Preps under way for WorldPride
The foundation, which provides housing to homeless LGBTQ+ youth, has launched a campaign called Slay and Sauté in an effort to raise $15,000 to replace funds from a federal grant that was frozen earlier this year.
The money will be used to buy healthy cooking appliances and provide cooking lessons for the young people they house.
The biggest week of WorldPride in D.C. is underway with a whole host of events planned over the next several days, all leading up the parade Saturday.
This is the third and biggest week of WorldPride, with events for everyone. As Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos explains, this is prime time for pride in the District.
"Yes, Pride is about partying until two in the morning, but it's also important to support our community," Cesar Toledo, executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, said.
The foundation, which provides housing to homeless LGBTQ+ youth, has launched a campaign called Slay and Sauté in an effort to raise $15,000 to replace funds from a federal grant that was frozen earlier this year.
The money will be used to buy healthy cooking appliances and provide cooking lessons for the young people they house.
"Any given night, there's over 200 unhoused LGBTQ youth, and because of that, that puts them in really dangerous situations," Toledo said. "And so that's why it's important for, as a community, we need to come together."
Coming together and showing support: two of the major themes of WorldPride.
Two D.C. LGBTQ rights advocates stepping down from jobs
Longtime D.C. LGBTQ rights advocate June Crenshaw announced she is stepping down from her position for the past nine years as executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, the local organization that provides housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth.
Longtime D.C. LGBTQ rights advocate June Crenshaw announced she is stepping down from her position for the past nine years as executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, the local organization that provides housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth.
Crenshaw currently serves as co-chair of the committee organizing D.C. World Pride 2025, the international LGBTQ Pride celebration expected to draw a million or more visitors to the city for a wide range of World Pride events in late May and early June 2025.
“After over nine years of unwavering dedication and visionary leadership, our beloved Executive Director, June Crenshaw, has decided to step into her next chapter,” a statement released by the Wanda Alston Foundation board of directors says. “While we will miss June’s daily presence, we are grateful that she will stay on through the transition to ensure a warm, seamless handover as we actively search for our next executive director,” the statement says.
It adds, “Her unwavering commitment to our mission, clients, and team has helped build a foundation of compassion, resilience, and excellence. This transition reflects her readiness to explore new paths and her belief in the bright future of the Wanda Alston Foundation.”