June 24, 2012
Seattle Pride Unites with Brown Paper Tickets for Donations
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 3 MIN.
SEATTLE, WA - This Sunday, June 24, will be the biggest day of the year for pride parades in the United States. From coast-to-coast, events will be staged in San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, and Seattle, to the delight of crowds totaling well over two million people across several cities.
Outlandish floats and other exciting and original sights and sounds will bring out visitors of all ages. Pride parades are held around the globe, with the majority being held in the month of June as a positive stance against discrimination and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.
The Seattle Pride Parade, like many others around the country, is free and open to the public; with one key difference this year: the Seattle Pride Parade will enable online donations through Brown Paper Tickets, whether someone attends the celebration or not.
"We are thrilled to be working in partnership with our sponsor Brown Paper Tickets to accept donations online," said Adam Rosencrantz of Seattle Out and Proud. "We have never had such an easy way to accept donations in the past to help fund the parade, we have no idea how many will choose to give, but one thing is certain - any money given to us will be spent to further our mission and help us to give back to the LGBT community."
The new fee-free donation tool from Brown Paper Tickets allows event organizers to collect donations, even from those who cannot attend the event. One hundred percent of the donation proceeds go to the event organizer, and the ticketing company is not taking a fee on any portion of the donation.
"We are pleased to be able to help event producers accept donations without a fee," said Steve Butcher, CEO of Brown Paper Tickets. "Many people want to support an event such as the Pride Parade, whether they attend the event or not. We are pleased to be able to make this possible for anyone planning an event with us, across the globe."
The Seattle Pride Parade kicks off at 4th Avenue and Union Street at 11:00 a.m., and will proceed north down 4th Avenue to Denny Way, ending just in front of Seattle Center. It will last approximately two and a half hours and will be held rain or shine. Judges will be located at Westlake Center near 4th Avenue and Pine Street, to decide on awards to recognize parade floats that stand out in the following areas: best celebration of the theme, most colorful, outstanding presentation, most unexpected, brilliance and uniqueness, as well as first, second and third prizes.
In addition to getting a complimentary entry for the 2012 Pride Parade, the award for first place is $500; second place is $250 and third place is $100. Winners will be announced at 3:00 p.m. at the Seattle Center on June 24.
To donate to Seattle Out and Proud, or to buy a ticket for their pre-parade breakfast, go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/250494.
Seattle Out and Proud is a non-profit organization based in Seattle, WA, focused on informing and educating the community on LGBT issues through community outreach and produced events. Seattle Out and Proud organizes, produces, and sponsors several events throughout the year, including the annual Seattle Pride Parade, Pride Idol, and the Seattle Pride Picnic. Seattle Out and Proud can be reached at [email protected].
Brown Paper Tickets revolutionized the ticketing industry by putting professional tools for ticketing any-sized gathering in the hands of everyone with access to the Internet, and championed the rights of ticket-buyers with the lowest fee in the industry.
Brown Paper Tickets is the world's only fair-trade ticketing company, and aspires to inspire giving by donating a portion of each ticket sale to charity, paying its employees to work 40 hours each year for the nonprofit of their choice, and employing a team of "Doers" to make a difference in our communities and to lend a hand to our neighbors.
Brown Paper Tickets cares about people over profit, gives back, positively influences communities and hopes to inspire other businesses to do the same.
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
