COSP’s board, Royal Court and supporters April 2. Photo by Terry Scopelliti.
ST. PETERSBURG | Come OUT St. Pete held its Longstreth Scholarship Spring Fling Fundraiser April 2 at Zoie’s, awarding LGBTQ+ students with a total of $5,000 while renewing their commitment to do the same in St. Petersburg College’s Fall 2023 semester.
COSP launched the Longstreth Family Scholarship in 2022, a joint effort with the SPC Foundation. It was named after COSP Co-Founder Brian Longstreth and his family in honor of their LGBTQ+ advocacy throughout the region.
The fundraiser featured performances from COSP’s 2023 Royal Court — Rockell Blu, Adam Cole Arnold and Ceazia Giovanni Kreshe — and included a special check presentation. SPC’s Jaime James received $2,500, Alexa Nicolas-Lara received $1,500 and Romi Armstrong received $1,000 to further their education at the college.
COSP also presented a $5,000 check to SPC Foundation Executive Director of Development Debbie Swink, representing the organization’s continued commitment to the scholarship. They will award the additional funds to new students this fall.
“Come OUT St. Pete is proud to continue our partnership with St. Petersburg College with the Longstreth Family Scholarships, helping our community’s LGBTQIA+ students be able to fulfill their aspirations and dreams,” Chair Pat Fearns says. “We gratefully acknowledge that none of this would be possible without the continued generosity and support of our community and endowment sponsors!”
Read more below and view photos from the event courtesy of COSP by Terry Scopelliti:
COSP also announced that it will select its next Royal Court Sept. 10. The organization will return to Zoie’s for its annual pageant and talent competition to find its next set of representatives ahead of this year’s main celebration.
For more information about COSP, its upcoming events and scholarship, visit ComeOUTStPete.org.
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