I’ve known of Billy Looper and Tom Christ for years as the guys who founded, run and operate One Magical Weekend. I personally met them when they came to The LGBT+ Center in Orlando for the Santa’s Bike Force giveaways.
Now in its 16th year, Santa’s Bike Force was Billy and Tom’s way of helping to give less fortunate kids that feeling of receiving your first bicycle. Through their efforts, dozens upon dozens of bikes have been handed out to kids during the holidays.
They are warm gentlemen with huge hearts and souls for the community, especially the LGBTQ community. It’s truly remarkable how many years they have been an active part of the Orlando community and honoring the first weekend in June at Disney every year with One Magical Weekend.
I was beyond happy and surprised it took this long for them to come up with such an amazing nonprofit, The KindRED Pride Foundation. This year, Tom and Billy were committed to remembering the first Saturday of June as Red Shirt Pride Day and established their amazing nonprofit not only to get people around the world to wear red shirts on that first Friday but to support the endeavors of like-minded charities for the education, promotion and celebration of diversity, inclusion, equality, safe expression and kindness.
It’s almost 30 years since the first red shirt pride started at Disney and I’m so happy these two guys continue to let us have fun and be kids at Disney every year. Our community is better with these two in it and I am honored to call them friends.
