1 Voice Gala

An event planning novice tries his hand at staging a benefit dinner. PLUS: A Scottsdale jeweler designs a gift for donors to the community center.

By Glenn Gullickson

Michael Saragosa

Novice event planner goes to work to stage 1 Voice Community Center gala

When Michael Saragosa volunteered to coordinate the 1 Voice Community Center gala, he had never attended a local LGBT fundraising dinner gala.

After getting a crash course at organizing such an event, the results of Saragosa's efforts will be on display when the gala, with the theme "All That Glitters," is staged Nov. 19 at Embassy Suites North in Phoenix.

It was last spring that Saragosa attended a meeting of the 1 Voice board during a troubled time for the organization. Beset with financial problems, the community center's leaders considered canceling the annual gala, which had traditionally featured a fashion show.

Saragosa proposed a dinner format for the benefit, volunteering himself to organize an event he had never witnessed.

Saragosa said he went looking for a way to contribute to the community after moving from Florida to Phoenix in 2010. He found that the community center needed help at a time that its future appeared questionable. "The community center was something that the LGBT community had to have," he said.

The event Saragosa organized will celebrate the center's survival — and revival, after it recently moved to a new location.

Saragosa acknowledged that early on, some people he asked weren't interested in helping to stage an event for an organization that appeared to be troubled. "Talking to people, I've really been able to kind of turn their opinion," he said. "I'm really happy with the response and support I'm getting from every direction," he said.

Saragosa said he expects about 200 people to attend the gala, which will include a reception, dinner, awards and a speaker.

"We're creating this gala with zero budget," Saragosa said. "Everyone who's involved is donating their time, energy, equipment, everything."

Finding a venue was the first step for Saragosa's project and he said the management at Embassy Suites North offered to provide the space as well as audio and video necessary for the program. The hotel is only charging for food, he said.

That helped Sargosa's intention to keep the gala's ticket price low. At $50, it's a bargain compared to similar events where admission can run into the hundreds of dollars.

"We wanted to create an event that wasn't elitist by any means," Sargosa said. "We really wanted to include as many people as possible."

The major fundraising aspect to the evening will be the gala's silent and live auctions, Sargosa said. -E

Event details

Theme:

Coming the weekend before Thanksgiving, the "All That Glitters" theme is meant to kick off the holiday season. Community groups have been asked to create centerpieces appropriate to the theme that will be auctioned off with the money going to the organizations.

Awards:

Gail Loose, program director for the Tumbleweed Youth Program; local activist Bill MacDonald; Chris Wilson, the Phoenix Police Department's liaison to the LGBT community; and 1 Voice board members Jimmy Gruender and Marisa Zelaya Tristan will be honored.

Entertainment:

The Voices of the Desert choir and the Desert Overture concert band will perform.

Host:

Drag entertainer Lady Christian will host the event.

Speaker:

Kim Pearson, executive director and co-founder of TransYouth Family Allies, will speak.

VITAL STATISTICS

"All That Glitters"
Benefit gala for 1 Voice LGBT Community Center
6 p.m. Nov. 19
Embassy Suites North
2577 W. Greenway Road, Phoenix
Tickets: $50, VIP $75
http://1vcc.org

Rainbow Pendant

Scottsdale jeweler designs gift for 1 Voice donors

Among the things that will glitter at the 1 Voice Community Center's "All That Glitters" gala will be pendants that will be given to those who pledge to make a yearlong commitment to donate to the community center.

The pendants, featuring colors from the rainbow flag, will be given to donors who pledge $30 a month for the next year, according to Michael Saragosa, gala coordinator.

Saragosa said that jeweler Cornelis Hollander is donating 25 of the inch-long pendants he created using red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple stones.

Originally from Holland, Hollander said he worked in London's jewelry district and then in South Africa before he and his wife came to Arizona 28 years ago. For 15 years, he's operated Cornelis Hollander Designs in Scottsdale, where he designs everything offered for sale. Cornelius Hollander Hollander said that his main business is engagement rings and wedding bands. He said he's noticed an increasing number of same-sex couples among his clientele.

Saragosa said that Hollander is also donating three items to be offered during the gala's auction.

"He's going the extra mile to reach our market," Saragosa said. -E

Cornelis Hollander Designs is located at 4151 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale. For more about Hollander, visit www.cornelishollander.com.