Celebrate Pride Month by Supporting LGBTQ Youth at HMI School's Out

Gay Pride Month is well under way, but the East End is scarce in exciting ways to celebrate. Thankfully, the Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI), the nation’s oldest and largest LGBTQ youth service organization, is hosting the 20th anniversary of their annual School’s Out fundraiser on Saturday, June 16, co-chaired by Benjamin Dixon, Dan Ennis and Rod Grozier.

Alfredo Paredes, Paul Weinstein and Ward Williams host the event held in the beautiful East Hampton home of Galerie Magazine founder and editor Lisa Cohen and her husband James. “As a proud supporter of HMI it is my honor to open my home for HMI’s annual Hamptons event for the 4th year,” Cohen states. “All young people deserve the opportunity to succeed and it is so inspiring to me that HMI creates that opportunity for so many thousands of LGBTQ youth.”

The evening begins with a cocktail party from 5–7:30 p.m., followed by an intimate dinner catered Lulu’s Kitchen of Sag Harbor from 7:30–9:30 p.m. Dinner is hosted by a myriad of well-known designers and taste-makers, including East Hampton lifestyle diva Martha Stewart, South Fork fitness guru Tracy Anderson, Joseph Altuzarra, Charlie Ferrer, Steven Gambrel, Anetta Nowosielska, Brian Sawyer, Kevin Sharkey, Robert Stilin and Jacqueline Terrebonne. Stewart will also create immaculate floral arrangements for the dinner, using the masterful techniques found in her new book Martha’s Flowers.

This charitable event gives HMI supporters the opportunity to celebrate the organization’s recent accomplishments and introduces new donors to the existing supporter base. All proceeds from this event help HMI continue to provide life-saving services to LGBTQ youth. “School’s Out is an important fundraiser for HMI because it provides the financial security that will enable us to provide our vital services throughout the summer months – when young people are often lacking in critical support,” says Thomas Krever, Chief Executive Officer of HMI. “Throughout June, HMI will be asking the community to participate in a campaign about Pride. Beyond the march, events like School’s Out and programs like those HMI offers for young people are part of our proud tradition as a community that stands together.”

Tickets to School’s Out start at $375 for the cocktail party and $1,500 for dinner. To purchase tickets or learn more about the event, visit hmi.org/schoolsout.

School’s Out isn’t the only way to support HMI. In honor of Gay Pride Month and 39 years of empowering LGBTQ youth, Make Up For Ever has partnered with HMI to create the new Artist Color Pencil in 39 shades, usable on lips, eyes, brows and the rest of the face. The new makeup is part of the #AcceptedAnywhere campaign, in which Make Up For Ever will donate $10 to HMI for every Instagram post that follows a specific set of guidelines until June 16. The rules are as follows: 1. Create a makeup look that reveals what makes you unique; 2. Post a selfie of that look on Instagram; 3. Make sure to tag @MakeUpForEverUS and @HetrickMartin and include the hashtags #AcceptedAnywhere and #Promotion. To learn more, visit hmi.org/getinvolved/makeupforever.

After June 16, there are still plenty of opportunities to support HMI. One-time and recurring donations can be made any time through hmi.org/getinvolved/donate and help fund the organization’s year-round services for LGBTQ youth.