We Care About Community!

We select each year's charity beneficiary based on the criterion that the group or organization be based within the boundaries of our Northwest region and offer vital services which have a direct and positive impact on the people served.  

All event attendees are offered the opportunity to make a donation to our designated charity when they register online for NWLC.

In addition, smOdyssey, Inc., the host organization for NWLC, will also donate a portion of the event profit to each year's designated charity.

Please chip in a buck or two when you sign up for NWLC. No donation is too small! Even just a dollar helps take care of those in need!

Our 2013 Designated Charity Beneficiary:

 "Mr Friendly, Bay Area" 

http://www.mrfriendly.info

http://www.facebook.com/MrFriendlySF?fref=ts 

http://www.mrfriendly.info (National Website)

http://www.facebook.com/MrFriendlySF?fref=ts  (Local Facebook Page)

OUR CRITERIA --

All event attendees are offered the opportunity to make a donation to our designated charity when they register online for NWLC.

We select each year's charity beneficiary based on the criterion that the group or organization be based within the boundaries of our Northwest region and offer vital services which have a direct and positive impact on the people served.  

Past Years' Charity Beneficiaries -

Our 2012 designated charity beneficiary was The Pongo Fund:

 www.thepongofund.org

 Their Mission :  "The Pongo Fund reduces shelter populations and keeps animals alive by donating emergency pet food to struggling families unable to keep their own pets fed.

Protecting these animals from being abandoned, surrendered or worse; when a lack of food, but not a lack of love, is their only enemy."

About The Pongo Fund

When we think of the plight of the homeless, many first think of the men and women we see drifting around our cities or camping beneath our bridges. Today, we also think of the many children who have joined their ranks. What we seldom think of are the pets who live with these people. And that’s why The Pongo Fund exists… to help make sure that the pets of the homeless and less fortunate are not forgotten.

Portland, Oregon is fortunate to have a number of organizations providing food for the homeless; sadly almost none of them provide food for the animal companions of the homeless. As a result, meals are frequently shared between animal and person. Consequently, neither one achieves a full stomach. But The Pongo Fund is changing this.

Volunteers from The Pongo Fund regularly seek out and deliver food to these vulnerable animals, allowing the opportunity for both animal and person to each have their own meal. And a better chance at survival.

The Pongo Fund was established in memory of our dear friend Pongo, an almost 19-year-old canine gourmet who lived his years with zest and insisted on making each and every meal a culinary adventure.

With the generous support of a variety of suppliers including Canidae All Natural Pet Foods and Dogswell, The Pongo Fund is honored to have provided more than one million healthy meals to hungry and worthy animals.

The Pet Food Bank                                                  

Food banks ease the hunger of those in need. The people of Portland, and of Oregon, understand this and actively support and utilize the food banks in our communities. Portlanders also love their pets, both their own and the pets of others. It is this convergence of need and affection that is the root of Portland’s first food bank for pets.

But the hungry pets of the homeless are being joined more and more by the hungry pets of people who simply are having trouble making ends meet…middle-class folks pummeled by the economy, white-collar workers recently laid off; even seniors and students are not immune. And when families must choose what to cut from their grocery lists, pets often are among those that suffer most.

For families that can’t afford to feed their pets, the consequences are greater than just
an empty stomach. Many pets will be surrendered to already overburdened shelters, many more will be abandoned. Finding new homes for these pets are never guaranteed. Families will be torn apart, simply because there’s not enough money to buy pet food.

The pain touches every single family, regardless of where they call home. And during these challenging times, that could be any one of us. The Pongo Fund wants to help protect these animals from being abandoned or surrendered when their families cannot afford to feed them.

That’s why we’ve created The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank; Portland’s first dedicated pet food charitable resource. It’s a genuine gift for the entire community…lending a hand when times are tough by providing quality dog and cat food for the companion pets of anyone in need.

Because sometimes, a simple bowl of kibble is the force that keeps a family together and saves the lives of the animals they love.

Our 2011 designated charity beneficiary was:  The Lifelong AIDS Alliance

"The Pacific Northwest's Leading AIDS Service Organization"  http://www.llaa.org

About LLAA:

Mission Statement -
Lifelong AIDS Alliance is committed to preventing the spread of HIV, and to providing practical support services and advocating for those whose lives are affected by HIV and AIDS.

Vision Statement -
A world without HIV or AIDS, where every person living with illness is treated with dignity and respect.

Lifelong AIDS Alliance was formed in 2001 through the merger of Chicken Soup Brigade and Northwest AIDS Foundation. We’ve come a long way since our beginnings in 1983, when a soup can was passed around Volunteer Park and collected the first $42 to help people living with HIV/AIDS in our community.

Today, we are staffers, volunteers, donors and community members from many different backgrounds. We are united in our determination to make sure that we never forget that HIV/AIDS still exists. We will be here until there is a cure.

Caring for People
Lifelong does whatever it takes to improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. We provide health insurance so that people can get the care they need. We cook and deliver healthy meals. We ensure that people have a safe place to live. And our caring case managers help people every step of the way.

Preventing New Infections
Until there is a cure, preventing new AIDS infections is our best hope. Lifelong distributes hundreds of thousands of condoms each year, along with safer-sex messages aimed at stopping thousands of new infections. We also counsel those at risk of spreading or acquiring HIV.

Advocating For Change
Decisions made in Olympia and Washington, DC have a profound effect upon people living with HIV/AIDS here in Seattle/King County. We represent those living with HIV/AIDS and ensure that our voices are heard at the local, state and federal levels.

Creating Community
Lifelong builds a strong network of support for our programs and services. Events such as our annual AIDS Walk raise both awareness and financial support for people living with HIV/AIDS in Seattle/King County.

For more information visit us at http://www.llaa.org 

Our 2010 charity beneficiary was: Q Center of Portland, Oregon.

About Q Center:

Q Center is a 501c3 non-profit organization with a mission to increase the visibility of and foster connection within metropolitan Portland’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning (LGBTQ) community. The center builds public awareness and support, and celebrates LGBTQ diversity through art, culture, and collaborative community programming.

The purpose for creating and operating Q Center is to:
• Create a safe and welcoming community gathering place for LGBTQ programs, events, meetings and resources;
• Stop isolation among LGBTQ families, older people, youth and other vulnerable groups within the LGBTQ community;
• Increase public awareness of and understanding within the LGBTQ community by creating a permanent visible presence;
• Accelerate access to essential services and programs for LGBTQ community through onsite delivery and referrals to our Q friendly partners; and
• Strengthen existing LBGTQ organizations through promotion of project collaboration, shared meeting space, and expanded community access.

E mail: info@pdxqcenter.org
Phone: 503-234-7837

To reach Q Center by mail:
Q Center
4115 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR 97217

Our 2009 charity beneficiary was the AIDS Coalition of Silicon Valley (now known as the AIDS Leadership Center).

http://www.aidsleadershipcenter.org/

Mission - The Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center, formerly AIDS Coalition Silicon Valley, is dedicated to leading the fight, united with our communities, to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS and enhance the lives of affected persons.  

Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center

2060 Forest Ave.
San Jose, CA 95128
PHONE: 408-451-WALK (9255)
FAX: 408-248-7423

Our 2008 charity beneficiary was the Lyon-Martin Health Services of San Francisco.

http://www.lyon-martin.org/

Mission: Lyon-Martin Health Services provides excellent health care to women and transgender people in a safe and compassionate environment with sensitivity to sexual and gender identity; services are provided regardless of ability to pay.

Lyon-Martin Health Services is the only free-standing community clinic in California with a specific emphasis on lesbian/bisexual women and transgender health care. Founded in 1979 by a group of medical providers and health activists, Lyon-Martin bridges the gap in sensitive health services available to low-income, uninsured women (primarily lesbians and bisexual women) and transgender people, who have often tended to go longer without routine care because of the difficulty in finding culturally sensitive health providers. At a time when unemployment and loss of insurance benefits is on the rise, we continue to provide instrumental services for our communities.

Lyon-Martin Health Services
1748 Market Street Suite 201
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-565-7667
415-252-7512 (Fax)
info@lyon-martin.org

Northwest Leather Celebration is proudly produced by the volunteers of smOdyssey, Inc., a 501c7 not-for-profit CA corporation.