Safe Schools Desert Cities is committed to being there for our LGBTQ+ students while they are in valley schools. But that commitment doesn’t end at graduation. Our organization offers financial assistance to our students as they take the next step in their education.

Financial assistance is provided in the form of scholarships in the amounts of $500 to $1500. Recipients are selected solely on the basis of an application and references. The question we ask students is why do you want to go to college and how can we help? The deadline for this scholarship application is Thursday, January 31. The funding can be used to cover such things as tuition and course fees, on-campus living expenses, books and other educational materials, computers, and enrollment costs. The awards will be presented at a special ceremony on March 26. Don’t wait to apply! Go to https://safeschoolsdc.org/pride-award for the application.

An imminent deadline is out there for the Burton/May Pride Award administered by Safe Schools Desert Cities. Also given out in amounts from $500 to $1500 this scholarship can provide support for educational expenses in college or vocational school or training program. The deadline to apply is Thursday, January 31 and, like the other financial assistance program (above), the announcement of awards will be made on March 26. The link above will also take you to the application for the Burton/May Pride Award.

While the deadline for this year’s scholarship is just days away, we are already soliciting funds to increase our awards for next year. Your generosity in helping our students reach their occupational goals is very much appreciated. Please reach out to Gloria Kapp to donate at .

by Mary Perry

Meetings between students and their advisors for GSA take place throughout the school year. But there are opportunities for engagement in the summer as well; for the teachers who partner with Safe Schools Desert Cities in supporting our LGBTQ+ students, planning activities never stop. The GSA Advisor Luncheon is one of these events, focusing on the school advisors and liaisons that work with SSDC and students throughout the year.

On September 10, GSA advisers from across the community met at 849 Restaurant & Lounge in Palm Springs to say hello, make new friends, discuss thoughts for the 2022-2023 school year, and listen to a guest speaker. Present were 50 adults from teachers to counselors committed to supporting the youth of the valley and beyond.

A delicious lunch was provided by Willie Rhine and his staff at 840, but some laughter, some serious conversation, and words of wisdom from Kim Skeete from Borrego Health, a partner in care opportunities for our students, helped make the luncheon something special.

Dates were shared for this school year’s activities, including the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, the Rainbow Youth Summit, Youth Zone and Pride Parade, and more. Gloria Kapp, vice president of SSDC Board of Directors, spoke about scholarships, financial assistance, and the awards reception at the end of the year.

Each year, this event includes President Eric Ornelas going around the room for introductions that inevitably result in connections that enable schools to reach out and work together.

A very special way to begin the year and reunite in our efforts to care for our children.

Safe Schools Desert Cities Board President Eric Ornelas has been selected to participate in the 2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch, a Shark Tank-style competition that allows Coachella Valley nonprofit professionals to compete in a pitch contest for a chance to win additional funding for their organization.  

Contestants are coached for ten weeks through a combination of presentation and workshop-style classes, expanding their knowledge in branding, networking, marketing, successful storytelling, public speaking, and developing an inspiring multipurpose pitch.  

The program culminates in the live Fast Pitch competition, where contestants will deliver their three-minute pitches to a panel of judges and an audience of approximately 300 philanthropic, business, civic, and nonprofit leaders. Over $65,000 in cash prizes will be awarded 

The program is presented by The Regional Access Project Foundation and NPO Centric. The live 2022 Fast Pitch competition is on Thursday, October 6, at the UCR Palm Desert Campus. Tickets are available now and can be purchased here. For more information, visit RapFoundation.org.  

Students tend to thrive in schools and in their communities when they feel socially, emotionally, and physically safe and supported. Unfortunately, the threat of gun violence, online bullying, and school disruption caused by COVID-19 are just some of the challenges that many students face, threatening their well-being and chances for academic success.

For LGBTQ+ students, the challenges are even greater. Statistics show that LGBTQ+ youth experience bullying, teasing, harassment, and physical assault more than other students. They also have higher rates of suicide. The good news is that positive and supportive learning environments can help students overcome these challenges.

Safe Schools Desert Cities is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that works directly with school-sanctioned Gay-Straight Alliance Club (GSA) advisors, offering support for LGBTQ+ middle and high school students in the Coachella Valley and surrounding communities. Safe Schools Desert Cities provides students with education, guidance, advocacy, resources, and opportunities for self-expression.

Since 2012, Safe Schools Desert Cities has provided nearly $200,000 in scholarships and financial awards. In addition, through events—such as the Rainbow Youth Summit, Leadership and Empowerment Summer Camp, Pride Prom, and the Youth Zone at Greater Palm Springs Pride—GSA students have opportunities to authentically engage with their peers in a safe and affirming environment.

Safe Schools Desert Cities relies on community support to fund its programs and activities and offers several ways to donate. To help make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ youth, please visit SafeSchoolsDC.org and donate today. As an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff and very little overhead, contributions are spent thoughtfully and carefully. Your donations are tax-deductible.

To learn more about our organization, please visit SafeSchoolsDC.org.

The Burton/May Pride Award (scholarship) program administered by Safe Schools Desert Cities (SSDC) has moved the administrative tasks for the application process and the scholarship funds to the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF). This change was approved by the SSDC Board of Directors in May and the SSDC Fund at IECF was established. 

The SSDC scholarship program began with two awards and $5000 in 2012. In recent years, the program has grown to over 30 recipients and $20,000 to $30,000 in annual awards.    

SSDC will continue to determine the application requirements and application schedule and will select scholarship recipients. Moving administrative tasks to IECF will result in the following changes: 

• Applications for the Burton/May Pride Award and supporting materials (personal statements and references) will be received and compiled by IECF for review by the SSDC Awards Committee. Applications for the 2023-24 scholarships will be available by October 1, 2022, through the application deadline of January 31, 2023. 
• Funds for the program will be held in the Safe SSDC Fund at IECF. 
• Donations for scholarships will be directed to the SSDC Fund at IECF. 
• Payments from the SSDC Fund will be authorized by SSDC and payment will be made by IECF. 
• IECF will assist with publicizing the scholarship program. 
• IECF will assist with identifying potential donors and working with donors and sponsors of the program. 
• We continue to have organizational sponsors for scholarships (Desert Business Association, Brothers of the Desert, and the Walt Whitman Foundation of IECF). We are also adding individual sponsors who make a three-year commitment of $1000 or more per year with a 4% administrative fee. 

Direct access to the scholarship donation page is available here: https://www.iegives.org/funds/safe-schools-desert-cities/ For donations by check, please make the check payable to IECF with “Safe Schools Desert Cities” in the memo line. Mail the check to: 

IECF
3700 Sixth Street, Suite 200
Riverside, CA 92501 

by Mary Perry

It was Back to the Future at this year’s Pride Prom as we celebrated over 50 years of activism on behalf of our high school students and allies throughout the desert community – from Coachella to Palm Springs.

The last Safe Schools Desert Cities Pride Prom was held in 2019, so we had a lot of fun to catch up on. And we did! Just under 200 young people danced the night away at the Palm Springs Air Museum to the tunes of DJ Alf Alpha who was spinning from inside his VW Bus. Catering from Lulu’s of Palm Springs was over the top. Both savories and sweets were served with the longest line at the cotton candy machine!

While many of the chaperoning adults could be seen in the 60s outfits pulled from the backs of closets, the guests of honor, the students, were in a variety of outfits from the traditional prom look to vintage to contemporary. The dancing was fabulous and the entertainment the best that the desert has to offer.

Students from all over the Coachella Valley dance and celebrate at the 2022 Pride Prom.

Mistress of Ceremonies Bella da Ball pulled out all the stops with her glamorous look to her list of guests that included Marina Mac, Sheena Wolfe, Carol Kamenis, Aura Van Dank, Charles Herrera, and more! The doors opened at 8:00 p.m. and the magic went on until well past midnight. As the invitation noted, “Come as you are and hustle on over! Let’s dance to the enduring sound of freedom, inspired by disco, soul, pop, rock, and glam rock.”

As prom guests will tell you, this is THE EVENT of the season. It is the prom where you don’t have to worry about who you are going with, what you are wearing, or the limousine you come in. This is the prom where you can be you and you friends can be them and we can all, well, really, just be!

Plans are already in place for next year’s Pride Prom and I, for one, can’t wait to be there!

The Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast is back for another wonderful year of celebrating diversity and the LGTBQ+ community. A gathering of 1,000 will be the largest in the nation to honor Harvey Milk and celebrate his legacy as a political and community leader who stood for justice and equality across the intersections of oppression, self-identity, and self-determination.

The 2022 Coachella Valley Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast will be a powerful testament to Harvey Milk’s legacy.

Milk opened the doors for many LGBTQ+ leaders and has given hope to generations of youth who followed his footsteps. We will celebrate with those who were influenced by Harvey Milk and embody his courage, passion, and sense of justice.

Two hundred of those attending are expected to be LGBTQ+ students from schools throughout Coachella Valley.

Event Details:

• Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 9:30-11:00 am, Breakfast event (doors open 8:30 am)
• Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs, CA
• Featured speakers, honorees, outstanding youth, special tribute presentation

See more events here.

Provided by Mary E. B. Perry, public information officer, Desert Sands Unified School District

Safe Schools Desert Cities supports the youth of our community in so very many ways. As an active volunteer with SSDC, I have chaperoned and attended a number of the Harvey Milk Breakfasts where SSDC and Palm Springs Pride invite our GSA students to be honored guests. I have participated in several Rainbow Youth Summits. I have also attended (and yes, proudly ridden in) the PS Pride Parade. But the “bestest” and most “funnest” event of all is the annual Pride Prom!

Traditionally held at the Palm Springs Air Museum, this event is open to ALL students in our community from Beaumont to Blythe. Our GSA students are there to assist, as are such wonderful people as my former next door neighbor, Bella da Ball. Do you want to wear a tux? Okay. Do you want to wear jeans? Okay. Do you want to celebrate who you are by your choice of outfit? Okay. Just come over and enjoy! There is dancing, refreshments, games, photo booths, and just a feeling of inclusion, of warmth, and of affirmation.

See our online events calendar here.