Join the San Diego chapter of Log Cabin Republicans for an evening with national Log Cabin president Patrick Guerriero on Sunday, Nov. 27, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at The Center.

This will be Guerriero’s only public appearance in Southern California, and concludes his whirlwind tour of the western United States.

The event will also be the kick-off of Log Cabin San Diego’s 2006 membership campaign. Attendees can complete their membership registration at the event.

Admission to the reception is free, and the entire community is invited to attend. Call (619) 459-1037 for additional information.

The 14th annual Tree of Life Lighting Ceremony is a local observance of World AIDS Day, an international day of remembrance for those who have been affected by AIDS and a day to celebrate the progress made against the epidemic, while bringing into focus the remaining challenges. It will take place on Thursday, Dec. 1, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Village Hillcrest Retail Center located at 3965 Fifth Ave., on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Washington Street.

Ornaments are available for $10 each, or two for $15, and can be personalized with a message honoring a relative, friend or loved one who has been affected by AIDS. Proceeds from ornament sales benefit Mama’s Kitchen, a non-profit meal-delivery service for people affected by HIV/AIDS.

The trees and their commemorative ornaments will be on display throughout December. Call (619) 233-6262 for more information.

The next San Diego PFLAG meeting will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 4190 Front St. in Hillcrest.

The meeting will consist of support groups followed by a cookie social and a presentation by the Rev. Kevin Bucy, who has worked as a social worker for many years before becoming a minister and also holds a masters degree in marriage and family therapy. He will be speaking on the grieving process when a loved one comes out. Call Ellen Arcadi at (619) 316-5437 for more information.

J*Pride, a San Diego Jewish GLBT community organization, continues its tradition of celebrating Shabbat with local GLBT-friendly and welcoming synagogues. On Friday, Dec. 2, join J*Pride and the congregation of Temple Emanu-El, a Reform Jewish congregation, for Shabbat services, which begin at 6:00 p.m.

A vegetarian dinner will be served following services. The cost for the dinner is $12 for adults and $8 for children. Those who wish to stay for dinner must RSVP by Tuesday, Nov. 29, to J*Pride Coordinator Brian Schaefer at (858) 362-1347, or via e-mail at jpride@lfjcc.com.

Temple Emanu-El is located at 6299 Capri Dr., near the corner of College Avenue and Del Cerro Boulevard, just north of San Diego State University. For directions or for more information, contact Temple Emanu-El at (619) 286-2555.

For more information about J*Pride, visit their Web site at www.jpridesandiego.org.

After more than five and a half years of service to the community and The Center, director of development Shawn Ingram will be leaving The Center’s development department on Dec. 15.

Join The Center as they celebrate Ingram’s successes and wish him well on Thursday, Dec. 8, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Flame. The event will be a fund-raiser, with a $15 cover at the door. Food and entertainment will be provided. Nicole Murray-Ramirez will emcee and provide a light roast.

For those who would like to do more, hosts will be recognized on signage at the event. Available host levels are $500, $250 and $100. To become a host at the event or for more information, contact Zac Mikles at (619) 692-2077 ext. 246, or e-mail zmikles@thecentersd.org.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego (GMCSD) announced the addition of special guest Ria Carey to the program for its upcoming “Holiday Lights” concerts.

Carey recently closed a successful run as Mezeppa in Gypsy at the Welk Resort Theatre after playing the role of Marge on the national tour of the hit musical Suds, and has a nightclub act with keyboardist Don LeMaster.

“Holiday Lights” will feature traditional carols “Joy to the World” and “Deck the Halls,” seasonal favorites “Goin’ on a Sleighride” and “Winter Wonderland,” as well as comedic gems ranging from “The Fight Before Christmas” to “The Twelve Days After Christmas.” The GMCSD will also present its annual holiday wreath auction in the theater lobby.

Tickets are now available for GMCSD’s “Holiday Lights” concerts. These two performances will take place on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 8:00 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3:00 p.m. Both shows will be performed at the 500-seat David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre located inside the Jewish Community Center in La Jolla.

Individual tickets for “Holiday Lights” are $25 for Saturday evening or $20 for the Sunday matinee. They are available from GMCSD members, at Obelisk bookstore in Hillcrest, via the JCC box office in La Jolla, and online at www.GMCSD.com. The Gay Men’s Chorus is also offering groups of 10 or more people a discount of $5 off each ticket.

“Reaching out to groups in our community and sharing our proud and diverse voices are things the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego has always done,” chorus vice president Duncan Ulrich said. “This year we want to make it even more affordable for families and friends to start off this special season in style by attending our concerts together.”

The GMCSD is a member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses and is funded in part by grants from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture as well as the San Diego LGBT Pride Fund managed by the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation. Call (619) 57-GMCSD or visit www.GMCSD.com for more information about the GMCSD or its two upcoming “Holiday Lights” concerts.

Hope’s Voice and Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) have launched the 2006 Road to Hope Tour, which will be making stops at high schools and college campuses around the nation to educate and inform young adults about HIV/AIDS and mobilize young people to act. Hope’s Voice will be bringing our speakers and national awareness campaign “Does HIV Look Like Me?” The Student Global AIDS Campaign will be bringing its advocacy work to the tour, helping students take action against HIV and AIDS.

Each campus event will begin with afternoon training, planning and educational events. The main feature of the tour stop will be a program that includes a panel of Hope’s Voice speakers talking and answering questions about living with HIV and AIDS. Student Global AIDS Campaign organizers will inform students about the global reach of the HIV pandemic and how students can join the fight against HIV and AIDS at home and around the world.

Following each presentation, students will have an opportunity to get an HIV test (in locations where arrangements can be made), as well as to meet the Hope’s Voice speakers and SGAC representatives. Students will also be able to pick up packets of information about HIV and AIDS from the RV and visit various corporate and local sponsor booths for information.

2006 Road to Hope Tour applications are now being accepted. Download an application at www.fightglobalaids.org/RoadtoHope.

A screening of director John Waters’ film Desperate Living will be hosted by the film’s stars, Mink Stole and Susan Lowe, with a special introduction by Jackie Beat on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Key Club in West Hollywood. A majority of the ticket proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Waters is well known for breaking boundaries of acceptable filmmaking. Drugs, queens, abortion and religion are all within his field of vision.

Doors open at 7:00 p.m. There is a recommended donation of $15 for general admission and $30 for VIP restaurant seating, which includes a personally signed headshot by the film’s stars and a gift bag. The Key Club is located at 9039 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood. For more information, contact Amanda Brocato at (310) 274-5800 or e-mail amanda@keyclub.com.

The Center’s Women’s Resource Center and San Diego Family Matters present Positive Parenting drop-in workshops on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 6:00 p.m. at Walden Family Services. Back by popular demand for the second year in a row, “Handling the Holidays” provides a no-nonsense approach to reducing stress, managing consumerism and finding ways to enjoy the winter holidays. The free workshop is presented by Dr. Heather Berberet, a San Diego psychologist with extensive experience working with children and families.

Walden Family Services is located at 3517 Camino del Rio South, Suite 215. Call (619) 298-5431 or e-mail kelly@sdfamilymatters.org to RSVP.

The Scott Carlson Thanksgiving Dinner, a free Thanksgiving dinner for people living with HIV/AIDS, their friends and families, will be served at First Unitarian Universalist Church (across from UCSD Hospital), on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 24. There will be an abundance of food and people to meet, organizers said. Food will be served from 12:00 noon until 2:00 p.m. (the program starts at 11:30 a.m.). No RSVP or tickets are required. There is limited free parking available in the church parking lot.

The Imperial Court de San Diego, in cooperation with the Asian Pacific Islander Community AIDS Project (APICAP), presents the Scott Carlson Thanksgiving Dinner. The Imperial Court is a non-profit organization that produces benefits and raises money for various causes. They have been associated with the dinner since at least 1991. APICAP is a non-profit community based organization whose mission is to provide prevention education, direct services, and advocacy about HIV and other health-related issues to APIs and the broader community, their families and friends living in San Diego County.

Scott Carlson, a local activist who helped establish the first food bank for people with HIV in San Diego, is the founder of the Thanksgiving Day dinner. The dinner will be held at Bard Hall within the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, located at 4190 Front St.

People interested in volunteering or donating money or food can contact co-chairs City Commissioner Julia “Jhigs” Legapsi at (619) 993-8315 or Jess San Roque at (619) 229-2822. Individuals can also contact the church office at (619) 298-9978.

Join Purefitness Sports Clubs, KUSI and The Ralphs/Food 4 Less Foundation for the fourth annual San Diego Cares Run for the Hungry 5K on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 24. All proceeds will benefit the San Diego Food Bank and Jewish Family Service. Additionally, food collection barrels will be at the starting line on race morning for anyone who would like to drop off non-perishable food.

The San Diego Cares Run for the Hungry 5K will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and take participants through a downtown San Diego waterfront course. After the race, there will be activities with refreshments and live entertainment for those wishing to stay. Entry fees are $27 for adults and $15 for youth (12 and under) before November 18. Fees increase to $30 and $20 for youth thereafter.

For more information about the San Diego Cares Run for the Hungry 5K, call the San Diego Food Bank at (858) 527-1419, or go to sandiegofoodbank.org. Register for the race at www.inmotionevents.com.

The San Diego Food Bank and Albertsons California stores invite shoppers to help feed hungry families by purchasing pre-packaged holiday grocery bags available in stores until Nov. 24.

Filled with Albertsons’ own-brand items, everything that local food banks need is in the bag and available for $9.99. Items include: a macaroni and cheese dinner, light tuna, tomato sauce, traditional spaghetti sauce, long spaghetti, concentrated apple juice, creamy peanut butter, chicken noodle soup, whole kernel corn, cut green beans and toasted oats cereal.

The Albertsons Holiday Food Bag goes a long way to feeding the hungry and saves customers nearly 50 percent off the retail price of these selected items.

To purchase a bag of groceries, shoppers are urged to look for the holiday food drive display at the front of each store. After check-out, the bags can be dropped in the San Diego Food Bank’s barrel ready to donate.

The San Diego Food Bank (SDFB), an America’s Second Harvest affiliate, was established in 1977 by Neighborhood House Association. Its mission is to combat hunger in San Diego County by soliciting, collecting and distributing donated and purchased food to those in need. SDFB provides food to more than 200 San Diego County charitable, nonprofit agencies, as well as operating programs such as the Holiday Food Drive, Senior Brown Bag, Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. SDFB distributed more than 13 million pounds of food in 2004. For every dollar donated, SDFB is able to distribute enough food for four meals.

Albertsons is one of the world’s largest food and drug retailers. The company’s divisions and subsidiaries operate approximately 2,500 stores in 37 states across the U.S. and employ approximately 240,000 associates. Its banners include Albertsons, Acme, Shaw’s, Jewel-Osco, Sav-on Drugs, Osco Drug and Star Markets, as well as Super Saver and Bristol Farms, which are operated independently.

For more information regarding the San Diego Food Bank/Albertsons Holiday Pre-Packaged Food Drive, contact Teresa Leader-Anderson at (858) 527-1419 ext. 19 or Lilia Rodriguez at (714) 300-6438.