Celebrate Pride Month by attending 'Spring Into Pride'

Niagara Pride &Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens partner to create ‘Spring Into Pride’

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens and Niagara Pride invite readers to attend “Spring Into Pride,” a brand-new event held May 14 to welcome Pride Month and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.

A press release said, “Take in the beauty of this historic landmark illuminated in the Pride rainbow colors while taking in the incredible flowering visuals and scents of Mother Nature in a tropical paradise.”

Representatives from Niagara Pride will be on hand to share information about their services. A basket raffle will also be held that evening to benefit Niagara Pride.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens website at www.buffalogardens.com/products/spring-into-pride. Tickets are $14 each.

Niagara Pride is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves LGBTQ+ individuals and families in WNY. The agency relies on primarily on donations to provide services, and has have no paid staff.

Some of the services Niagara Pride offers include:

√ “Know Your Status” campaign to help provide sexual health and wellness materials for free to individuals, as well as share information about HIV and STI testing in all eight counties of WNY

√ Niagara County LGBTQ+ community needs survey – a yearly comprehensive survey that looks at challenges and barriers faced by the LGBTQ+ community when accessing health care, housing services, legal services, and other community providers

√ WNY LGBTQ+ youth vocational conference – to teach youth lifelong job-seeking skills

√ WNY Pride 5k – virtual 5k run or walk that runs the month of June (www.wnypride5k.org)

√ LGBTQ+ scholarship program for high school seniors pursuing higher education

√ And in partnership with other agencies, Niagara Pride has been able to offer groups/services for addictions, breast and prostate cancer screenings, housing discrimination assistance, and support for LGBTQ+ veterans

For more information about Niagara Pride, visit www.niagarapride.org, email [email protected], or check out its Facebook page.