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• IU GLBT Alumni Association to host ninth annual celebration weekend

IU GLBT Alumni Association to host ninth annual Celebration Weekend

• Jan. 12, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The presentation of the Indiana University Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award and a fundraising auction to benefit student scholarships will highlight the ninth annual GLBTAA Celebration Weekend taking place Jan. 27 and 28.

The celebration weekend, which once again coincides with the annual Bloomington PRIDE Film Festival, will include a silent auction from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Grazie Italian Eatery, 106 W. Sixth St. in Bloomington. The event is open to the public.

The GLBTAA will also honor Mike Shumate, a 1967 graduate of the Kelley School of Business, with the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award. Shumate served on the GLBTAA board of directors for 11 years, three as president. He was instrumental in the establishment of a scholarship fund for LGBT students at IU and helped with the foundation of the LGBT alumni advisory board at IU’s Maurer School of Law. Shumate will receive his award during a ceremony Jan. 27.

“I have loved IU ever since I was on campus,” Shumate said. “IU was key in forming my identity and moral compass.”

Shumate currently serves on the IU Foundation Board. He has gone to great lengths to unite others in support of the LGBT community on campus, including the Out at Kelley LGBT student support service that is available to business students.

“We are so proud of the GLBTAA and all it has accomplished over the first two decades since its founding,” said J T. Forbes, CEO of the IU Alumni Association. “With the solid foundation it has built, the future is limitless.”

A GLBTAA board meeting will also be held during the weekend celebration. Everyone is invited to attend the meeting, which takes place from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 28 at the DeVault Alumni Center, 1000 E. 17th St.

Those attending the GLBTAA Celebration Weekend are also encouraged to visit “The Legacy Wall,” a traveling, interactive LGBT history exhibit that will be on display in the East Lounge of the Indiana Memorial Union starting Jan. 23. The exhibit, which runs through Feb. 4, aims to raise awareness of the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our history.

Weekend event prices range from free to $20. Purchase tickets or register for events online or by contacting alumni relations officer Clarence Boone at boonec@indiana.edu or 800-824-3044.

The GLBT Alumni Association is an affiliate group of the IU Alumni Association. The IU Alumni Association is a global alumni organization that brings more than 650,000 IU graduates together to support one another and Indiana University throughout their lives. The IUAA activates IU’s powerful network through live events, webinars, scholarship programs and meaningful traditions.