San Diego Pride Announces 2008

Community Service Award Recipient

San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride honors Home Start CEO Laura Mustari with a 2008 Spirit of Stonewall Community Service Award for her leadership and outstanding service to the community.

With more than 25 years of experience in the non-profit arena, Mustari was a key member of the steering committee that helped launch The Center's new youth housing project. In addition, she served as the first female president of the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation's board of directors until recently completing a six-year term.

San Diego Pride also recognizes her achievements as a social leader with the YMCA's Youth and Family Services, of which she served as its executive director for 12 years. She currently remains active with Human Dignity by serving on the advisory board for its BCAUSE fund (Breast Cancer Alliance to Unite, Support and Educate). And she is the CEO for Home Start, a 35-year-old organization dedicated to ensuring the well being of children while focusing on child abuse treatment in San Diego County.

The San Diego Pride Awards, popularly known as the Spirit of Stonewall Awards, are presented annually by the San Diego LGBT Pride Board of Directors to recognize individuals and organizations that contribute to the LGBT community through their leadership, activism and fundraising efforts. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented has become a "Who's Who" event during Pride Month. This year's award ceremonies will be held on Monday, July 14, 2008, at the W Hotel in San Diego. Honorees also ride in the Pride parade, which starts at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, July 19, 2008.

Each year the Pride organization invites the community to submit nominations for the prestigious community awards that are presented in four categories for individual community service, group or organization services to the community, plus "Champion of Pride" and the "Friend of the Year." Award recipients will be announced each month leading up to July's Pride celebration. In addition to the Spirit of Stonewall Awards, San Diego Pride also honors two long-partnered couples as "Inspirational Couples" as well as a grand marshal of the Pride parade.

The theme for this year's Pride celebration is "Live, Love, Be." To learn more about San Diego Pride or to sign up for Pride's e-newsletter visit the web site at: www.SanDiegoPride.org.