Family Matters is hosting Big Family BBQ at Trolley Barn Park on Sunday, Sept. 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All families, kids, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, grandkids, friends and neighbors are invited for music, karaoke, face painting, balloon art, jumps and slides, games, prizes and lots of social time. Admission is $10 for lunch and beverages. Children under five get in for free. You can also sponsor family. A $30 gift will sponsor a family of three, while $50 will sponsor a family of five. Tickets can be purchased online. The Trolley Barn Park is on Adams Ave. between Park Blvd. and Texas St. For more information, call 619-692-2077, ext. 121 or e-mail families@thecentersd.org.

Center for Community Solutions, a non-profit agency that offers a complete range of sexual assault and domestic violence prevention and intervention services, is hosting its fifth annual Chef Showdown 2009: Taking a Stand against Domestic Violence at the NTC Promenade on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The fundraiser, which honors Domestic Violence Awareness Month, will feature a lively culinary competition involving chefs from San Diego’s top restaurants, including Avenue 5, Café Japengo, Cucina Urbana, El Vitral Restaurant, Harry’s Bar and American Grill, Kitchen 1540, Quarter Kitchen, Roseville, Truluck’s and Urban Solace.

Guests will sample food items from the county’s most popular restaurants and enjoy beverages, cocktails, live entertainment and a live and silent auction.

The event will feature celebrity judges, including Brian Malarkey, season three finalist of Bravo’s Top Chef. Lively commentary will be provided by co-hosts Bernard Guillas, executive chef of the Marine Room; Emmy award winner, Sam Zien, aka “Sam the Cooking Guy” and Isabel Cruz, executive chef of Isabel’s Cantina.

Funds raised through Chef Showdown will go to support sexual assault and domestic violence prevention and intervention programs and services. Tickets are $125. The NTC Promenade is located at 2801 Rosecrans St. in Point Loma. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 858-272-5777 or visit www.ccssd.org.

The San Diego LGBT Community Center is offering a new group for couples with at least one HIV-positive partner on Monday evenings. The group offers an opportunity for couples to learn how to improve their communication and a forum to discuss relationship issues. Kurt Buis will facilitate the group. For more information, call 619-692-2077, ext. 208 or visit www.thecentersd.org.

FilmOut San Diego has appointed five new members to its board of directors and will host a new monthly screening series starting Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the Birch North Park Theater.

“Both the addition of our new board members and our commitment to provide San Diego with a monthly LGBT screening series is part of our goal to increase the influence of LGBT cinema in the region,” said FilmOut San Diego Board President Tamara Zyhylij. “The skill and talent our newest board members bring will allow us to provide our community with a continuous source of LGBT entertainment, which has long been one of our missions.”

FilmOut San Diego’s new board members include Kevin Atto, owner and operator of San Diego Pro Cleaning; Rick Goldenstein, branch manager at CEVA Logistics; David Gonzalez, senior promotions producer in the marketing department at KGTV San Diego; Frank Lechner, advertising for account executive for the Gay & Lesbian Times and Sue Sneeringer, office administrator for the Greater San Diego Business Association.

FilmOut’s new monthly screening series will premiere with Were the World Mine, a musical love story inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The film is directed by Tom Gustafson and written by Cory James Krueckeberg and Tom Gustafson. Ticket holders can exchange their ticket stubs from the September screening for a complimentary drink at Bourbon Street on the evening of the event.

The Greater San Diego Business Association (GSDBA) hosts Taste the Joy of Giving, a mixer, at Mama’s Kitchen on Thursday, Sept. 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event includes food as well as music by Gravity Productions and mini “pantry barrels” that guests can take for their homes or offices. Attendees are asked to bring a box of cereal or a canned good. Bar beverages will be complimentary, but bartender tips will go directly to Mama’s food preparation and delivery services provided to those affected by AIDS or cancer. The cost is $10 for GSDBA members and $20 for non-members. Mama’s Kitchen is located at 1875 Second Ave. in Park West. For more information, call 619-296-4543 or visit www.gsdba.org.

The Greater San Diego Business Association Charitable Foundation awarded $10,000 in scholarships to local GLBT college students.

“This year we had a diverse group of applicants,” said GSDBA Foundation President Stampp Corbin. “We have recipients who are going back to school after many years, those who have followed the more traditional model of attending college directly after high school and those pursuing post graduate studies.”

The 2009 Charitable Foundation Scholarship recipients are the following:

• Allan Acevedo, San Diego State University, Political Science

• Justin Curole, San Diego State University, Public Health

• Jason Farr, University of California-San Diego, Literature

• Richard Granstaff, San Diego City College, Alcohol & Other Drug Studies

• Gibran Guido, San Diego State University, Chicano Studies

• Thomas Nunn, University of California-San Diego, Bioengineering

• John Provence, San Diego State University, Communications

Foundation Vice President Lisa Sanders said “It was a pleasure to interview so many outstanding candidates that represent some of the best students in the LGBT community.”

The scholarship recipients are chosen based upon their application, academic performance and interview.

The Greater San Diego Business Association Charitable Foundation provides scholarships and mentoring to outstanding GLBT students and GLBT student allies within the San Diego Community. The Foundation is not associated with the GSDBA.

Toni Atkins, candidate for the 76th State Assembly District, is looking for volunteers to participate on her team in the annual Coastal Cleanup Day at Belmont Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers will join Atkins in removing debris and cleaning up the area. Belmont Park is located at 3146 Mission Blvd. in Mission Beach. For more information or to volunteer, call 619 884-3748 or e-mail timrandyo@aol.com.