The Ritz "Words To Live By" Books Another Year

Springfield IL (March 15, 2025) While this may be a bit delayed, it is hopefully worth the wait.  CORAL is so very proud of the incredible outcome of the “The Ritz: Words To Live By” event this year that we simply needed some to time to bask in the glow of it.  On a beautiful evening of March 15th, we had the pleasure and honor of guesting so many of our friends, families, partners, and allies for a night of wonderful speakers, delicious food, and time to simply socialize with those we enjoy the company of.

We also want to give one more thanks to our noted award recipients for this year.  Our community award winners were Carolyn Austin, Executive Director of AgeLinc/PrideLinc and Michael Johnson, long-time member of CORAL.  Our community partner awards were SIU School of Medicine and Whimsey Tea.  All of them have been valuable assets not only to CORAL but to the community overall. 

CORAL President Brian Sylvester gave the welcome speech reminding everyone that though we are facing troubled times for the LGBTQ community and the demise of DEI, we must remember that it’s not simply a business practice, but a way of life as well.  We had the pleasure of Jim Bennett of Illinois Department of Human Rights as a guest speaker for the evening too, who extolled to our guests the importance of continuing the fight for our rights as we face an administration that is striving to remove them.

The evening closed on the dance floor as many attendees had the pleasure of staying on through the night getting their groove on.

From CORAL to all of our supporters and attendees, thanks again for being there and believing.