Experiences of a rural DJ
PRIDE
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CJ the DJ (Chris Holman): Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2012 5:24 PM
 I began my DJ work at the closest gay bar to my home, the Rainbow Cattle Company in Dummerston, Vermont (30 miles away) fifteen years ago this summer. The local GLBT Community has been amazing to work with over the years, & collectively I have worked with dozens of AIDS Service Organizations, drag queens, talented singers, community leaders & community-minded businesses.  Nothing pleases me more greatly than living in a part of the country where individuals have come together to recognize that outdated thinking about love & human relationships needs to be removed from our legal system to truly recognize individual relationships, promoting everyone’s health; marriage equality has been the greatest change in our society in my lifetime & I cannot fully convey how deeply it continues to touch me & the lives of my friends & family.    Please continue supporting these causes because we are still a small minority of modern civilization with these rights. I encourage everyone to become part of PFLAG, because wherever you are in the rainbow, it has the ideals & cultural awareness to represent us in the upcoming national arena. I am thankful we have outstanding leadership in our region in the Barry Family, particularly Bobbie whose amazing ability to articulate the needs of the human soul has brought her to the forefront of our national campaigns. There are countless times I have turned to her for support over the years on a variety of projects & her dependability & commitment has been second to none in our community. Thank you. This year, I have three amazing GLBT events that I shall be hosting: Granite State Gay Men Pride Dinner & Dance (6/16 in Concord) National Coming OUT Day Business Expo & Fashion Show (10/11 in Keene) World AIDS Day Dinner & Dance (12/1 in Brattleboro) All events are for non-profit organizations, with the second two directly benefiting Twin States Network, a non-profit for whom I sit on their Board of Directors. In that capacity, I ask you now to consider being a charter donor for the organization this year as federal HIV funding is changed. For $500, you will be added to their website, given a spot at the expo for your business & tickets to our December event. There are some amazing speakers, entertainers & other surprises for both events & space is limited. Anybody who would like to volunteer to be on either event committee or to help those days is welcomed & your help would be greatly appreciated.  The GSGM Pride Dance has been selling tickets for a couple months for 200 dinner spots; those tickets are selling out, with only several dozen left. $20 for a wonderful dinner, great entertainment & dancing or $100 to be a sponsor for the event, AND you still get two tickets, plus the chance to talk at the event. It has been a great privilege working with Jeffrey from Human Touch Massage & many volunteers over the past few months to put this event together. Our dances at the Breezeway have been a lot of fun, with the Sunday crowds filling the bar to capacity. Working with Chris & his crew from Grip Lighting, I know we shall bring you a light & video show unlike anything you are accustomed to in our state!  Personally, I have not hosted a gathering for the GLBTcommunity in quite a while, although I have thrown quite a few memorable ones in the past fifteen years. This year, I am hosting a gay men’s pot luck at my beachfront property on Rockwood Pond on Saturday, June 30 from 11 AM – 5 PM. DJ McKay (Breezeway, Manchester) will be kicking us off from 11-1, & DJ Alan (Cirque, Lowell) will be entertaining through the afternoon. It is BYOB & pot luck. There will be swimming, boating, horseshoes, bocce, volleyball, games & other activities. At five o’clock the pace changes, we open up the attendance to our friends in the larger community, with live music from Santa Croce, a bonfire & whatever adventures the Zebra Party may have in store… To attend either event, you must RSVP, especially if you want to camp.  2012 has already been an amazing year, with lots of great events, but I know the best is just around the corner. If you haven’t had a chance, check out my interview with the talented Mama Savannah Georgia on her television show “Mama Knows Best”. It was an honor to work with her & I look forward to our upcoming events together, including our Fashion Show at the GLBT Business Expo & our World AIDS Day dinner, dance & toy drive conclusion…  Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, & I hope you become a fan on Facebook to remain involved in my activities. If you have an upcoming special event & would like professional entertainment, give me a call & we can discuss availability & pricing. |
Upcoming Gigs, GLBT, PRIDE, Anniversary Party, Freedom to Marry, Tea Dance, Fitzwilliam, Business Expo, World AIDS Day, Facebook, Barbecue, DJ, Santa Croce, Volleyball, Zebra Party, 15th Anniversary, Granite State Gay Men, Mama Savannah Georgia, Rainbow Cattle Company
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Chris Holman: Posted on Saturday, March 03, 2012 10:18 PM
 For more than twenty years, I have been helping various AIDS Service Organizations (ASO’s) in many states with fundraising, prevention work & community education. In 2012, knowing that on both state & federal levels funding for these organizations will be drastically cut in our area, I have accepted the position of Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Twin States Network.  This non-profit has been serving families & children impacted by HIV & Hepatitis C since 1991, creating supportive connections to help promote healthy living. Unlike other ASO’s, this group does not have an office or the overhead associated with those costs, providing direct services for our clients& is the only ASO to contract with both Vermont & New Hampshire. For the first time since its formation, Twin States will be creating an Annual Fund Drive, attempting to compensate for funding changes to keep important programs like Kids Camp, Male Talk & other direct services continuous. Many other ASO’s primarily focus upon drug users & men who have sex with men, whereas Twin States has programs for infected women, magnetic couples (one is positive), & for the children of the families affected.  Our goal this first year is to raise $25,000to be able to keep all programs running. We have created various charter funding levels (we can use anything & everything), but what I am primarily asking for in this blog are business sponsorships of $500. Business sponsorships will be the partnerships in the community that we hope will offset these changes in our funding to help continue to provide opportunities for the families impacted by HIV/HCV. Sponsors will get the following benefits in 2012: Inclusion in quarterly newsletters & on event advertising (as time permits) Recognition of sponsorship at special events Half Table at Business Expo National Coming OUT Day (10.13.12) at Keene Courtyard Marriott Two Tickets to our World AIDS Day (12.1.12) Dinner & Dance at the Brattleboro American Legion
This initial solicitation is a tedious process, particularly because it is being largely organized by people with a background in social services rather than business & there are many issues regarding client confidentiality that limit how we can approach potential sponsors. Also, it is an organization that has run for more than two decades without having the geographic advantages & recognition of an office. We have many needs & plan to have an online auction later this year, so items donated or services in kind are always welcome, including gift cards & toys for our annual holiday drive. Perhaps there is only a single event you would like to sponsor? Event sponsorships for either the Business Expo or World AIDS Day event are also available. Please contact me A.S.A.P. if you are interested in participating in either one. TSN is a registered non-profit & can provide you with information upon receipt of your donation for your tax records.  Want to help, but limited to how to apply funds without being linked to contraceptive education & GLBT causes? Ask to have your $500 sponsorship be applied to the cost of providing one child the benefit of camp this summer. So often we tell children not to have secrets, & in this case we do the exact opposite. These children often become caretakers of their sick parents at an early age, seldom getting the vacations & reprieves their peers do. For $500 you can give one child the memories of a lifetime with two weeks at a premiere campground in our area that is matching camperships donated! This money needs to be raised by the beginning of May. I think that Twin States Network is a great organization & I am happy to be able to help coordinate the two grand fundraising events for National Coming OUT Day & World AIDS Day. I shall add an additional page to this website, like I had published for this same GLBT Business Expo we did in 2010 to also benefit Twin Peaks; I am grateful for the help of Holly Rilling from Edward Jones who will be returning as co-chair for the event & will help coordinate our sponsors in Keene. To attend, we ask for a donation to help kick-off our holiday drive to get gift certificates & toys for children affected by HIV/HCV. We are also looking for volunteers to help with both events, particularly by serving on various organizational committees (fundraising, special events, social media, secretary for the board, etc.). We are slowly building our online presence & encourage everyone to link with us on Facebook, Linked-In, & to check out our website. Any help spreading the message in this blog is greatly appreciated.    Until there is a cure for AIDS, we need to be wary that the information that we have learned, as well as prevention skills, are continuously being shared with the community. Despite medical advancements that have made this a more manageable disease, infection rates continue to remain high; one person in the U.S. is infected every 8 minutes. Please ensure that these individuals continue to receive these important services by supporting the great work of the Twin States Network today. |
Benefits, Local Businesses, Upcoming Gigs, GLBT, PRIDE, Brattleboro, Non-profits, Camp Takodah, Cheshire YMCA, Sponsorships, Business Expo, World AIDS Day
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Boston Pride: Posted on Sunday, November 21, 2010 12:06 PM
 Boston Pride closes 40th Anniversary year by throwing a seasonal celebration for the whole LGBT Community. On Saturday, December 4 at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston Pride will host A Not So Silent Night Holiday Event, a seasonal celebration for the whole LGBT Community. The event will feature casino favorites like Texas Hold ‘Em, Black Jack, and Roulette as well as a 50-50 raffle, and dancing. A Mystery Buy-a-Box component will replace the traditional silent auction giving guests a chance to get some holiday shopping done. “The holidays are a perfect time to bring everyone together. Just for fun. Just to relax, unwind, mingle, network, dance. That’s what the Boston Pride does in June and that’s what we want to do in December. If the LGBT Community can be considered a big family, it’s not enough to get together just once a year. So, we’re hoping to get the family together for an annual Holiday Party too!” Comedian Chantal Carrere, voted one of Curve Magazine’s Top 10 funniest Lesbians, hosts andDJ Chris Holman will be spinning all night. Tickets $10 in advance / $15 at the door and includes chance to win door prize. The party, dice, and dancing get rolling at 7pm. Tickets on sale now at www.bostonpride.org/holiday .
Boston Pride produces events and activities to achieve inclusivity, equality, respect, and awareness in Greater Boston and beyond. Proceeds from the event will benefit Boston Pride’s year-round activities, including development of new educational and human rights programming. |
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