The gay community does come together to support a worthy cause

It's always good to see the individuals in our community rallying around a good cause, and the efforts to pay for the restoration of the Rainbow sign is just that type of cause.
This past Sunday, a fundraising benefit was held at Georgie's Bar to raise more money for Project Rainbow, a project at the hands of the Asbury Park Historical Society. This latest benefit, a combination of Bingo, Name That Tune and trivia questions, kept everyone entertained. Sponsored by Vail Realty and hosted by David Hoffman and Lady Marisa, the event was successful.
I'm hoping that the monetary goal is reached soon. The project's initial goal, according to their website, "We have hired a neon sign restorer, Robbie Ingui, from Artistic Neon Inc. in Ridgewood, New York. He will complete the sign restoration in four stages. When completed, The City of Asbury Park will provide the expertise to hang the sign in its new home in the Transportation Center. The total cost to complete the project is $15,000. Our goal is to complete and hang the sign by Summer 2012. ...We have one more fundraising event planned for the month of November."
As the monetary goal to finish paying for the sign's restoration comes closer to being reached, I'm hopeful that we as a community can dig in our pockets a little deeper and get this accomplished.
I was very surprised when my lucky raffle ticket was called as the winner of a cash prize in the amount of $125. So as I gave the money directly back to the cause, I feel somewhat satisfied that I helped get us a little closer. My goal is to donate more money, and I'm hoping that all of us in the community give a little money - those who are in a position to do so.
It's no secret that money is tight. But I was joking with someone later that evening after the benefit that we really need to reach this goal sooner rather than later because it just doesn't seem like it's an exorbitant amount of money ... and also, how many more benefits will be needed for this?
Come on people, we got this, right?
Let's ban together and get this the final funding to pay off the sign's restoration. Doesn't it seem like the individuals trying to get this project completed have been trying to get the funding forever? I know that's a gross exaggeration, but it just seem like it's been a long time.
A lot of people in the community, most notably Carol Torre, have been doing so much to attain this monetary amount, and I'm just hopeful that by the end of 2012 the financial goal will be reached.
Let's get this done!
And see, I even took a break from any romantic tales of woe, and I even steered clear of coming down hard on some of the tragic characters that have made Asbury Park a nice place to visit - and live - all to devote this blog entry to this worthy cause.
(P.S. - Don't worry, tomorrow I'll be back to normal and shedding light on the crazy, offbeat and even the sweet-natured situations that make this city a goldmine!)