The Center may have held their grand re-opening in March to celebrate their new facelift, but renovations continue inside and outside the building to complete the transformation. A number of large recent donations have helped The Center in achieving its goals. Prominent among those is a $50,000 donation from Roger Cornell, M.D,. of the Scripps Clinic.

“I’ve given larger donations before to other groups … so I am used to contributing,” Cornell told the Gay and Lesbian Times. “I felt that The Center is doing a very good job and it’s The Center and it addresses virtually all of the needs of our community. When I was asked if I could make a donation to the reception center area I was happy to do it.”

Cornell added that he was particularly pleased that his donation was going towards the completion of the reception area, which he sees as the face of The Center, where many members of the community have their first interaction with the staff.

“The Center’s board of directors, staff and volunteers, as well as the thousands of community members we serve, are delighted and overwhelmed by Dr. Cornell’s generous gift,” Dr. Delores Jacobs, The Center’s executive director, said. “His leadership giving has benefited The Center, as well as a number of other GLBT organizations and projects. We are extremely fortunate to count philanthropic leaders like Dr. Cornell among our donors and in our community’s leadership.”

In addition to Cornell’s gift, several other community leaders have made large donations to The Center’s continued renovation. Prominent among them are: the new San Diego LGBT Pride Drop-In Center, thanks to a $25,000 donation from Pride; the David Birnbaum Memorial Meeting Room, made possible through a $10,000 donation; and James Ziegler, who has pledged $10,000 for the patio café. Other potential contributions are also being discussed with several other individuals and organizations.

“I think the community has the potential to support organizations like The Center,” Cornell pointed out, “whether through donations like mine or the Stonewall fund, which The Center has, which is an estate planning arm, which I am pledged to support.… We need to be encouraged to support them.”

Individuals, organizations and businesses interested in donating to help complete the renovation project can contact The Center at (619) 692-2077.

The Center also thanks other contributors to Renovation 2003, including: David Bohnett, Reuel Olin and Robert Grinchuk, Chris Shaw and Hamburger Mary’s; Club Montage; Bruce M. Abrams; Joe Mayer; Mel Merril; The Imperial Court de San Diego; Laura Bloom; Price Charities; Darl Edwards; Frank Stiriti; Robert Nelson and Murray Olson; Peter Spencer; Steve Miller; Lennie Alickman; Susan Atkins; Geri Bone; Drs. Flora Danque and Jennifer Tuteur; Elaine Greybill; Phyllis Kraus; Jennifer LeSar; Gioia Messinger and Dian Stewart; Maureen Steiner; Julie Werner; Laura Galinson and Jane Fantel; and Toni Atkins.