The Center’s 32nd anniversary gala takes place at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. Over 650 of San Diego’s political, corporate, community and social leaders are expected to attend; the gala is the largest GLBT black-tie affair in the city. This year the gala will raise over $100,000 for programs and services offered by The Center, including their newest program, the Youth Supportive Housing Project.

As part of the event’s festivities, The Center will recognize the recipients of seven awards honoring the commitment, service and generosity of local volunteers, community organizations and businesses.

Tickets are available for $150 or $300 VIP. Tables are available for either $1,500 or $3,000 VIP. For more information, contact Zac Mikles at (619) 692-2077 ext. 246, or at zmikles@thecentersd.org.

The San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina is located at 333 West Harbor Dr. in downtown San Diego.

An exhibition of collage work by artist Jeffrey Wynne is featured at the Live and Let Live Alano Club, located at 1730 Monroe Ave. in University Heights, from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30.

The exhibition includes artistic interpretations of recovery and pieces that incorporate themes such as crystal methamphetamine and street hustling. All works in the exhibition are for sale; 20 percent of each sale will be donated to the Live and Let Live Alano Club.

Wynne’s scope of work includes Polaroid transfer photography, watercolor, pen and ink sketches, book art and collage. He maintains an art studio in University Heights. For more information, e-mail jwsandiego@cox.net.

In accordance with Live and Let Live Alano Club statements, an individual’s visit to or participation in events at the club is not necessarily an indicator of an individual’s sexual orientation or involvement in a recovery program.

San Diego’s mayoral candidates, Donna Frye and Jerry Sanders, will speak at The Center’s next Community Coalition Breakfast, which takes place Friday, Oct. 21, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in The Center’s auditorium.

Frye and Sanders emerged as the top two candidates in a special mayoral election this past summer. Now they are facing each other in the Nov. 8 run-off election.

A full breakfast will be available for a $10 donation; coffee and tea are complimentary. For more information, contact AJ Davis at (619) 692-2077 ext. 212, or at adavis@thecentersd.org.

For the past two years, the meeting has been a monthly staple for members of San Diego’s GLBT leadership, politicians and candidates, and for organizations collaborating with The Center.

The Community Coalition Breakfast takes place on the third Friday of every month. ASL interpretation will be provided upon request. Requests must be sent to AJ Davis at least seven working days before the event.

The Women for Hire Career Expo, a high-caliber recruiting event held across the country, takes place in San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will enable women in all fields to meet directly with recruiters and hiring managers from top employers. Tory Johnson, the 34-year-old CEO of Women for Hire, will be on hand to provide advice to women on any number of career-related issues.

Women for Hire has worked with over 2,500 San Diegans, and its popular one-day expos are attended by over 30,000 women each year nationwide.

The events provide an ideal opportunity to launch or advance careers by pairing recruiters from a mix of Fortune 500 companies, medium-sized businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies with local women in a wide range of disciplines. A few of the San Diego employers taking part in this year’s expo are Websense, ViaSat and Qualcomm.

Johnson is the regular career contributor for “Good Morning America,” and is a frequent media guest throughout the country on all issues relating to job searches and career advancement. She discusses timely workplace issues and deals directly with recruiters from a wide variety of professional fields as well as women jobseekers of all ages.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, Johnson spent weeks at the Astrodome helping women in need find new employment. She is currently working with evacuees who were relocated to San Diego, and will share her story and provide tips on ways local residents can help at the expo. Johnson will also address the pros and cons of working from home, the unfair pay scale for women, and what jobs are hot for women in San Diego right now.

The Sheraton Hotel and Marina is located at 1380 Harbor Island Dr. For event details or for more information on Women for Hire, call Gena Downey at (760) 943-2333, or e-mail her at gena@szpr.com.

The Gay Men’s Relationships and Empowerment Retreat will take place Nov. 18-20 at Angel’s Landing in Julian. The free event is aimed at providing men with tools to make their relationships as safe and healthy as possible.

Activities, discussions and presentations will be led by staff from the Gay Men’s Health Program at Family Health Centers of San Diego. The retreat helps participants learn how to explore the full potential of their current or future relationships. The activities and presentations will also demonstrate different types of relationships gay men have with each other, health concerns, communication skills and other tools that can increase the success of relationships and dating.

Angel’s Landing is approximately two hours from San Diego by car. Carpooling may be available. Participants are guaranteed their own bed, but will share a room with one other person. Spaces are limited and all applications will be considered. Interested applicants should contact Tom Barnes at (619) 515-2446 for an application, or e-mail GMHP@fhcsd.org.

Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego will kick off its 14th year with a holiday concert series entitled Holiday Lights. Performances take place on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3:00 p.m. Tickets will be available Nov. 1.

Holiday Lights will feature traditional carols such as “Joy to the World” and “Deck the Halls,” seasonal favorites like “Goin’ on a Sleighride” and “Winter Wonderland and comedic gems ranging from “The Fight Before Christmas” to “The Twelve Days After Christmas.” These shows will be performed at the 500-seat David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre located inside the Jewish Community Center in La Jolla, which hosted the chorus’ summer concert “Oz & Beyond.”

“In many traditions, the holidays are known as ‘the season of light.’ So in true Gay Men’s Chorus fashion, our concert stage this year celebrates not only the shimmering candles of the Hanukkah menorah and the radiance of the Star of Bethlehem, but also the brightly burning bulb of the movie projector – not to mention the comforting glow of the TV screen,” said GMCSD artistic director Gary Holt.

Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego is a member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, and is funded in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and the San Diego LGBT Pride Fund, which is managed by the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation.

For more information about the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego or its upcoming holiday concerts, call (619) 57-GMCSD or visit their Web site at www.gmcsd.com.