As the weekend slips away from us the magnitude (had to work in a little earthquake reference for you) of the weekend’s events are sinking in.   We’re excited that our “official” launch weekend is proving to have been quite a success, but what we are even more greatful for is all of the new friends we’ve made over the course of the last few months.    Shout started with an idea, was launched with efforts of a few close friends and will grow (as it already has very quickly) with the participation of our friends and colleauges in our community.  

We were extremely fortunate to have a group of fantastic volunteers who came out to help us this weekend and we’re excited to share with you an article submitted by one of our volunteers, Joanna Stanford who enthusiastically helped us spread the word about Shout to all of the post parade goers in the hot sun on Sunday.   We’re even more thrilled that Joanna has to decided to jump on board as one of our community writers so please watch for her coverage of Long Beach events and news in the near future! 

Volunteering Was a Snap!   

Like every year after Long Beach Pride, I’ve put the aloe on my sunburn, got all the dirt out of my nose and the ringing out of my ears. I had a great time. I danced, ate and saw friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. But, one thing I’d never done at Pride is volunteer. That changed this year as a friend of mine discovered shOUTlongbeach.com and together we volunteered to help shOUT Long Beach promote the website at their booth.

 

My first time helping a cause was great. I love the site and am happy that finally, there’s an interactive hub for all things gay in Long Beach. All the folks at shOUT are spectacular! They are friendly, smart and know how to get our attention. A photo booth. Genius!

 

I arrived at the booth to a friendly face and was given a run down of the goal and tactics to get there. I loved having a reason I believe in to meet other people and help everyone get connected. I met guys, gals, mom’s, kids, dad’s, drag queens, trannies, costumed super-gays and people who were practically nude.  A free photo booth was a great way to get people interested and if they didn’t want a photo, there were plenty of raffle prizes to get them excited. We had so much fun with the shOUT Long Beach team! Being recently unemployed and unsocialized, it was a great way for me to get out there and support my community (for free!). I definitely recommend working with them for any event. Instead of spending the weekend partying, I felt I had a better purpose for being there. And, I got two job offers!  Thanks shOUTlongbeach.com!

 

We’re thankful that our volunteers had as much fun as we did this weekend.   We feel that we are really trying to do something good for our community and are excited to see where Shout Long Beach will take us next!  If you are interested in volunteering, writing or supporting us by advertising on our site please feel free to contact us!

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