.”
Garcia told the crowd that centers across the country were all looking at providing healthcare services.
“At a time when we all know that we are under attack, especially in health care, when a pediatrician in Detroit refuses to treat a baby because that baby's parents are lesbians and then hides behind a religious exemption,” he said. “And we see these religious exemptions popping up all over the country. And transgender people are being denied care. It is now more important than ever that we protect our own in the field of health care. So, we at Affirmations want to provide culturally competent, compassionate health care for our people.”
