Volunteer positions are available for next month’s San Diego LGBT Pride weekend, scheduled for July 28-30.

Each year, the celebration attracts more than 800 volunteers for areas such as ticket sales, parade support, beer garden, setup, medical, safety and more. Volunteer crewmembers who work a five-hour shift at either the parade or festival will receive two-day festival admission, a meal ticket per shift, a souvenir T-shirt, discounts on Pride merchandise and an appreciation BBQ scheduled for Aug. 21.

Those interested can sign up on the Pride Web site at www.sdpride.org or by attending one of the upcoming volunteer sign-up sessions in The Center’s auditorium, located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest. The sessions will take place at 7:00 p.m. on July 7, 14, 17 and 21, and at 11:00 a.m. on July 8 and 27.

“If you want to learn more about how you can volunteer or get a better idea of the various positions available, the volunteer sign-up event is a perfect opportunity to obtain additional information,” said Patty Zwolinski, volunteer coordinator for Pride for the last six years. “At the sign-up, volunteers can specify their preferred shifts and the areas in which they would like to work.”

San Diego LGBT Pride executive director Ron deHarte said assistance of volunteers over the last 10 years has contributed in large part to the success of the annual Pride celebration.

“Dedicated volunteers have played a significant role in helping to raise over $1 million, which San Diego LGBT Pride has distributed to nonprofit community organizations since 1996,” he said. “Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, get directly involved with the Pride celebration and help to make a difference in our community.”

This year’s theme is “Equality! No Turning Back!” The festivities include an outdoor rally at the festival grounds in Balboa Park at 7:00 p.m. on July 28, a mile-long parade down University Avenue in Hillcrest at 11:00 a.m. on July 29 and a two-day festival featuring 10 performance stages, 70 bands and a host of new attractions, July 29-30.

For more information, call the Pride office at (619) 297-7683 or visit www.sdpride.org.

The next forum in The Center’s Positive Action program’s “Poz Seminar Series” will take place on Wednesday, July 12, at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St. The presentation will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. with a dinner prior to the event beginning at 6:00 p.m.

The next seminar will focus on sero-opposite couples, where one partner is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative. The special guest speaker will be Carlos Morales, a therapist at the University of California, San Diego’s Gifford Clinic.

The Poz Seminar Series is a collaborative effort between The Center’s Health Services, The Center’s Positive Action program and UCSD’s Anti-Viral Research Center (AVRC).

The seminar is free and it is not necessary to RSVP. For more information, call Carolyn Hunt at (619) 692-2077 ext. 133 or e-mail chunt@thecentersd.org, or call Jack Degnan at (619) 543-8080 or e-mail jdegnan@ucsd.edu.

San Diego’s first mini-Rose Bowl parade will line up on Seventh Avenue, a block south of University, on the morning of Sunday, July 9.

The parade will take place during Hop in the ’Hood, which celebrates the completion of the neighborhood guide, HillQuest. The event begins at 11:00 a.m.

Contestants may set up in the telephone company lot on Seventh Avenue (just south of Robinson) at any time during the morning. Organizers are encouraging everyone – kids and adults – to enter a bike, tricycle, wagon, animal, etc., with at least half of the float’s decorations consisting of live flowers or plants. All floats must be less than nine feet long.

There is no entry fee or RSVP needed to participate. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners chosen from an international jury of experts. All entries should be a tricycle, bicycle, wagon or a combination with a minimum of half the decorations consisting of a plant product. No motors, only people- or animal-powered contingents. Bonus points will be awarded for creativity. A traveling trophy will also be inscribed and awarded, then passed on to next year’s winner.

The fourth annual Hop in the ’Hood will also feature live bands from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Performers include Sue Palmer & Her Motel Swing Orchestra, D.A. & The Hitmen, Laura Jane, Pieces featuring Deejah Marie, Sven, Danielle Lo Presti and Alicia Champion.

For more information, call (619) 260-1929 or visit www.hillquest.com.

Due to enhanced and early organizing efforts, AIDS Walk San Diego is ahead of past years in terms of number of registered teams and individuals.

“With this year being the 25th anniversary of the first reported cases of AIDS, I believe the increased participation in AIDS Walk illustrates that our San Diego community remains absolutely committed to fighting this epidemic,” said Jennifer Jones, director of development for The Center.

The 17th annual AIDS Walk San Diego will take place Sunday, Oct. 1, in Balboa Park. It is the largest one-day HIV/AIDS fund-raising event for San Diego County HIV/AIDS service organizations.

AIDS Walk San Diego has also developed another way for participants to enhance their fund-raising efforts by offering the first-ever AIDS Walk San Diego Cyber Nights. These evenings are designed to help participants build their individual and team Web pages, and will take place at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest. Cyber Nights will take place from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. and refreshments will be provided.

The remaining upcoming AIDS Walk San Diego Cyber Nights will take place on July 10, Aug. 2, Aug. 23 and Sept. 6.

To RSVP for an AIDS Walk Night in the Cyber Center, contact Zac Mikles, program manager for AIDS Walk, at (619) 291-9255 or e-mail info@aidswalksd.org.

After a multi-year, national search, Antioch University Los Angeles appointed Douglas Sadownick, Ph.D. (candidate), licensed marriage and family therapist, as the director of the newly launched Master of Arts in clinical psychology with a specialization in GLBT studies.

Antioch’s specialization in GLBT studies within an M.A. in clinical psychology program is the country’s first. Considered by many to be a major advance for the GLBT liberation movement, the program is accepting student admission applications for fall 2006 enrollment.

“We have been working for almost a decade to develop this specialization,” said Joy Turek, Ph.D., chair of Antioch’s clinical psychology program. “We hope to achieve at least two goals: to sensitize all our students to GLBT issues and thus enhance our overall curriculum, as well as to train student therapists, as well as licensed psychotherapists, how to work with the GLBT client community in affirmative and effective ways.

“Students will graduate with a skill set that will be invaluable to the community,” she continued. “We also hope to become a resource in the GLBT community for learning, history and cultural expression.”

To assess feasibility of the new specialization a community roundtable took place in February, which helped outline the programs ties to the larger GLBT community. An integral part of the specialization will be outreach partnerships with community-based organizations such as Bienestar, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Altamed and others.

The GLBT specialization core curriculum will feature four course classes, including: LGBT History and Mythology, LGBT Multicultural Counseling, LGBT Affirmative Psychotherapy and LGBT Clinical and Community Issues.

For more information, call Sadownick at (310) 578-1080 ext. 309 or e-mail douglas_sadownick@antiochla.edu.

The Center received a $10,000 gift from Wells Fargo, which has been a corporate sponsor and supporter of The Center since 1997.

“Wells Fargo has a long history of giving back to the communities we are a part of,” said Dean Thorp, regional vice president for Wells Fargo. “We have a strong corporate commitment to equality in the workplace, and to supporting those organizations that provide unique and essential services to the community.”

The Center’s director of development, Jennifer Jones, said Wells Fargo has been an “incredibly important” partner to The Center for nearly a decade.

“Whether sponsoring events like our annual Gala and the LGBT Community Coalition Breakfast, or providing funds for discussion groups, the Youth Housing Project or our overall services and programs, Wells Fargo is a valued supporter of The San Diego LGBT Community Center,” she said.