FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HETRICK-MARTIN INSTITUTE CELEBRATES 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY AT 3RD ANNUAL WOMEN SPEAK LUNCHEON
Festivities Run Concurrent with 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and the First World Pride Event on US Soil – Trio of Observances to Draw Celebs & Notables from LGBTQ Movement
NEW YORK, February 25, 2019 – Commemorating forty years since Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI) opened its doors, the nation’s first and oldest LGBTQ youth services organization has launched a year-long celebration. The upcoming 3rd Annual Women Speak Luncheon on February 28 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City is one of its several marquis fundraising events this year where supporters will come together to celebrate this special milestone. The Women Speak event addresses the creation of safe spaces for all lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and heterosexual women, where they are treated as equals and with the utmost respect.
The non-profit youth agency is marking this very special milestone by reflecting on its accomplishments over the past four decades including the foundation of NYC’s Harvey Milk High School, launch of the Center for LGBTQ Youth Advocacy and Capacity Building, formation of the HMI Goes Citywide initiative, creation of HMI: New Jersey—the first wrap-around LGBTQ youth service agency in the state, and scores of other programs and services aimed at promoting the safety, health, and wellbeing of LGBTQ young people.
HMI’s 40th anniversary celebration dovetails with two other momentous events for the LGBTQ community, including the 50th anniversary of the civil unrest that kicked off the modern LGBTQ rights movement known as the Stonewall Uprising; as well as World Pride, hosted in the US for the very first time since its inception almost 20 years ago.
HMI Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Krever, struck a forward-looking tone in his comments about the 40th anniversary remarking, “We fully understand and embrace our role and responsibility to continue to provide the highest quality services to the thousands of LGBTQ youth who walk through the doors here at 2 Astor Place in NYC; but we also recognize that the vast majority of LGBTQ young people living beyond the borders of our great city and state may never have the opportunity to join us here in our space.” He continued, “We’ll be working to bring thought leadership and best practices to LGBTQ service providers everywhere. We’re sharing our innovative model for success with community stakeholders, non-profits and service providers all over the US and the world to ensure LGBTQ young people don’t have to travel for this type of support and can safely, effectively access critical support within their own communities.”
Mr. Krever also expressed gratitude to all those involved, noting that HMI wouldn’t have arrived at this hallmark moment without the valiant efforts of its donors, board members, partners, advocates, staff, alumni, staff, volunteers and young people, calling them, “the reason countless LGBTQ youth have prospered and flourished, and today are sharing their own successes, paying it forward to help young people like them experiencing similar circumstances. We at HMI remain clear that growing up living your life authentically isn’t a privilege, but an integral right afforded to every human being —especially our youth.” He also commented on this year’s World Pride Partnership program where Nordstrom, Fossil and Bloomberg, the first of several companies, are providing unique sponsorships, on top of perennial support, throughout this very special milestone year.
For more details about the year-long celebration marking Hetrick-Martin’s 40th anniversary, visit www.hmi.org/hmi40.
ABOUT HETRICK-MARTIN INSTITUTE
Founded in 1979, Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI) is the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit leader in LGBTQ youth service programming. Today, HMI serves more than 2,000 at-risk youth each year between the ages of 13 and 24 from more than 300 zip codes in New York and throughout the tri-state area, and an additional 8,000 young people through outreach efforts – as well as countless lives changed by our advocacy, training and capacity building work around the world. For more information, please visit www.hmi.org.
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Press Contact:
Gino Hawley
917-319-4078
gino@principalbrands.net