This past weekend, Family Resources celebrated one of its favorite events of the year: PRIDE! What started as a somber march in New York to commemorate the Stonewall riots has evolved into thousands of global events, parades, festivals, and parties.
While events surrounding gay pride are fun and lighthearted, they still carry with them the roots of the movement. Members of the LGBTQ+ community want to be recognized and given equal rights. Family Resources is proud to march in the annual parade alongside the LGBTQ+ citizens of St. Petersburg to celebrate how far they have come and recommit ourselves to helping wherever we are needed. 
Residents and Visitors Arrived in Overwhelming Numbers
We always knew that the St. Petersburg Pride festival is big, but we had no idea that it was this big. There was a record turnout in the St. Pete Pride 2019 parade, with more than 200,000 people in attendance. St. Pete Pride is only in its 17th year, but it has quickly become one of the largest Pride festivals in the southeast. By conservative estimates, 14,000 hotel rooms were booked and about half of the attendees came from outside of Pinellas County. The weekend alone brought in more than $20 million for the city.
There were 170 organizations that marched in this year’s parade, and Family Resources was honored to be one of them. Members of our staff and family walked alongside Congressman Charlie Crist on Saturday night, and then had a booth at the St. Pete Street Festival on Sunday. 
This year, we used our booth to share information about our Healthy Relationship Workshops and Safe Connections Street Outreach Program. Our workshops are free for young adults to attend so they can develop healthy communication, conflict resolution and money habits in romantic relationships.
It doesn’t matter who you love, what matters is that you are safe.
Pride is More Than Just Parades and Parties
One of the things that we love most about Pride is how the entire city gets into it. From more than 200 restaurants who had Pride specials and events to the hundreds of businesses and homes that waved the rainbow flag, it seems like everyone fed off of the excitement of the city.
The Friday before Pride, to get everyone pumped up for the festivities, Crossfit St. Pete had a Pride Workout of the Day to support Family Resources. They donated all the proceeds from the workout to our organization so we can continue to support local LGBTQ+ homeless youth. We are honored when local organizations notice our hard work and want to fight for our cause in any way they can.
You Can Show Your Pride Year-Round
Pride doesn’t end when you wash the glitter off or when the flags are taken down. You can show your love and support for the LGBTQ+ community all year long. Local organizations, like Family Resources, are always looking for volunteers and donors who can help us provide hygiene kits for LGBTQ+ homeless youth or maintain our youth homeless shelters.
“St. Pete Pride is an important and valuable opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and Family Resources is honored to join the festivities to show our support,” said Lisa Davis, CEO of Family Resources. “We also want to recognize that advocating and supporting this community needs to happen every day, not just for Pride Month.”
The best part is that you don’t need to be wealthy or have a lot of time on your hands to get involved. Taking a few seconds to send us some sunblock or deodorant through Amazon can make an impact on the lives of homeless teens in your area.
Thank You For Celebrating St. Pete Pride 2019!
We had a blast talking with everyone who stopped by our booth and enjoyed dancing our way through the parade. It is events like Pride that inspire us to keep moving forward to protect our beloved community. Thank you to everyone who came to the event this year and we can’t wait to see you at St. Pete Pride 2020!