Regina celebrities ready to shantay and slay in fundraiser for LGBTQ2S+ youth shelter
Some of Regina’s best-known personalities are raising money for “Walk the Walk,”a celebrity drag show and fundraiser for Regina’s LGBTQ2S+ youth.
The event will feature 12 local celebrities, including Mayor Sandra Masters, Morgan Campbell, anchor of CTV News Regina at 6 and Trent Wotherspoon, MLA for Regina Rosemont. All participants are tasked with raising money for Lulu’s Lodge, a transitional youth shelter for LGBTQ2S+ youth.
“Forty per cent of all homelessness is part of my community, the LGBTQ2S community. So there’s a high need for a home such as this,” said Terry Van Mackelberg, also known by his drag personal, Flo Mingo.
The goal is to raise $100,000 to pay off a portion of the house purchased by Lulu’s Lodge last year. According to the John Howard Society, which runs the lodge, the funds would offer the chance to be more be lenient with rent when individuals are transitioning to different housing placements or income sources.
“Homelessness is an issue for the community, as is underemployment,” Mayor Sandra Masters said. “So, when you get offered the chance to participate in something so fun, and the ability to raise money to assist with this housing, it seems natural.”
Celebrity participants were required to raise a minimum of $1,000 to enter the competition, while $2,000 raised affords participants a local drag mentor. Celebrities who raise $5,000 will be able to perform alongside their drag mentor and $10,000 raised buys them out of the competition.
“I think it’s very important for our community leaders to show that we care about these things and we want to make our city a more welcome and inclusive place,” said Tina Beaudry-Mellor, who currently leads in funds raised.
Van Mackelberg, who organized the event, is set to perform alongside the slate of celebrities in full drag.
“It’s very elegant, extravaganza I call it,” he said. “So very over the top. We’re going to have your regular drag performances, people who do this for a profession, but we’re going to have some newbies out there, and I’m excited to see what they’re going to bring to the table.”
The sold-out event will take place on Aug. 28 at the Ramada Plaza, but the event can be supported through online donations to the celebrity participants.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.