“…I go back – I went to the very second Ritz that was ever held. And there were only maybe 70 People – 70 to 80 people – that were at that first Ritz, and I would say they were 90% members of the LGBTQ community. And then I looked at last year’s Ritz, which was maybe 60% LGBTQ community and 40% allies – and that’s growing every year.” – CORAL President Brian Sylvester
CORAL, or the Coalition of Rainbow Alliances, is a group that stands firmly upon its beliefs. As its website proudly notes, it “is a non-profit, volunteer group that facilitates networking and community for the Central Illinois lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, all other sexual and gender minorities, their families, friends, and the organizations that support them. CORAL supports the LGBTQ community throughout the year by hosting a variety of events and service projects, including The Ritz, Pride Picnic, and Thanksgiving Dinner.”
Yet, as WMAY learned during our recent sit-down with CORAL President Brian Sylvester and Treasurer April Poole, their desired reach spans even farther across various different sectors of our community, as well as the greater world.
“We have many allies in our community, not only just Springfield, but Central Illinois, and we invite every single one of them to come to our event and help us with our fundraising so that we can do many things not only just our LGBT community but the greater community.
CORAL prides itself on reaching out to other organizations to basically show that the LGBT community cares about more than just LGBT issues – that we want to help everyone, and we’re helping Habitat for Humanity, APL, Black Lives Matter, Juneteenth, along with Fifth Street Renaissance, The Phoenix Center, and other LGBT organizations. So Oh, and other organizations like H link, where we help seniors, so we just have a heart for helping others.”
With the upcoming ninth annual The Ritz Gala at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield, starting at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, there was certainly an optimism during the discussion with Brian and April that this event would surpass last year’s great success, but also a real, sincere appreciation concerning the growth and acceptance they were witnessing and experiencing.
“Our goal is to be bigger and better than last year. Last year, we had just under 400 People in this year, we want to fill the four rooms that make up the giant ballroom at the Crowne Plaza on March 23. We want to fill that room with 50 tables of our closest LGBT folk and our allies.”
“All those allies, all those LGBTQ members are sitting there going, Wow, look at this room, and look at all of my friends. And that’s what we’re really shooting for.”
But why is it so important for individuals and groups in society to have allies from others? Why is it so important for CORAL to keep growing and cooperating with more folks and communities? Brian Sylvester noted it in this way.
“I think in the past, we’ve always been led to believe there was something wrong with us. And so it’s taken a long time for us to get to a point where we can say I am okay. It’s okay for me to be me; this is how I identify, and this is who I am. So having allies around you that lend you that support, and allow you to be the individual that you truly are is so important because it makes you realize that you can be comfortable in your own skin.”
And as our chat with Brian Sylvester and April Poole of CORAL was ending, the treasurer made a wonderfully forthright and thoughtful remark, along with some ways to contact the group for those who wish to participate or learn more.
“I think we’re going to make five bucks off of everybody after we pay all the expenses of putting on this gala; what we’re going to be doing is we are gathering people, and that’s what we want to do is gather people to connect and celebrate the journey of the LGBT community and our allies, and just bring everybody together.
Again, you can contact us via email or our Facebook pages Coalition Of Rainbow Alliances or Springfield Coral there are two pages out there for us or through I believe it’s coral.springfield@gmail.com”
Our thanks to CORAL President Sylvester, Treasurer Poole, and the entire CORAL staff for their time.
