Black Tie Dinner - North Texas' Premier GLBT Event

Press Release

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BLACK TIE DINNER DISTRIBUTES $1.04 Million

Dallas, Texas (December 4, 2009) - 20 beneficiaries share in a $1.04 million distribution from the 28th Black Tie Dinner. The distributions were announced at a party at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel on December 3.

Checks were presented by Black Tie Dinner board members to community leaders of 19 North Texas GLBT supportive beneficiaries and Black Tie’s national beneficiary, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The distribution funds were made available due to the generous support of corporate and individual sponsors, table captains and their guests, and through the purchase of live luxury and silent auction items, raffle tickets and general ticket sales.

Black Tie Dinner is the largest formal seated dinner of its kind in the country in terms of both attendance and charitable contributions. This year, nearly 3,000 guests were treated to an evening of empowerment, entertainment and education featuring keynote speaker San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom; Media Award recipient Cyndi Lauper; Elizabeth Birch Equality Award recipient Judy Shepard; and Kuchling Humanitarian Award recipient Steve Atkinson.

Laurie Foley, Black Tie Dinner co-chair, saluted the sponsors, table captains, dinner guests and volunteers who stepped up and proved their commitment to the beneficiaries and the North Texas community during a period of economic challenges. “Our community is very fortunate to have such committed and supportive individuals and corporations” said Foley. “It is because of their personal dedication to the GLBT cause that Black Tie is able to provide funding for our very worthy beneficiaries.”

Ron Guillard, co-chair, said “These beneficiaries do so much valuable work for deserving people in North Texas and across the nation. It’s a thrill and an honor for Black Tie to be able to distribute these funds.”

The 2009 Black Tie Dinner distributed the following funds to this year’s beneficiaries:

• AIDS Arms $48,191.00
• AIDS Interfaith Network $23,256.00
• AIDS Outreach Center $19,799.00
• AIDS Resources of Rural Texas $20,075.00
• AIDS Services of Dallas $25,836.00
• AIDS Services of North Texas $23,329.00
• Celebration Community Church $26,927.00
• Congregation Beth El Binah $24,119.00
• Equality Texas Foundation $24,243.00
• Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund $50,190.00
• Legacy Counseling Center $27,998.00
• Legal Hospice of Texas $28,498.00
• Northaven United Methodist Church $29,790.00
• OUT TAKES Dallas $20,283.00
• Resource Center of Dallas $40,995.00
• Turtle Creek Chorale $23,621.00
• White Rock Friends $20,202.00
• The Women's Chorus of Dallas $20,668.00
• Youth First Texas $21,980.00
• Human Rights Campaign Foundation $520,000.00

Black Tie Dinner’s board of directors is already working on next year’s dinner, scheduled for Saturday, November 6, 2010, at the Sheraton Dallas. The 2010 beneficiary application will be available on-line in February 2010 at www.blacktie.org. Black Tie Dinner Inc. is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender supportive organizations through a premier event of empowerment, education and entertainment in partnership with the community. The event has headlined local and national celebrities and leaders such as Maya Angelou, Alan Cumming, Geena Davis, Goldie Hawn, Gov. Ann Richards, Sharon Stone, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, Kenneth Cole, Brian Graden and Logo Networks, and Bishop V. Gene Robinson. Black Tie Dinner began in Dallas in 1982 to help support the Human Rights Campaign with 140 guests in attendance at the first dinner, which raised $6,000. To date, Black Tie Dinner has distributed nearly $14 million.

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