By Brian Blueskye | Desert Sun
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Ron Oden, who served as mayor of Palm Springs from 2003 to 2007. Oden was the first openly gay mayor to be elected in Palm Springs, and also the first gay African-American elected to lead a California city.
Former Mayor Ron Oden gives an impassioned speech at the Palm Springs Walk of Stars dedication ceremony for designer Michael Costello, Monday, March 20, 2017. (Photo: Zoe Meyers/The Desert Sun)
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The Advocate of the Year Award will be presented to Lauren N. Nile, an author, radio show host and retired attorney. She hosted the Los Angeles public television show “The Wisdom in the Middle” and the VoiceAmerica radio show “The Fate of Humanity: Crucial Conversations for Our Survival.” She volunteers in the neonatal intensive care unit and as a chaplain at Desert Regional Medical Center
The Spirit of Pride Award honors Ellen Wolf, the development consultant for Sanctuary Palm Springs, a transitional home for LGBTQ teens who have aged out of foster care. Wolf also serves as a board member of the Palm Springs chapter of Gay For Good, an organization mobilizing members of the LGBTQ community to volunteer for social welfare and environmental service projects.
The 2019 Friend of Pride is Jennifer Jungwirth, a French and Spanish teacher at Yucca Valley High School who was nominated for the California League of High Schools Educator of the Year for Region 10 in 2017.
The Spirit of Stonewall Community Service Award recognizes Joyce Oldam, a producer for the Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival as well as Palm Springs Women’s Week, which is a series of events designed to celebrate lesbian culture and elevate the status of women. Oldam is also a retired Army Master Drill Sergeant.
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