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Potawatomi Bingo Casino
As a corporation, Potawatomi Bingo Casino has a long history
of assisting charitable organizations. This is a result
of the fundamental beliefs of the Potawatomi people, the
cornerstone of which is the Circle of Life. Paralleling
the seasons of nature, the Circle of Life demonstrates the
Potawatomi reverence for all living things and nurtures
the belief that they are a self-reliant and self-determined
nation of people. For well over a decade, Potawatomi Bingo
Casino has sponsored PrideFest and supported Milwaukee's
LGBT community. It is therefore fitting that PrideFest honor
Potawatomi Bingo Casino with the PrideFest Medal for Corporate
Community Service.
Joseph R. Pabst
Over the years, Joseph Pabst's generous philanthropy has
empowered many organizations and individuals to positively
impact our community in its struggle for recognition and
equality. His funds for community support include The Greater
Milwaukee Foundation's Johnson and Pabst LGBT Humanity
Fund and the Cream City Foundation's Joseph R. Pabst LGBT
Infrastructure Fund.
Most recently, his endowment to the University of Wisconsin
- Milwaukee Library LGBT Archive has provided a significant
financial resource for the preservation of our LGBT community's
history. Through this gift, he have established the means
by which future generations may study and understand the
rich social history of our LGBT experience.
It is therefore fitting that PrideFest honor Joseph R.
Pabst with the PrideFest Medal for Community Service.
To Be Named At The Opening Ceremony
Volunteerism is the strength of our community. Southeast
Wisconsin boasts over 90 LGBT groups and organizations.
They are founded, led and maintained by a core of dedicated
individuals who receive no financial benefit for their generous
dedication of time, effort, emotion and talents for the
benefit of others.
PrideFest is just one of those organizations. Over the
years, it has assembled a core of volunteers who give hundreds
of hours to create what is now the world's largest LGBT
music festival. They donate their most valuable asset -
their belief in this cause. They participate in every aspect
of PrideFest production from beginning to end. For many,
if not most, volunteers, PrideFest has become an integral
part of their lives. Without them, PrideFest would not and
could not exist.
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About the Medals
Each year a new medal will be designed by a local artist and executed
by Chris Jensen of C-3 Designs, official PrideFest jeweler.
PrideFest board member and executive director of the Milwaukee Gay
Arts Center, Paul Masterson designed this year's medal.
The medal is made of sterling silver and enamel. It consists of three
symbolic elements: the pink triangle supported by hands and six pillars,
each with an enamel center in the rainbow colors. It is to be worn suspended
from a neck ribbon.
The lower pillars buttress the triangle. They serve as the foundation
of our strength, resolve and commitment. The upper pillars are aligned
as a wall. They depict unity through diversity to defend our equality.
In the center, the pink triangle represents our past and present persecution.
It is held aloft as both a warning and as a sign of courage by the hands
of past victims and present activists. Our predecessors encourage us to
the continue struggle against intolerance.
The red ribbon symbolizes our martyrs - the unknown victims of
hatred throughout our past history as well as those, like Matthew Shepard,
have perished in more recent times. This memory is our motivation. |
