Over $8,500 was raised for The Trevor Project at the second annual “Olè Trevor” fund-raiser held at Olè Madrid restaurant on July 27. The Trevor Project runs the Trevor Helpline (866) 4-U-TREVOR, the only national, toll-free, 24-hour, 365 day-a-year confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth.

The short film Trevor, an 18-minute comedy/drama about a gay 13-year-old boy coming to grips with his sexuality, was the foundation and catalyst for The Trevor Project.

The Trevor Helpline was co-founded by Jim Lecesne and Peggy Rajski to coincide with the airing of Trevor, which was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres in an HBO special in 1998. Trevor won the 1994 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. It was written by Lecesne, produced by Randy Stone, and produced and directed by Rajski.

“I knew I needed to get involved with The Trevor Project when I heard that one of TTP’s Helpline counselors received a call from a teenager in San Diego, Calif. After the call ended, this trained counselor felt that the teenager was still at a high risk of hurting himself and did what every counselor dreads – he called paramedics to intervene,” Trevor Project executive director Jorge Valencia said at the fund-raiser. “The paramedics arrived in time to literally cut the noose off the boy’s neck. Suicide is a huge problem among gay and questioning teens around the country – yes, even in San Diego.”

After a viewing of the film Trevor, actress Kathy Kinney performed on stage and presented a slide show about her life leading up to her big role as Mimi Bobeck on television’s “The Drew Carey Show,” which ended its nine-year run on ABC last year. Local singer/songwriter Skott Freedman performed songs on his keyboard.

For more information about The Trevor Project, visit this article online at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to The Trevor Project Web site.