The Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, one of the newest of the JSEF investing organizations, proudly showed off their new risers during a June 2024 Pride concert in Ft. Lauderdale. JSEF was the lead sponsor of the effort to acquire these risers, thanks to a grant funded a few months earlier. This was part of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida’s “New Heights” campaign.

Said GMCSF Executive Director Mark Kent, “I want to thank you for your generous support that helped to make our riser project a reality. Our photos compare the stage layout from our June 2023 Disney Pride concert (first photo below) to our June 2024 Pride concert (second photo below). You can see in the Disney concert that our singers were only able to be positioned on 3-4 rows and they drifted off into the wings and the darkness on each end. The project you supported allowed us to bring the ends of the risers in and go another 3 steps higher, making for an INFINITELY better fit on stage and giving us the ability to handle our growing chorus on the stages we have available to us. It made a huge difference! I am so very grateful for your support and for our wonderful relationship.”

The bottom photo shows the plaque permanently affixed to the new risers, crediting JSEF as Lead Sponsor of the “New Heights” fundraising campaign.