Blanket collection drive set

As part of the weekly Breakfast at Cathedral of Hope — called BACH — program that provides a meal for homeless people, Denise Shoemaker is spearheading a drive, in honor of the late Windy Churitch, to collect blankets to be distributed to the homeless as colder weather approaches.

Shoemaker said this week that blanket donations will be collected during the December Chick Happy Hour on Thursday, Dec. 1, beginning at 6 p.m. at Kinki Lounge, 3606 Greenville Ave.

Blankets can also be delivered to The Brick/Joe’s, 2525 Wycliff Ave., on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Shoemaker explained that BACH volunteers last year began a program to provide “something extra, besides the breakfast” for homeless people during the holiday season. She said the blanket drive is being held in honor of Churitch, a longtime Dallas-area resident who died unexpectedly in October.

“Windy was a really good person and a good friend, and we thought that this would be a great way to honor her memory,” Shoemaker said.
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O&E elects officers

Jeffrey Gorczynski with Citi was chosen as affiliate chair of the Out and Equal DFW Regional Affiliate on Saturday, Nov. 19, when the organization elected its officers for 2012.

Other officers are Chair Emeritus Paul von Wupperfield with Texas Instruments, Community Outreach Chair Ted Vantrabert, Secretary Samantha Seelbach with American Airlines and Treasurer Brandon Aldrich with KPMG.

Gorczynski is a vice president at Citi and has been an active leader and officer of the Out & Equal DFW Regional Affiliate for several years. He played a major role in planning for the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, held in Dallas in October.

Gorczynski said the organization plans to “leverage the success of the summit to start some new initiatives right here in Dallas/Fort Worth. Our ultimate goal is to make the workplace a better place for everyone.”

Von Wupperfeld, who was the first chair of the Out & Equal DFW Regional Affiliate when it was formed five years ago, said he was “particularly pleased we were able to engage so much of our community in those events [during the summit] and show the summit attendees what an exciting place Dallas can be to live and work.”

Out & Equal is a national, non-profit organization headquartered in San Francisco that champions safe and equitable workplaces for LGBT people. In addition to holding its annual workplace summit, the organization has a “Building Bridges” program offering LGBT diversity training for all workplace settings.

For more information, go online to OutAndEqual.org.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition November 25, 2011.