August Brings Pride To Central Wisconsin, Eau Claire, LaCrosse
Amherst, Eau Claire, LaCrosse - The “dog days” of summer will bring fresh opportunities for Wisconsin’s LGBT community to continue celebrating their pride. Upcoming festivals in Central Wisconsin, Eau Claire and LaCrosse will offer music, magic and fun for all ages.
Central Wisconsin Pride is set for August 2 at a new location, just east of Stevens Point. According to committee member Vern Hartl, the Central Wisconsin Pride Committee is in full swing planning this year’s Pride Festival at the Portage County Fairgrounds in Amherst 10 miles east of Stevens Point on Highway 10. The official event will run from 2:30 until 9:30 PM. Each  of the area bars-  Oz in Wausau and Club Night Out in Stevens Point - will have additional festivities following the festival.
  “We are very excited to have selected this new location for this year,” Hartl told Quest.”This venue will give us a greater selection of entertainment that we’ve been unable to have entertain for us in the past few years at our previous location. The Portage County Fair Board and the Amherst Community has welcomed us to this new location.”  The City of Stevens Point had placed entertainment restrictions on the festival following the repeated use of inappropriate language by female impersonators at Pfiffner Pioneer Park which borders a residential area.
  In addition to drag queens, Leah Jee and the Boys from Milwaukee are being welcomed back as the festival’s headline act. “This band performed for us last year at the Pride festival and then again for our Halloween party in October,” Hartl said.”It was a great time and they are a lot of fun!”
  Leah Jee and the Boys will performing from 7:30 - 9:30 PM.  More information about the band, who also did a show at this year’s Milwaukee PrideFest is available at: www.myspace.com/leahjee.
  Earlier in the day, from 4:30 until 6 PM the festival will  present a  hypnotist comedian from Las Vegas. “He will be performing a hilarious show with a gay flare that includes volunteers,” Hartl said. Hartl also noted that anyone who is interested in volunteering to be hypnotized should contact a Pride Committee member when they arrive at the festival. 
  Official Pride Event emcee Christopher Ray will be doing entertainment acts throughout the day. “Christopher has performed previously in the Milwaukee Area, Palm Springs and Las Vegas,” Hartl said.  “He currently lives in Palm Springs but hales originally from Sheboygan. In Palm Springs he regularly performs in a show called Copy Kats.”
  The festival committee is also looking for additional female impersonators to perform during the planned drag show. Performers should contact the committee by email at: vhartl@aol.com to get on our entertainment schedule.
  The pride festival will have a deejay spinning music through out the entire event. Also planned is a  “Testicle Toss” tournament  (AKA ladder balls) featuring a $100 grand prize to the winning team. The festival also will feature volley ball, food and beverages.
  Central Wisconsin Pride is largely underwritten by an annual fund-raising raffle. “We will be raffling off a Samsung 56” HDTV at the pride festival,” Hartl said, noting that tickets will be available at the festival up until the time of the raffle.
  For more information about Central Wisconsin Pride, visit the festival website at: www.centralwisconsinpride.com
The LGBT  community in the Eau Claire-Chippewa Falls area will celebrate their pride at a Unity Picnic co-sponsored by Eau Claire gay bars Diversions and Scooters on Saturday, August 16 from 11 AM to 6 PM at Mount Simon Park. More details will be announce shortly, according to local organizers.
Plans continue to be finalized for “Live, Love, Be Proud Of Your Colors,” this year’s LaCrosse pride festival to be held on the Southside Oktoberfest Grounds on Saturday, August 23.
  Among the acts already booked to appear are lesbian rappers God-Des & She, known best for their work on Showtime’s L-Word,  Wisconsin’s WAMI-winning rocker Ronnie Nyles, and singer-songwriter Kelli Dunham.
  Festival organizers report that more information about show times and other events will be posted shortly on two websites covering the day-long event. For more information visit either the festival’s MySpace page or the main website at: lacrossepride.us.

Fire Damages Home Of Former Wisconsin Light Publisher
Milwaukee - A mid-afternoon fire severely damaged the home of former Wisconsin Light publisher Jerry Johnson here July 12. According to Johnson, the blaze started in the master bedroom, traveled up the walls to the attic, and engulfed the roof of the turn-of-the-century Brewer’s Hill brick edifice.
  Johnson told Quest that he and his partner had only been away an hour, returning to find firefighters battling the blaze. “I’m lucky to have such good neighbors,” he said. “They saw the smoke and called the fire department immediately.”
  The fire rendered the home uninhabitable. “Michael and I have been staying with different friends this past week,” Johnson said. “I’m hoping to rent an efficiency (apartment) close by tomorrow (July 21).”
  Johnson and his late partner Dr. Terry Boughner produced the Wisconsin Light at their home for most of its years of publication. and had retained multiple complete sets of the newspaper in all of its three configurations. Johnson and Boughner also had amassed an extensive collection of African art and LGBT-themed movie posters and other memorabilia. Fortunately none of the valuables were lost.
  “What was still in the house was stored on the second floor which was not burned in the fire,” Johnson said. “There is some water damage but most of the Wisconsin Light materials already had been donated to the University (UW-M) library. The African art had already been moved to my brother’s home in Oconomowoc. I had also donated the movie (memorabilia) collection and had expected them to pick it up last week, in fact. Now they really need to come over!”
  Johnson said that several neighbors have come forward to assist with the repairs. “One neighbor came over and said he would fix the roof without charge to preserve the house, which does have historic value,” Johnson said. “The house is made of brick, and was overbuilt as was common back when it was built.”
  Johnson also said he would be selling the house to pay for the cost of the repairs as he did not have homeowner’s insurance. “Though I’ll miss it, the house really had become too big for me to maintain.”
  Johnson said that Maria Cardenas of the Cream City Foundation was working with him privately as a personal friend to set up a fund to allow others in the community to assist financially him with the loss. “I don’t know what progress she has made or which bank will be involved, but I know Maria will set it up correctly,” Johnson said. “I’ve had so many things to handle since the fire. I’m glad she came forward to help.”
  Cardenas confirmed to Quest that she was making arrangements for the relief account, but would be unable to provide specifics by publication deadline. “I will be sending out an email to the many people who’ve asked me how they can help once the account is set up,” she said

2008 Madison Pride A Low-Key Affair
Madison - It was "Back To Basics" for this year's Madison Pride with hundreds rather than thousands showing up for the 19th Annual Rally and March at the Capitol. Sunny skies and a few protesters greeted slightly over 200 people at the 11 AM rally here July 20.
  Keynote speaker Congressional Tammy Baldwin reminded the crowd of the purpose of the rally. "We're here to nurture the next generation of LGBT leaders,' Baldwin said. "We're here to offer hope to all LGBT people and our allies, that full equality is within our reach."
  Following the rally the crowd marched around the Capitol building. The local chapter of Dykes on Bikes added their thunder on the adjacent streets.
  Most of the marchers then headed for a potluck picnic at Brittingham Park, which featured music by The Cowboy and the Frenchmen, appearances by various members of Lexi Ravyn Productions, team members from Madison LGBT sports leagues  and other local talents.
  Madison's stripped-down pride celebration followed the discovery last March that Madison Pride owed thousands of dollars in unpaid bills for their 2006 and 2007 events. The board removed treasurer Scott Toomey and began an investigation of the organization's finances. No misconduct has been reported to date and no charges against Toomey have been filed.
  Organizers estimated they spent about $200 to put on this year's event.  Other area gay venues and groups - most notably Club 5, WOOF's, A Room Of One's Own book store and IndieQueer - sponsored parties, a boat cruise, a "Queer Spelling Bee" and other special events to fill the celebration void.
  Quest Madison correspondent contibuted to this story, including photos.

U.S. Census Bureau Won’t Count Same-Sex Marriages
Washington, DC - The U.S. Census Bureau, reacting to the federal Defense of Marriage Act and other mandates, plans to edit the 2010 census responses of same-sex couples who marry legally in California, Massachusetts or any other state. They will be reported as “unmarried partners,” rather than married spouses, in census tabulations - a policy that will likely draw the ire of gay rights groups.
  The Census Bureau followed the same procedure for the 2000 census, and it does not plan to change in 2010 even though courts in Massachusetts and now California have ruled gay men and lesbians can marry lawfully.
  “This has been a question we’ve been looking at for quite a long time,” Martin O’Connell, chief of the Census Bureau’s Fertility and Family Statistics Branch, told the Associated Press. “It’s not something the bureau could arbitrarily or casually decide to change on a whim, because our data is used by virtually every federal agency.”
  The Census Bureau is not falsifying people’s responses, O’Connell said, because the bureau will retain people’s original census responses. “We’re not destroying data; we are keeping that data,” O’Connell said. “We are just showing the data published in a way that is consistent with the way every other agency publishes their data.”
  The Census Bureau does not ask about sexual orientation, but it does ask people to describe their relationships to others in their household. If a respondent refers to a person of the same gender as their “husband/wife” on the 2010 census form, the Census Bureau will automatically assign them to the “unmarried partner” category. Legally married same-sex couples will be indistinguishable in census data from those who chose “unmarried partner” to describe their relationship.
  Critics say the census plan will mask the records of legal, same-sex, married couples and therefore degrade the quality of the government’s demographic data.
  “I just think it’s bad form for the census to change a legal response to an incorrect response,” Gary Gates of the Williams Institute said. “That goes against everything the census stands for.”
  The institute is a think tank at the University of California-Los Angeles law school that studies gay-related public policy issues.
  “It’s a systematic hiding not only of married gay couples, but gay couples as families, which I would argue is a fundamentally political decision,” Gates added.

World & National News:

California Gay Marriage Update: Supremes Say “Yes,” County Supers Say “No”
Sacramento, Bakersfield - On July 16 the California Supreme Court, by refusing to hear a challenge to a ballot initiative that seeks to ban same-sex marriages, will allow the state’s voters to consider a constitutional amendment in November that would again limit marriage to heterosexual unions. The court did not give a reason for deciding not to accept the case.
  If it passes, the amendment, known as Proposition 8, would overrule the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the state as of June 16.
  Following the refusal, Equality California and other gay civil rights groups said they were confident that the initiative will fail. A Field poll released July 18 also suggested voters will say “no” to the ban by a 51-42% margin.
  A week earlier Kern County supervisors refused to ban gay marriage, rebutting a conservative group that sought to make it the first California county to reject the statewide policy. The  supervisors declined to act on the measure July 8 after the county’s lawyer, said it would be illegal for the county to adopt its own same-sex marriage ban.
  The five-member board also let die a motion to explore whether county employees who are willing to officiate same-sex weddings could be deputized for the duty by officials in neighboring San Bernardino County. The Kern County clerk’s office stopped offering all marriage ceremonies on June 15, the day before gay marriage became legal.
 
Study: Gay Recruits Don’t Undermine Military Unit Cohesion
Washington, DC - A new study released by a California-based research center has added more evidence that the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy should be repealed. The study was conducted by four retired military officers, including the three-star Air Force lieutenant general who in early 1993 was tasked with implementing President Clinton’s policy that the military stop questioning recruits on their sexual orientation.
  “Evidence shows that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline or cohesion,” the officers states.
  To support its contention, the panel points to the British and Israeli militaries, where it says gay people serve openly without hurting the effectiveness of combat operations.
 
Archbishop: “Biology, Not Scripture Should Determine Gay Debate”
Swanwick, England - The head of the Church of Ireland has said if homosexuality is proven to be biologically predetermined then his church would have to allow gay unions.
  “If such comes to be shown, it will be necessary to acknowledge the full implications of that new aspect of the truth,” Archbishop Alan Harper said, while speaking at the recent “Anglicans in World Mission” conference here.
  Harper also called on members of the church to return to the core principles of the faith in order to resolve the controversy over gay marriages. Harper said it was important to distinguish parts of the Bible that were considered the direct word of God and other elements that were human interpretations of his teachings in the context of the time.
  The debate over the morality of homosexual acts had become “deeply visceral and that the quality of debate has suffered as a result,” Harper argued.
The Irish church leaders said that while “it has not yet been conclusively shown that for some males and some females homosexuality and homosexual acts are natural rather than unnatural. If such comes to be shown, it will be necessary to acknowledge the full implications of that new aspect of the truth, and that insight applied to establish and acknowledge what may be a new status for homosexual relationships within the life of the Church.”

Alabama Attorney General Troy King Caught in Gay Sex Scandal
Montgomery - According to several reports, notoriously anti-gay Alabama Attorney General Troy King has allegedly been caught in a gay sex scandal.
  King, a conservative Republican, was reportedly caught by his wife Paige King having sex with a male assistant in their Montgomery home. Reports say King was kicked out of his home by his wife and is set to resign over the scandal.
  King is also a member of John McCain’s Alabama Campaign Team. Following the allegations, the McCain campaign “almost instantly scrubbed all mentions of Troy King” from their website, according to OpEdNews.com
  King has been known for voicing his opposition of abortion and homosexuality. He has worked to outlaw sex toys in Alabama. King frequently wrote editorials for The Crimson White in which he repeatedly called homosexuality the “downfall of society.”
  In 2004, King was appointed to Attorney General by Alabama Governor Bob Riley and was considered a potential candidate for Alabama governor in 2010 prior to the scandal.

Florida Gov Poo Poos Gay Rumors, Talks Up Wedding
Tallahassee - Florida’s governor has opened up about his pending marriage and rumors about his sexual orientation. Charlie Crist proposed to girlfriend Carol Rome last May. On July 7 the governor spoke about the marriage for the first time.
  “I think you pop the question like that when you’re in love. I am, so that’s why I did it,” Crist said. Crist said he met Rome last September during a trip to New York and the couple may plan a fall wedding, most likely a small ceremony in St. Petersburg.
  At the press conference Crist also responded to his widely rumored homosexuality. “Well, you know, when you’re in the public eye, and being governor of Florida that’s inevitable, you know, I don’t really focus on it,” he said.
  As to the belief by many that he’s getting married to improve his chances of being picked by John McCain as the Republican vice-presidential candidate, Crist claimed said nothing could be further from the truth.

State News:

Pride Alive Draws Over Two Thousand
Green Bay - Attendance at northeast Wisconsin’s revitalized pride celebration exceeded organizers’ expectations with between 2000 to 2500 taking part the day-long festival held at Joannes Park here July 12.
  “It’s hard to provide an exact number of people in attendance because of the unrestricted access to the park,” co-chair Andrew DeBaker told Quest. DeBaker noted that though volunteers at the three official welcoming stations at the park had counters, several factors resulted in workers losing track of attendees. Irregular traffic patterns, with some people arriving in large groups, and others bypassing the welcome tables all together hindered the count. Other arrivals asked volunteers questions that diverted their attention from the tally.
  “We know we ran out of programs and giveaway items around 3 PM, a lot earlier than we had expected,” DeBaker said.
  The crowd was very mixed both in age and sexual orientation, with many couples, both straight and gay, pushing strollers and stopping by the children’s area for face painting and other kids’ activities.
  “This is a very impressive,” guest speaker and former Chief Financial Officer for the Human Rights Campaign Harvey Hurdle told Quest. “So many of the pride events in larger cities focus on the partying nowadays. But what’s happening here in Green Bay today really demonstrates just how far we’ve come with all segments of the community coming together in celebration of both our diversity and our commonality.”
  Local activists also were impressed by the mix of attendees. “I think the Green Bay gay community got a wake-up call,” veteran activist Craig Gunderson said. “They just found out a lot of people around here are a lot more accepting that they might have believed to be true.”
  The crowd appeared to peak for two of the day’s main stage attractions - the cabaret group Glamarama  and popular Green Bay rockers Annex. Earlier in the day, festival goers also enjoyed lesbian singer-songwriter Martha Berner and the zany lyrics of the Madison alternative band German Art Students.
  Food vendors appeared to be busy throughout the day, with one vendor closing up shop around 5:30 PM after running out of all of their menu items. The warm, sunny day also perked beverage sales. “By the end of the day, we were about out of all but one of our malt beverage choices,” DeBaker said.
  Festival attendees also had he chance to visit the booths of over fifty organizations and retail vendors that ringed the grounds. Both major political parties distributed information about candidates, while a group working for the Obama campaign sought to identify and sign-up unregistered voters.
  Three area faith congregations shared their inclusive religious messages at information. Though there were no organized protests, one elderly ad hoc missionary was escorted off the grounds after his language became abusive to security staff.
  Organizers told Quest that local community police commented on how pleasant and laid-back the overall demeanor of the festival was. “One officer told me that if this is what he could expect in the future, we were welcome to hold gay pride once a week,” DeBaker quipped.
  Though final figures were not yet available, DeBaker told Quest that the festival should meet its expenses and have enough seed money to organize next year’s event. “This was a very successful first year,” he said. “I know a lot of us are very excited and are looking forward to making Pride Alive even bigger and better in 2009.”

Fond Du Lac Diversity Initiative Passage Postponed
Fond Du Lac - To its supporters it’s an economic necessity. To its opponents, it’s a “homosexual agenda” sneak attack. And after an hour of sometimes nasty debate, it’s on hold until August 19.
  A statement of principles that was included in a proposed Comprehensive Countywide Diversity Initiative stirred up controversy for the Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors July 15 here.
  The statement outlines a wide variety of principles for attracting diversity to Fond du Lac. Supervisors were asked to adopt the statement and join the Comprehensive Countywide Diversity Initiative.
  Proponents of the statement said it would be a tool for attracting talent to the community. However opponents claimed it was an underhanded attempt to prompt a “homosexual agenda.”
  Following concerns about diversity brought to his attention last year by Marian University President Dr. Josefina Castillo Baltodano, County Executive Allen Buechel wrote the statement of principles. “I realized we could be doing something better,” Buechel said. “In order to attract the kind of workers this community will need, we will have to create a more welcoming and inclusive community.”
  The controversy drew a large crowd to the meeting. Several spoke out about the issue before County Board members discussed the statement.
  Fond du Lac City Council member Jeremy Thiesfeldt warned supervisors to be careful in considering the statement. “I can’t stress to you how much I would oppose the passage of this,” he said. “Fond du Lac County cannot pass legislation forcing this community to value and celebrate differences.”
  However, Sister Stella Storch, of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, urged supervisors to approve the statement. “I support the inclusion of gays and lesbians, and I would like to see the statement adopted,” she said.
  County resident Madonna Bowman, who has a lesbian daughter, said Fond du Lac County should embrace diversity. “I speak to this issue as someone who respects the dignity of all people and wishes to live in a community that does as well,” she said. “(My daughter) and our entire family have also been extremely encouraged by the growing support of diversity that we see in Fond du Lac. But there is still a long way to go.”
  County Supervisor Dick Stokely said he’s specifically opposed to the wording “sexual orientation” in the statement and denounced what he said was “not natural.”
  Supervisor Judy Goldsmith and others countered, pointing out that the statement is not legislation. “There is no hidden agenda,” she said. “The people we are talking about here our neighbors, our friends, our taxpayers. I don’t think we want to turn away talented people because they don’t love the way we think they should. This is about being good neighbors.”
  The board, by a vote of 11-7, decided to postpone discussion of the statement until its next meeting on August 19.

Door County PFLAG Sets Potluck Picnic
Sturgeon Bay - PFLAG Door County will hold its annual Potluck Picnic on Sunday, August 3 at Sunset Park in Sturgeon Bay.  People will gather at the picnic shelter from 1- 7 PM, with food served at 3. Sunset Park is located past Bay Shipbuilding, on 3rd Avenue - Bay Shore Drive. The event is non-alcoholic. 
  Attendees are asked to bring a dish to pass, and a tennis racket if interested in playing. Other games will also be available. For additional information, contact Sandy at sbrown@itol.com or John at jolski@itol.com.

Northern Men’s Group Plans Teddy Bears’ Picnic
Menominee, MI - The Northern Bruins of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan will be holding a “Bears In The Park” Picnic on  Saturday  August 16 from Noon until 8 PM at Fox Park, north of Menominee.
  Food will be provided  but, attendees must bring their own beverages. There will also be  drawings held throughout the course of the day.  Proceeds from the drawings will go to ARCW. Prizes may include DVD players, CD players, stereos and videos.
  For more information, contact the Bruins by phone at: 920-265-9354, 920-328-3266, or 920-437-7716. E-mail contact is: jimandtom@webtv.net.

Big Night Out Volunteers Needed
Milwaukee - The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center is seeking community volunteers to help design, develop, and produce its annual gala and auction, Big Night Out. This year’s gala has been scheduled for Saturday, October 11 at the Northern Light Theater of Potawatomi Bingo and Casino.
  The Center needs volunteer assistance in soliciting and collecting silent and live auction items, developing and executing a theme for the gala, designing and producing print materials such as invitations, auction catalog, and program, preparing decorations and seating charts, etc.
  Initial one-hour volunteer meetings have been scheduled at the community center for Tuesday, July 22 at 10 AM, Wednesday, July 23 at 6:00 PM and Thursday, July 24 at 2 PM. Please contact Director of Philanthropy Patrick Price by phone at 414-292-3065, or by email at: pprice@mkelgbt.org to let him know which volunteer meeting you can attend or if you are interested but unable to make any of the scheduled meetings.

Florentine Opera Announces New Resident Artist Program
Milwaukee - The Florentine Opera Company is pleased to name soprano Greer Davis-Brown of Chicago, mezzo soprano Colleen E. Brooks of Cincinnati, tenor Rafael Luquis of Bayamon, Puerto Rico and baritone Todd von Felker of Chicago as participants in the 2008-09 Florentine Opera Studio.
  The Studio program, which offers a full season of artist-in-residence employment for talented singers beginning their professional careers, will run from October 2008 through April 2009 and provide promising young artists the experience and training necessary in order to grow professionally in the opera art form.
  Studio artists will sing supporting and comprimario roles during the opera season while serving the mainstage, educational and outreach goals of the Florentine Opera Company.
  Additionally, artists will perform in studio concerts, as well as for donor functions, outreach and education initiatives and the Florentine’s in-school touring opera program. They will also have the opportunity to gain continuing training and career advice through master classes and coachings with visiting artists and master teachers.
  The Florentine Opera Studio artists will make their debut in a recital, hosted by Florentine General Director, William Florescu and accompanied by Maestro Joseph Rescigno, the Florentine’s Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor. The inaugural concert will take place at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts on Sunday, October 19. Artists will perform pieces from their repertoire including arias and ensembles and opera favorites. The recital is part of the Emerging Artists Opera weekend at the Wilson Center.
  The planning process for this extensive extensive inaugural effort is provided by the Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation.  For more information about the Opera Studio artists, tickets and reservations, visit the Florentine Opera website at: www.florentineopera.org or call 414-291-5700.

Windy City Rodeo 2008 Set For August 22-24
Chicago- Cowboys and cowgirls from across the United States and Canada will convene in the Chicagoland area August 22-24 to participate in Windy City Rodeo 2008, the 12th annual IGRA-sanctioned rodeo hosted by the Illinois Gay Rodeo Association (ILGRA).
  The rodeo will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 23-24 at Six Guns Ranch & Arena, 26926 South Stateline Road in Crete, Illinois, approximately 45 minutes southeast of downtown Chicago.  Admission is $15 per person per day, and tickets may be purchased at the gate. Parking is free. The rodeo is a rain or shine event.
  Festivities begin with Grand Entry ceremonies at Noon on both Saturday and Sunday. The performance consists of 13 events including traditional rodeo events: barrel racing, flag race, pole bending, bull riding, bareback bronc riding, steer riding, chute dogging, team roping, mounted breakaway roping, calf roping on foot. In addition, there are three events unique to gay rodeo competitions: steer decorating, goat dressing, and the wild drag race.  The arena is an open-air rodeo ring with bleacher seating. A vendor mall, complete with food, beer, mixed drinks, western apparel, and rodeo memorabilia is located on the rodeo grounds. An outdoor dance and entertainment tent will also be featured.
  For those living in the city, shuttle buses to the rodeo grounds in Crete are being organized by a number of local sponsors. A $25 fee will provide transportation to and from the rodeo grounds and admittance into the rodeo. Buses will leave at 10 AM and return at 7 PM each day. A complete list of shuttle sponsors and pick-up locations will be posted at www.ilgra.com.
  For those coming from out of town, the host hotel for Windy City Rodeo 2008 is the Doubletree Hotel, 5000 West 127th Street in Alsip, Illinois. When making reservations,  call the hotel directly at 708-371-7300 and mention the Windy City Rodeo (group code WCR) to get the special room rate of $89 a night plus tax..
   Proceeds from the rodeo will benefit three local charities: Howard Brown Health Center, Vital Bridges, and Direct Aid.