Pacific Pride Foundation (PPF) provides programs and services to more than 10,000 people in Santa Barbara County, including community events and resources for the local LGBTQ+ and HIV-impacted communities and their families. June is National Pride Month, but PPF knows it is not a typical summer.

Every year for the last 13 years, PPF has brought the annual Pacific Pride Festival to Santa Barbara as a friend-raiser and gift to the entire community.

In light of COVID-19, the festival will not take place this year. However, celebrating the vibrant LGBTQ+ community is more important than ever in the midst of such uncertain times. To that end, PPF is has announced Summer of Pride — a collection of opportunities to safely celebrate and connect with others — all summer long.

This year, PPF’s celebration of pride goes beyond the month of June when National Pride month is traditionally celebrated, said Jackie VanLingen, development and events manager and events organizer.

“From now until the end of August, PPF encourages our community to get moving, reach out, meet new people, support local businesses, and show their pride,” VanLingen said. “PPF has something for everyone to get involved in as the weather heats up.”

Fitness

Move With Color: This six-week fitness campaign will challenge the community to get active while raising funds for the local LGBTQ+ center. An Apple Watch, FitBit, Google Fit, Garmin, Misfit, Strava, or cellphone can all be used to track progress along the way while friends, family, co-workers, and social media followers sponsor participants to raise funds for PPF.

Each participant will receive a free rainbow bandanna to show their pride as they safely move through their community, whether it’s walking, rolling, marching, dancing or swimming to their goal. Thank you to Marilyn Makepeace for underwriting the cost of this program. Participants can register at https://www.charityfootprints.com/MoveWithColor/ to participate.

Entertainment

LGBTQ+ Comedy Fundraiser: On Jun. 25, Bear Cave Comedy hosts an all-LGBTQ+ lineup of comics to raise money for Pacific Pride Foundation. Featuring comics who have performed at Flapper’s, Laugh Factory, Laughs Unlimited, CONAN, HBO, and Amazon Prime, the event will be hosted virtually, with a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales going toward PPF’s Summer of Pride. For tickets visit https://bearcavecomedy.simpletix.com/e/54430.

Eat

The Pride Donut: In honor of National Pride Month, Hook & Press Donuts have launched its Pride Donut, a triangle-shaped, yeast-raised donut with vanilla bean glaze and rainbow stripes. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Pacific Pride Foundation’s Summer of Pride and the work being done at Campaign Zero to utilize research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America.

Shop

SeaVees: Throughout June, SeaVees has created a sole-ful way of celebrating Pride. Five dollars from every shoe sold from their rainbow shoe collection will benefit Pacific Pride Foundation’s Summer of Pride. Community members can purchase shoes at https://www.seavees.com/pages/search-results?q=pride.

Deckers: Deckers Brands is providing a 10% giveback of all of their sales from their Goleta retail shop in support of Pacific Pride Foundation’s Summer of Pride. The shop is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Norwex: In support of National Pride Month and in honor of Pacific Pride Foundation’s PROUD Youth Group, Tracy Womack will be donating 100% of the profits from her sales of Norwex to PPF’s Summer of Pride. Norwex is a line of microfiber cleaning and personal care products that improve one’s quality of life by helping radically reduce chemicals in the home. Shop at https://tracywomack.norwex.biz/en_US/customer/shop.

Youth & Children

PROUD Summer Program: The PROUD Summer Program for LGBTQ+ & ally youth ages 12-17 kicked off Jun. 16, featuring a partnership with the Santa Barbara Public Library, talks with world-renowned writer and transgender activist Kate Bornstein, and reading works by Ngozi Ukazu, Zoraida Córdova, and Kacen Callendar.

Youth do not need to read the books to take part in sessions, and can sign up one time and are welcome to drop into any sessions through Aug. 20. Youth can sign up at https://tinyurl.com/ya8hg9lf.

Love Makes a Family Story Time: Community members can celebrate Pride Month with LGBTQ+ stories for all ages.Santa Barbara Public Library librarians and Patrick Lyra Lanier, LMFT (they/them), Program Manager at Pacific Pride Foundation, will host a special story time at 2:30 p.m. Jun. 17 online. Community members can register at https://tinyurl.com/yb5mxrzd.

Older Adults

PROUD Older-Adult Luncheon: Hosted online weekly at noon on Thursdays, the Older-Adult Luncheon is designed for LGBTQ+ and ally folks over 50 to connect with their community. For Pride Month, the Jun. 18 luncheon will feature Jane Fleishman. Fleishman is a certified sexuality educator, researcher and writer with some 40 years of experience.

In her recent TEDx talk, Is it OK for Grandma to have sex? she articulates her mission to promote the sexual well-being of older adults. Community members can sign up at https://www.facebook.com/events/3857300541011938/.

Pacific Pride Foundation is grateful for donations to further the Summer of Pride campaign. PPF is looking for support to bring the community online events featuring local and/or national talent. All sponsors will be listed on the Pacific Pride Foundation website for an entire year.

For more information or to make a donation visit pacificpridefoundation.org.