Beneficiaries for 2020 Holiday with Heart

As part of our mission, Holiday with Heart is committed to administer the financial support necessary to further the missions of 501(c)(3) organizations that provide direct assistance to the local LGBT+ community. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the inability to hold the in-person event this year, the income into the charity will be significantly reduced.  That being said, generous supports are stepping forward to sponsor the 2020 charitable objectives, even without the formal Gayla event.  The Holiday with Heart Committee has received submissions for consideration, and are pleased to announce the three beneficiaries this year:  

The Ann Wayson Locher Memorial Fund for HIV Care at UTMC

The Holiday with Heart funds will move them closer to finishing the production of their film project as a documentary “HIV in the Rustbelt.” The film is intended to increase awareness about how HIV impacted our local Northwest Ohio Community.  They are working toward having this film production picked up by our local PBS station as well as submitting this work to national film festivals. They are also working on developing a teaching tool to go along with the documentary. To learn more about this project, click the UTMC logo to link to a UT news article about “HIV in the Rustbelt".

Toledo School for the Arts 

Toledo School for the Arts is a public “community” or charter school focused on providing a college preparatory academic curriculum and an intense visual and performing arts environment. TSA is located at 333 14th Street in downtown Toledo, Ohio. TSA nurtures two student organizations that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Holiday with Heart funds will go to furthering the work of Prism, a group for all students in grades 6-12 that is devoted to education and awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues. Through this student group’s advisor who is a LPSC (Licensed Professional School Counselor), students have access to professional expertise in counseling as a great benefit to students who may be wrestling with gender/identity/discrimination issues.

In 2016 LGBTQ+ Spectrum of Findlay implemented monthly support groups. Since then the group has evolved and now meets three times per month and includes several sub-groups. The board saw a real need in the community for a youth specific support group that focuses primarily on youth aged 13-18yrs. This group has seen consistent increases in attendance from the trans and gender non-conforming population. Licensed professionals that are contracted by LGBTQ+ Spectrum of Findlay facilitate all the groups. Holiday with Heart funds will go to moving forward with the support groups, increase local awareness by increasing marketing efforts, and continuing to collaborate with other local nonprofits.

First Sponsor of Charitable Objectives 2020 Buckeye Broadband     

Equitas Health Care Welcomed as Return Sponsor for 2020

In this unusual time for Holiday with Heart, without a formal Gayla event this year, we appreciate the sponsors who are coming forward to continue the charitable objectives.  Returning as a Red Level sponsor for 2020, we are happy to have the support of Equitas Health. Equitas Health is a not-for-profit community-based healthcare system founded in 1984. Its expanded mission has made it one of the nation’s largest HIV, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) healthcare organizations. This year it will serve more than 67,000 individuals in Ohio through its diverse healthcare and social service delivery system focused around: primary and specialized medical care, behavioral health, HIV/STI prevention, advocacy, and community health initiatives. With 13 offices in 10 Ohio cities (including Toledo at 3450 West Central Ave.), the support you’re looking for is right around the corner. Click on the logo to visit the Equitas Health website.

Fifth Third Bank Return Sponsor of Holiday with Heart

Years ago, It was a long term goal of the Holiday with Heart Charity to have a major banking institution step forward to support the mission of HWH. We are excited to have continued the relationship with Fifth Third, who were that first at the time, to sponsor the Gayla event.  Corporate social responsibility is a way of life at Fifth Third Bank. They are committed to actively engaging individuals and community groups to affect positive change for the betterment of all. Their motto “We live here, too” speaks to that commitment to improving lives in all the markets they serve. Fifth Third Bank happily provides banking and financial services to its LGBT customers, and looks forward to serving you. We are deeply appreciative of the sponsorship, and look forward to working with Fifth Third in our mutual objective to improve our community.Click the logo image to visit the website.

PrEP, an acronym from Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is the use of prescription drugs by people who do not have HIV/AIDS as a strategy for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. It is an optional treatment which may be taken by people who are HIV negative, but who have substantial, higher-than-average risk of contracting an HIV infection.  A drug used for PrEP is Truvada, which is the brand name of the Gilead Sciences drug combination of tenofovir/emtricitabine. The Centers for Disease Control says that "PrEP is a powerful HIV prevention tool. People who use PrEP must commit to taking the drug every day and seeing their health care provider for follow-up every 3 months."  This year Holiday with Heart is pleased to have Gilead Sciences as a Sponsor of our 2020 charitable objectives.

Sponsorship Announced for 2020  Huntington Bank

Holiday with Heart is pleased to welcome Huntington as a Green Level sponsor for 2020. Toledo, Ohio is the headquarters of Huntington. Huntington Bank has a long and distinguished history of supporting programs throughout Northwest Ohio that are designed to enrich the community. The breadth and depth of these efforts range from multi-million dollar programs aimed at the revitalization of major parts of the city, to the individual volunteer efforts of Huntington associates at all levels of the corporation. Goals have been set and solutions found to area problems. Huntington provides support in a variety of areas including economic development, health care, housing, education and the arts. Huntington Bank is proud to be an essential partner in Ohio. The leadership and the colleagues at the bank take this role seriously. These programs underscored the innovation that is a hallmark of Huntington’s efforts to support Northwest Ohio programs and nonprofits for the long-term.  Click the logo to visit the website.

Signature Bank Sponsors Support for LGBT Communities

Signature Bank at 4607 W. Sylvania Ave. in Toledo, was founded in 2002 as a locally owned and operated bank that focuses on the business, institutional, governmental and professional communities in Northwest Ohio. They are owned by approximately 500 local shareholders and governed by a local board of directors.  Their local decision making gives them the ability to provide custom solutions to clients. The “Gold Standard” service philosophy is supported by their clients’ opinions; 100% of Signature Bank clients consistently recommend their banking services to others.  Holiday with Heart is so pleased to announce Signature Bank as a Green Level Sponsor of the 2020 charitable objectives. This show of support for the local LGBT communities is greatly appreciated! Click the logo image to visit the website for Signature Bank.

• $5,000 - LGBTQ+ Spectrum of Findlay
• $5,000 - University of Toledo Foundation LGBTQ Scholarships
• $5,000 - Promise House Project Van
• $3,983 - Holiday with Heart Fund Toledo Community Foundation

A donor driven Matching Fund Challenge at the event raised another $6,111 for the Holiday with Heart Fund at the Toledo Community Foundation. This increased the overall contribution to the HWH Fund from the 2019 Gayla to $10,094. The remaining income ($1,789) was directed to the charity's checking account for 2020 event seed funds ($4,087 combined current balance).

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If you are interested in receiving the latest news, information, and updates from Holiday with Heart, join our new e-mail mailing list. Please send your e-mail address to Holiday with Heart committee at:                                                                       [email protected] 

2020 Event Sponsors: