On June 13, Women’s Pride in the Pines, a lavish and well-attended benefit for a most worthy cause, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, took place at Whyte Hall, Fire Island Pines’ community center and theater. With 375 to 400 of the crème de la crème of the Pines, Cherry Grove, and New York City in attendance, according to hardworking host and organizer Linda Gottlieb, the event had raised nearly $125,000, by the evening of June 15, “with checks still coming in,” to fund empowerment, education, and advocacy for LGBTQ youth, through Hetrick-Martin, which is the host agency for Harvey Milk High School and operates the Center for LGBTQ Youth Advocacy and Capacity Building.
In the afternoon, there was a silent auction of high-end trips abroad, theater tickets, gift certificates, gift baskets, jewelry, and other items, with tasty hors d’oeuvres and beverages being served, on the deck of Whyte Hall, and a dance inside the hall, with music by DJs Susan Levine and Johnny Dynell. In the evening, there was a VIP dinner, with a show by singer Joi Cardwell, in Whyte Hall. The dress code for the day was “classic white.”
Founded in 1979, Hetrick-Martin empowers more than 2,000 LGBTQ youth annually, providing safety, acceptance, career training, HIV counseling, meals, and assistance in finding housing, to ensure that young people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression, achieve their full potential.