The Greater San Diego Business Association (GSBDA) Charitable Scholarship Foundation is accepting applications from San Diego County GLBT students and their allies.

Each year, the fund attempts to award at least five educational scholarships of up to $2,000 each to the most qualified candidates. The awards are granted to self-identified GLBT students and those who have shown support and knowledge of the GLBT community. The scholarships may be used toward tuition, books, supplies, housing or living expenses.

The application deadline is Tuesday, May 15, and scholarship awards will be presented this summer.

Applications are available on the GSBDA Web site. For more information or to download an application, visit www.gsdbafoundation.org.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego (GMCSD) will continue its 15th Anniversary Season of Singing Out with an info night that will take place on Monday, April 30, beginning at 7 p.m.

For those who are unable to attend the info night, open chorus rehearsals will then be conducted on May 2, 9 and 16. Interested singers, as well as non-singers who want to join the Gay Men’s Chorus, are welcome to attend.

Info night is dedicated to welcoming potential new members and will take place at GMCSD’s regular rehearsal space inside the University Christian Church. Those who attend info night will have the opportunity to learn about the chorus, meet current members and hear samples of GMCSD’s past performances. The evening will also feature food and prizes for those who attend.

New members will begin to gear up for GMCSD’s summer concert, “Diva by Diva.” The summer show will be performed on July 28 and 29 at the Garfield Theatre in La Jolla. This high-energy concert will feature music made famous by many well-known women, from Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler to Mariah Carey and Madonna. It will also include more costume changes than Celine Dion’s Las Vegas spectacular.

The University Christian Church is located at 3900 Cleveland Ave. in Hillcrest. For more information about the chorus, info night or upcoming open rehearsals, call 619-57-GMCSD or visit www.gmcsd.com.

The San Diego Human Dignity Foundation (SDHDF) will host the Jazz on the Promenade gala to celebrate its mission of service to San Diego’s GLBT community and the foundation’s 11th anniversary. The event will take place at the NTC Promenade in Point Loma on Saturday, May 5.

For the past 11 years, SDHDF, with the help of its funding partners, has awarded nearly $770,000 in grants to support non-profit organizations in San Diego that provide essential services to the GLBT community. The foundation’s annual gala supports these efforts, along with SDHDF’s mission to create a permanent endowment to meet the long-term needs of the evolving community.

This year’s gala will begin with a VIP reception at 7 p.m. The reception will feature a hosted bar, with specialty drinks, including the West Coast premiere of Tommy Bahama Rum and JC Cognac. VIP guests will have the opportunity to enjoy the music of a jazz ensemble and sample hors d’oeuvres.

The main event will be held outside, surrounded by palm trees around the Luce Court fountain, starting at 8 p.m. Food stations by the French Gourmet will offer an array of dinner choices. Those in attendance will be able to dance to music throughout the evening by Sue Palmer and her jazz orchestra, while bidding on a variety of live- and silent-auction items.

But that is just the beginning, because after the main event and until 2 a.m. there will be the Havana Nights dance party featuring DJ Chris Cox, who has had 40 Billboard dance chart No. 1 hits and was nominated for a Grammy in 2004 for his production work with Cher. Havana nights will also include dance diva Jeanie Tracy, whose hits include “Keep the Party Jumping,” “The Power,” with Rosabel, and “Cha Cha Heels.”

Dress for the event is cocktail attire. Because a portion of the night will be held in the fountain courtyard of the NTC, organizers suggest wearing warm attire.

Tickets for the Jazz on the Promenade SDHDF Gala range from $150-$350.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 619-291-3383 or visit www.mylgbtfoundation.org.

San Diego Rescue Mission will host Sleepless in San Diego, the mission’s first annual all-night, open-air fund-raising event and community sleep-out. The Sleepless in San Diego slumber party program will begin on Saturday, April 28, at 7 p.m. and runs through Sunday, April 29, at 8 a.m.

The event will feature live music and the movie The Pursuit of Happyness. Mayor Jerry Sanders, KUSI’s Kimberly Hunt, Miles McPherson of the Rock Church, Urban Rescue, Greater Victory Baptist Church Praise Team, college and high school students, local philanthropists, elected officials and many others will be on hand for the event.

The event is limited to those volunteers who have secured a minimum of $40 in pledges. All funds will be donated to the San Diego Rescue Mission Continuum of Care for the Homeless, which helps provide almost 440,000 free meals and 120,000 free nights of shelter for San Diego’s 10,000 homeless men, women and children each year.

Participation in Sleepless in San Diego supports the San Diego Rescue Mission’s four core recovery programs which provide men, women and families the opportunity for immediate relief and long-term transformation. These include a 12-month holistic rehabilitation program for men, the only state-licensed rehabilitation program for men in the city of San Diego; 12-month holistic recovery program for women and their children; Nueva Vida Haven, an emergency shelter for women and children; and Partners for Hunger Relief, a food recovery and distribution program.

Sleepless in San Diego will take place at Third Avenue and B Street within the San Diego Community Concourse in front of San Diego City Hall in downtown. Private security will be in place continuously throughout the night.

Registration deadline and entry cut-off time of 9 p.m. will be strictly enforced.

Participants should bring everything they need to spend the night outdoors. In the event of rain, the sleep-out will not be cancelled, but participants are asked not to bring umbrellas.

For more information and to register, visit www.sleeplessinsandiego.org.

The 11th annual 5 on 5 Cinco de Mayo Block Party in the Gaslamp Quarter will benefit Christie’s Place, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing a support center for families with HIV/AIDS. This year’s block party takes place on Saturday, May 5, from 5 p.m. to midnight.

The entire community is invited to sip on 1800 tequila marga-tinis and ice-cold Coronas, while dancing with what organizer’s claim will be some of San Diego’s hottest live bands, coolest DJs and bar-top go-go dancers. Ticket holders for the 5 on 5 Cinco de Mayo Block Party will receive no cover charge, along with food and drink specials at more than 20 Gaslamp restaurants and nightclubs.

Every year, the event draws more than 10,000 people to the Gaslamp, and this year’s event is expected to top record crowds. The 5 on 5 Cinco de Mayo Block Party is located in the heart of the Gaslamp on Fifth Avenue between Island and J streets, and J Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

This year’s party will feature the Disco Pimps, Toka Discos, along with the latest rock en Español and sultry salsa sounds.

Tickets to the 5 on 5 Cinco de Mayo Block Party are $15 in advance or $20 at the main gate, located at Fifth Street and Island Avenue. Tickets can be purchased online or at Fred’s Mexican Café, located at 2470 San Diego Ave. in Old Town.

For more information, call 619-233-5008 or visit www.myspace.com/ gaslamp5on5.

McAlister Institute is celebrating 30 years of providing substance abuse recovery services throughout San Diego County. The kick-off event for the 30th anniversary celebration will be a picnic on Saturday, May 12, from 11 a.m. until sunset at Flinn Springs Park in El Cajon.

Past and current clients, employees, community members and supporters are invited to help the organization honor the work done by the agency in the past 30 years, which includes numerous lives saved, families reunited and successful recovery, which led to clients being able to maintain employment and support their families.

McAlister Institute, which began with one program, now has 23 programs throughout San Diego County serving a wide and varied range of clients. The goal of the organization is to assist individuals and families by supporting the recovery process and teaching skills to help ensure a successful, independent life.

For more information about McAlister Institute’s 30th anniversary picnic, call 619-442-1101 or visit www.mcalisterinstitute.org.