When we arrived in Miami on Friday, it was my great pleasure to deliver Kidscreen’s US$10,000 donation in person to Pridelines, a local non-profit organization that has been supporting and empowering LGBTQ+ youth in South Florida for 40 years. Their headquarters in Little Haiti was impressive in all ways, with a focus on providing a safe space for true self-expression that was evident in installations like this incredible mural by bi-racial queer artist Sam Kirk.

Touring the space with CEO Victor Diaz-Herman (pictured) sparked all kinds of ideas for me about what else Kidscreen and Pridelines could do together in 2023, from planning conference sessions, to repurposing event furniture, to leveraging our long-term partnership with the InterContinental Miami for volunteering and homeless shelter donations.

Drawing from registrations for Kidscreen Summit 2022, this year’s donation helped Pridelines meet an important funding goal to keep providing essential health services, drop-in support programs and a wide array of social/leadership activities to LGBTQ+ youth in Miami-Dade County. It feels wonderful to make this kind of difference in a community that we have all come to know and love so well over the years, and I’m really looking forward to expanding on this initial effort in the months ahead. If anyone is interested in joining us on this giving-back journey, please email me at jchristie@brunico.com.