2020 Pride In The Park Status Update. Join The CDA4Pride Campaign!

April 15, 2020 Dear Pride in the Park Supporters, Volunteers, and Partners,

North Idaho Pride Alliance is first and foremost committed to the health and well being of our community.  Since before the first COVID-19 case was reported in Idaho on March 13th, we have actively monitored and followed guidelines recommended by the CDC and Panhandle Health District. Throughout this time, we have maintained close communication with other regional Pride organizations, including OutSpokane, an instrumental partner of Pride in the Park. This collaboration between Pride organizations has helped tremendously in making difficult decisions regarding Pride Month events, how best to meet the needs of the LGBTQ community during this time of crisis and how best to implement innovative solutions virtually in delivering our programs.

It’s difficult to predict where our community and country will be in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic on the scheduled date of our 6th Annual Pride in the Park on June 6th, 2020. But we prefer to air on the side of caution and responsibility to our community. With a heavy heart, we are announcing the cancellation of our beloved event at Coeur d’Alene City Park that draws in 1000+ people across the Inland Northwest. However, we are not canceling our efforts in celebrating Pride Month. Our leadership team and Rainbow Squad Event Committee are seeing this cancellation as an opportunity. An opportunity to innovate and collaborate with our valued partners in how we serve and expand upon our mission in building a more inclusive North Idaho. 

The ongoing theme of Pride in the Park is: Live. Love. Be United! On this special day, our partners, volunteers and supporters gather to learn, connect, support, enjoy music, food, and art together to celebrate the beautiful diversity of the LGBTQ community. Our partners in the Community Village show their love and support and offering of vital resources. The spirit of this collective act of inclusion and supporting people in living their authentic lives goes far beyond a single day. 

We welcome you and your loved ones to join us in our CDA4Pride Campaign that will happen throughout the entire month of June. We will create opportunities to connect virtually in the media landscape and elevate the message of inclusivity, human rights, and unity through creative collaborations with our partners. 

To kickstart our CDA4Pride campaign, we have immediate opportunities that we welcome your active participation in:

CALL TO ARTISTS We are calling out to digital artists to submit your original CDA4Pride logo designs to nipridealliance@gmail.com. The selected logo will be used for a line of merchandise so people can wear their PRIDE year-round. This logo will also be used in all our campaign digital materials. The logo designs should be submitted both in full color and black & white versions in PDF format. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, May 10th, at 5 PM PT.

Besides the glory of having your design be shared throughout North Idaho, we also will be giving out gift cards from some of our local partner businesses! We are committed to supporting small, local businesses during this difficult time. 

RAINBOW SQUAD VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETING Tuesday, April 21, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

The Rainbow Squad is going virtual! We appreciate the many volunteers who have attended meetings and actively worked to organize Pride in the Park. Coordinating a major event builds community and helps us connect with LGBTQ people and allies in our region. Rainbow Squad members and new attendees are welcome to join us for our Virtual Community Meeting on Zoom for an update and engagement opportunities in the CDA4Pride Campaign and other activities later in the year.

*PLEASE REGISTER FOR THE MEETING HERE  You will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom meeting link and call-in phone number.  New to Zoom? Go to https://www.zoom.us/ to download and set up a free account before the meeting.

JOIN OUR CDA4PRIDE CAMPAIGN AND DONATE PRIDE IN THE PARK VENDOR BOOTH FEES & SPONSORSHIPS

As part of our CDA4Pride Campaign, we are committed to showcasing the many partners who come together for Pride in the Park. We recognize that the opportunity to have in-person conversations at a booth is not possible right now, but we firmly believe the services and resources your organization provides are invaluable to the LGBTQ community and must be shared.  By donating your vendor booth fee of $25 (nonprofits), $30 (local/small businesses) or $50 (national corporations), we will collaborate with you on creating featured spotlights educating about what you offer through social media, a resource publication and participation in CDA4Pride virtual events.  Want to support us to we can have an awesome PRIDE month in June for all to participate in? Friends of NIPA can also donate to help us with our CDA4Pride Campaign. 

MAKE YOUR CDA4PRIDE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION ONLINE Or mail to: North Idaho Pride Alliance  PO Box 741  Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816

We thank everyone for their understanding and support as we quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Together, we can show our resiliency in how we react and create new ways of educating, networking and advocating for LGBTQ people, allies and community partners. Live. Love. Be United!  Take care,

The North Idaho Pride Alliance Board of Directors