Fun in the sun at BGO 2011 The proceeds from the Big Gay Out initiative of three Auckland venues will be handed over to the New Zealand AIDS Foundation tonight. A giant cheque for almost $12,000 will be presented to NZAF Executive Director Shaun Robinson at Caluzzi, representing the money raised by Caluzzi, Urge and Lola Bar at their Get it On! Big Gay Out Beer Garden and Dance Tent. As well as donating the proceeds of the day, most of the staff from the bars worked voluntarily at the event. Urge co-owner Paul Heard says Caluzzi's Campbell Orr put in an amazing effort to bring this all together with Vaughan Meneses from Lola. “But we could not have proceeded with the day without the support and efforts of all the staff and friends that helped one way or another,” he says. “We also have to thank our suppliers for their generosity with stock for the day and we'll be working with them over the year to bring an even better day in 2012.” Robinson says the NZAF is fortunate to be part of such a generous community. “The staff from Caluzzi, Urge and Lola Bar worked for twelve hours without a break on one of the hottest days of summer to make the bars a must-see part of the Get it On! Big Gay Out. I'm very excited to be accepting the cheque and to work for a community that has people as generous as these guys.” The proceeds of 2011 are almost double those of 2010, which were double the amount donated in 2009. “We've got really strong community support for the Get it On! Big Gay Out,” Robinson says. “The NZAF has put a lot of energy into streamlining the management of the event so that bars like Caluzzi, Urge and Lola know that we'll put on a good show. It's starting to pay off, this year the event made a small profit which means that it's secure for next year.” In addition to the giant cheque, the NZAF is re-locating its condom-packing to Caluzzi for the night, which it hopes will exponentially increase the productivity of both the volunteers and the bar's usual Wednesday night crew. The cheque handover ceremony and condom packing effort is tonight at Caluzzi at 7pm.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 30th March 2011 - 10:40am