Point Foundation (Point), the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for GLBT students of merit, 2010 application season will soon be closing. Students who will be enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs for the 2010-11 school year are eligible to apply for the prestigious, multi-year scholarships. The application deadline for this year’s scholarships is Friday, Feb. 12.

Point Foundation’s rigorous selection process requires of its candidates demonstrated academic excellence, leadership skills, community involvement and financial need. Particular attention is paid to students who have lost the financial and social support of their families and/or communities as a result of revealing their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The selection process begins with on-line applications and concludes with face-to-face interviews with selected finalists

For information on how to apply for a Point Scholarship, visit www.pointfoundation.org/apply.html.

Help get the neighborhood looking sharp for this year’s Mardi Gras Street Party. Meet up with the Hillcrest Clean T.E.A.M. beginning at 8:45 a.m. under the Hillcrest sign at Fifth & University Avenue for coffee & City Deli cookies before breaking up into work parties. Free orange T-shirts for new volunteers (while they last)...and gift certificates will be shared at the end of the effort. You never know who may show up to push a broom with you – and it’s great exercise! This quarterly clean-up will focus on alleys, Washington Street and cigarette butts. Wear your orange volunteer T-shirt!

large dumpster (provided by Councilmember Gloria’s office) will be located in Numbers parking lot, 3811 Park Blvd., for larger items. No electronics, oils, etc.

Spice up your Sunday afternoons at the Porto Vista Hotel’s (Porto Vista) new happy hour with the gay and lesbian community from 2 to 7 p.m. on the captivating setting of the hotel’s Ripassi rooftop deck. Matched with San Diego’s reputation for perfect weather, the open and breezy rooftop deck is the best escape for some fun in the sun with panoramic views of the San Diego Harbor and city skyline, along with afternoon drinks and appetizers from the award-winning Glass Door Restaurant.

To add to the appeal of the Ripassi Sunday Happy Hour, the recently TAG Approved hotel has invited local San Diego vendors to join guests every Sunday for fun and exciting promotions. The French Garden Shoppe, San Diego’s oldest European home furnishings store, will be the first to attend the happy hour kick-off on Sunday, Feb. 21.

“We want to evolve our connection with the gay and lesbian community through a special happy hour every week to let guests relax, have a drink and mingle in a casual, chic setting,” said Ramon Flores, director of sales at the Porto Vista Hotel. “And with the opportunity to experience exciting offers from some of San Diego’s finest local businesses and associations, the hotel provides our guests with more than just the typical drink special.”

Future vendors will include the Gay & Lesbian Times, Porto Vista’s own Evolve Salon, San Diego Speed Dating, Yoga One, The Mills Team at Prudential CA Realty, Transformed, Streamline Media, GayTravel.com, Urban Body Gym, Barrelly Made It, and Little Italy Tours & Tourism. Pet Finder, tattoo artists, and local wine & art galleries are also invited for Porto Vista’s rooftop afternoon.

With its sexy Mediterranean style and dazzling San Diego Bay views, the Porto Vista Hotel calls to mind the cool, casual vibe of the 1960s Italian coast. Featuring 190 guestrooms, the Glass Door Restaurant and Lounge, a rooftop deck, Evolve Salon, Porto Vespa boutique, modern meeting and event space and daily activities including rooftop yoga by Yoga One, the Porto Vista invites guests to stay in style. For more online reservations and information, visit www.portovistasd.com or call 619-544-0164, and ask for the TAG room rate.

San Diego Pagan Pride is holding its fifth annual wine tasting fundraiser at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego on Saturday, Feb. 27, from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. There will be live entertainment, silent auction and 50/50 drawing. All proceeds go toward San Diego Pagan Pride.

San Diego Pagan Pride is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering pride in pagan identity through education, activism, charity, and community.

For more information, visit www.sdpaganpride.org or call 619-255-5776.

The San Diego Wrestling Club (SDWC) is hosting its 2010 SDWC Freestyle Tournament at the San Diego LGBT Community Center on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. Online registration for the tournament is now available at www.sdwrestling.org. The tournament is the centerpiece of five days of wrestling related activities. The following is a schedule for the wrestling related events:

Regular Practice: Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.

Meet, Greet, and Roll Wrestling Practice: Friday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m.

Tournament Weigh-ins, Open Mat Practice and/or Freestyle Wrestling Rules and Skills Clinic: Saturday, Feb. 13 at 11 a.m.

SDWC Freestyle Wrestling Tournament: Sunday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m.

Post Tournament Party/BBQ: Sunday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m.

Beach Wrestling and Picnic at Ocean Beach (weather permitting): Monday, Feb. 15 (President’s Day) at 1 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 7, is the tenth annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD.) NBHAAD is a national HIV testing and treatment community event designed to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment among African Americans. In 2007, HIV/AIDS was the fourth leading cause of death for African American men and the third leading cause of death for African American women, ages 25 to 44. African Americans represent approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population, but almost half of all AIDS cases. Yet, HIV is 100 percent preventable.

This year’s theme is HIV/AIDS Prevention – A Choice and a Lifestyle, intended to encourage the African American community to focus more attention on the epidemic and to choose to get tested. The focus of the nationwide event is education, testing, involvement and treatment. Family Health Centers of San Diego will emphasize these themes through its annual NBHAAD health fair.

Family Health Centers of San Diego, the largest provider of HIV/AIDS health services in San Diego County, will hold a day-long health fair in recognition of NBHAAD, featuring free rapid HIV testing, educational materials, and free gifts. The event will take place Sunday, Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Rite Aid Pharmacy parking lot, located at 1735 Euclid Ave, in North Park.