Persad Center

Don’t miss the Pride event of the year at Nemacolin this upcoming weekend! Tickets are still available...click the link for more info: www.nemacolin.com/experiences/summer-camp-pride-2021/

Gina Chua is returning to the Reuters offices post-pandemic as one of the most senior transgender journalists in the country. #TransVisibility

Activist Cleve Jones reflects on 40 years of HIV.

Next weekend! Stop by Steel City Craft Emporium and explore aisles of crafters & artisans plus entertainment and food trucks!

Thank you to Steel Army for your support!

Make someone smile this Pride Month with these adorable Rainbow Smiley cookies from our friends at Eat'n Park! A portion of the proceeds will benefit Persad. Available to order online only at www.smileycookie.com

Some things to remember. #MentalHealthMatters

Coffee & Conversation for our 55+ LGBTQ+ folks meets virtually on Zoom every Thursday from 10 AM to Noon. If you'd like to join, send an email to Kathi at [email protected] and she'll send you the link. They'd love to have you to drop "in" and join the conversation any time!

Project Silk will be providing support groups for people ages 13-24 living with HIV. Intakes for the Sound Mind Coalition Support & Educational Group will start on Friday. If you are interested, please contact Denzelle Larkin at [email protected].

This past week has been filled with a few high-profile events which may have caused an increase in anxiety levels. This story, which aired on the Today Show, provides some reassuring words and self-care tips on how to relieve tension.

What's your New Year's Resolution? Take care of yourself in 2021, and put your mental health on the list. Persad Center provides LGBTQ+ competent drug and alcohol treatment. We are here for you. Call us at 412-441-9786.

Is your New Year's Resolution to get sober? Persad Center is here to help you lead your best life. We have the region's first LGBTQ+ competent outpatient drug and alcohol treatment program. We are here for you. Call us at 412-441-9786.

The January 2021 meeting of PFLAG Pittsburgh will take place virtually this Sunday, January 10 at 2 PM. PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies. If you are first-time attendee, email [email protected] to receive the zoom link. Previous attendees will be automatically sent the info. All are welcome!

At the end of 2020, we put together a Community Impact Report to show the work that we've been able to do thanks to our donors and supporters. We discovered a lot about how our clients feel about Persad, and we're glad that 93% of our clients receiving mental health services would recommend Persad to someone who needs help. Our therapists understand the unique needs of our LGBTQ+ communities. Call us today to learn more about how to sign up for therapy 412-441-9786.

The Carnegie Library Rainbow Reading group has announced their next book discussion is Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris. The group will be meeting online on January 28, 2021 at 6:30 PM. For additional info, visit https://evt.mx/kND6cN9r.

Excellent resolutions as we head into the New Year.

As we get ready for the Art for Change Stream-a-thon tomorrow night, we are so thankful for our sponsors who have made it possible! Thank you to our Title Sponsor UPMC; our Signature Sponsor PNC; our Leadership Sponsors the Giant Eagle Foundation and the Centaurs Motorcycle Club;... our Venue Sponsors KeyBank, Highmark with Allegheny Health Network, and Leech Tishman; our Participating Sponsors Giant Eagle, Port Authority, and Comcast; our Small Business Sponsors Rothman Gordon, PC. Workers' Compensation Attorneys, Reed Smith LLP, and Law Offices of Kathleen D. Schneider; and our in-kind sponsors Spirit, Make Sure You Have Fun, Work Hard Pittsburgh, Edward Marc Chocolatier, and American Fundraising Foundation - AmFund. You can still register for this free event on Saturday if you haven't already. The art auction is live, so get your bids in!! Register and bid: http://artforchange.givesmart.com

Reminder that today is the deadline to apply.

We are so excited for Saturday's event Art for Change Stream-a-thon. Our line-up is amazing, and you're going to want to keep this up on your phone or computer all night and pop in and out for your favorite acts. This event is FREE so please join us. We're thrilled to announce that Candi Castleberry and Jourdan Hicks are going to be hosting our event. Throughout the evening, you're going to see the Reverend Deryck and the Deryck Tines Gospel Choir, Paige Polesnak Comedy, Kha'...DJ, a dance battle with Level Up Studios, and Udugirl (aka Janelle Burdell). You'll hear thoughtful conversations with our executive director Carlos Torres, board president Marty Healey, long-time Persad supporters Steve Hough and Nachum Golan, therapist Liz McBride, and our wonderful founder Dr. Jim Huggins. Our signature silent art auction has already begun, and the live auctions featuring art donated by our amazing artists will be at 8:20, 9:20, and 10:20, so set those alarms. If you are one of our VIP guests, you're going to enjoy an hour hosted by Emerson Aniceto - Photography and Tootsie Snyder. This hour is full of sneak peeks at our art, conversations, a brand new and exciting campaign called I Am the Change (tune in to learn more), and performances by Shari Turner, Mother Oak, Scarlet Fairweather, and Phoenix Fatale. Are you registered yet??? You really don't want to miss this. Did we mention it's free? Register here: http://artforchange.givesmart.com

As we move into 2021, we’re here to help you lead your best life. Call us at 412-441-9786.

*WINNER ANNOUNCED* Art for Change Stream-a-thon is in just two days! As a thank you to those of you who registered early, we're giving away one FREE VIP ticket to the event. This ticket includes a VIP gift box delivered to their home including a gourmet pizza kit from our sponsor Spirit, chocolates from our sponsor Edward Marc Chocolatier, and other surprise treats! This person will also receive access to the VIP hour from 6-7 PM with exclusive performances, conversations, an...d a sneak peek at the art featured in the live stream. So who's our VIP winner? *drum roll please* Our winner is... Jean Davis! Jean is actually one of our artists, and we're thrilled she won the early registration VIP giveaway! If you haven't registered yet: artforchange.givesmart.com

Happy Monday! It's a good day because our Art for Change art auction just opened up for bidding TODAY! The auction will be live until Saturday at the end of our live stream virtual event Art for Change Stream-a-thon. Check out the amazing pieces we have available, and bid on your favorites. All proceeds benefit our mental health services for LGBTQ+ people. View the art here: http://artforchange.givesmart.com

We are excited to share our partnership with American Fundraising Foundation - AmFund this year to bring several beautiful vacation packages to our supporters to help raise funds for our LGBTQ+ mental health services. Now you may be wondering if now is the right time for a vacation because of the pandemic. Fortunately, you have THREE full years to travel from the date of purchase, and there are absolutely no blackout dates. You'll have your own complimentary expert travel specialist to help book your trip as things open up. The auction opens up on Monday for a very limited time, so you'll want to get your bids in fast! Check out more details on the trips we have available and register for the auction here: artforchange.givesmart.com

There are a limited number of VIP tickets still remaining for our upcoming Art for Change Stream-a-thon! The main event is free to attend, but the VIP ticket includes an invitation to the online streaming pre-party where you can enjoy performances, conversations, and a sneak peek at the art that will be shown during the live auctions in the main event. Additionally, all VIPs will receive a gift bag delivered to their home filled with tasty treats and goodies. All proceeds from these purchases go towards our LGBTQ+ mental health services. Grab yours here: http://artforchange.givesmart.com