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Our Story

13-year-old, gay 7th grader, Molly Pinta and her family who have formed the family’s first non profit, The Pinta Pride Project Inc. Culminating in Buffalo Grove’s Inaugural Pride Parade featuring more than 90 groups, organizations, politicians and more than 50 sponsors.

The parade occurred on Sunday, June 2, 2019 at 10 am on Checker Drive in Buffalo Grove between Carry Lane and Ridgefield Lane.

Our community strives to celebrate, normalize and highlight the LGBTQ community in Buffalo Grove and the surrounding areas. The parade was followed by the Uniquely Us Festival thrown by the Buffalo Grove Park District.

Talking Points

  • Molly started her school’s first Gay Straight Alliance as a 6th grader

  • Molly marched in Aurora’s Inaugural Pride Parade in June of 2018, giving her the confidence to come out publicly. The idea to bring another suburban pride parade to her own village was born.

  • In late June, Molly recorded a video coming out and asking for monetary support for Buffalo Grove’s First Parade. $10,000 was raised within the first month through GoFundMe. Also, rainbow buffalo shirts and stickers were created and sold to publicize the effort.

  • The Pinta Family and their newly forming group, BG Pride, marched with decorated rainbow cars through Buffalo Grove’s Labor Day Parade, earning them the parade’s Civic Award.

  • At the end of September, The Pinta Pride Project Inc. became a 501c3.

  • A National Coming Out Day Celebration at the Buffalo Grove Community Arts Center had over 200 attendees and raised more than $5,000 for the cause on October 11th 2018.

  • The Facebook group, BG Pride 2019, grew to 1,800 members who began to support each other, connect as families, and help to promote various events that the Pinta Pride Project hosted throughout the year. One example of such an event was a Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil.

  • More than fifty businesses and organizations came forward throughout the year to support the parade as sponsors. Donations ranged from $100-$3,000.

  • The applications for entering the parade ended on April 8th, almost two full months from the event with more than 90 entries.

  • The Pinta Pride Project plans to sponsor Buffalo Grove’s Annual Pride Parade each year. We are interested in finding a partner to share the monetary responsibility. We will also continue to throw fun and educational events at least twice per year to highlight and normalize the LGBTQ community in Buffalo Grove and the surrounding area.

Parade Participants

  • @properties realtors Carrie Goodman, Jill Esko, Jill Brotman and Joe Gerber

  • A Safe Place

  • Baird and Warner, Northwest Suburban

  • Balloons by Tommy

  • Bank of America

  • Barilla America

  • B’Chavana Jewish Community Congregation of Buffalo Grove

  • BCU

  • Best Friends Pet Hotel

  • Beth Chaverim Humanistic Jewish Community

  • BG Pride Moms Hugs

  • BGRA Baseball

  • BMO Harris Bank

  • Bright Horizons

  • Buffalo Grove High School Gay Straight Alliance

  • Buffalo Grove High School 2000 Basketball State Champions

  • Buffalo Grove Community Pageant Queens

  • Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce

  • Cardinal Health

  • Chicago Pride Guard

  • Chi Chapter and the Chicago Gender Society

  • Coldwell Banker

  • The Groves and Robby Young Real Estate

  • Congregational United Church of Christ of Arlington Heights

  • Congregation Beth Am

  • Congregation Beth Judea

  • Congregation Or Shalom

  • Congressman Brad Schneider

  • Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison of District 15

  • Cooper Middle School

  • Edward Hines Junior VA Hospital

  • Elevated Entertainment

  • Fire by Design

  • First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights

  • Girl Scouts

  • Golden Ticket Productions

  • Grace United Methodist Church of Lake Bluff

  • Illinois House Representative Daniel Didech, 59th District

  • Illinois House Representative Jonathan Carroll, 57th District

  • Illinois House Representative Mary Edly Allen, 51st District

  • Indivisible Aurora

  • Intact America

  • JCYS Combined Locations

  • J. Hollander Photography

  • Kickstart Pediatric Therapy Network

  • Kingswood United Methodist Church

  • Kopka Pinkus & Dolin

  • Lake County Sheriff, John Idleburg

  • Lakeside Pride

  • Law Office of Bradley L. Schenker

  • League of Women Voters Arlington Heights/Buffalo Grove/Mt. Prospect

  • Life Balance Counseling Inc.

  • Longfellow School Kindness Crew

  • Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit

  • Mages and Price LLC

  • Middle School Gay Straight Alliances - Twin Groves, West Oak, Wood Oaks, Caruso

  • Mitzvah Photography by Annette Leibovitz

  • Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

  • Mundelein LGBT Alliance and Allies

  • Northwest Runners

  • OMNI Youth Services

  • Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

  • PFLAG Deerfield

  • PFLAG Grayslake/Round Lake

  • Pinta Family Memorial Float in Honor of Matthew Lawrence Albano

  • Prairie House Tavern

  • School of Rock, Arlington Heights SIEMENS

  • SIEMENS Healthineers

  • Rainbow SIG Chicago Area Mensa

  • Seize the Stage

  • Senator Julie Morrison

  • Shir Hadash

  • Stevenson High School Gay Straight Alliance

  • St. John United Church of Christ

  • St. Paul United Church of Christ

  • Temple Beth El

  • Temple Beth Israel

  • Temple Chai

  • The Best Salon and Spa

  • The Queen B’s

  • The Tutor Doctor, Pete Ross

  • Vernon Hills High School SAGA

  • Vernon Township Democrats

  • Vernon Township Supervisor, John Altenburg

  • Veterinary Specialty Center

  • V.O.C.A.L. of Arlington Heights

  • VOWS voices of Women

  • Woodstock Pride

  • Youth Outlook

  • Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook

Official Parade Sponsors

  • All Tile Inc.

  • Angie Rueffer

  • @properties Carrie Goodman, Jill Esko, Jill Brotman, Joe Gerber

  • Baird and Warner Northwest Suburban

  • Balloons by Tommy

  • BMO Harris Bank*

  • Bright Horizons

  • Buffalo Wild Wings

  • CampOut

  • Congregation Beth Am

  • Coldwell Banker The Groves and Robby Young Real Estate

  • Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison of District 15

  • Debbie Gross LCSW Ltd.

  • Dr. Rosen’s Nothin’ But Smiles Orthodontics

  • Eddie Merlot’s Restaurant

  • Edmonds and Sherman Dental

  • eek! Design

  • Elevated Entertainment

  • For Papa’s Sake

  • Forsight Vision

  • FW Family Law Group

  • HTML Global

  • Illinois House Representative Daniel Didech, 59th District

  • Illinois House Representative Jonathan Carroll, 57th District

  • J. Hollander Photography

  • Kopka Pinkus & Dolin

  • Lake County Sheriff, John Idleburg

  • Lake County Treasurer, Holly Kim

  • Laura Eason, @properties

  • Life Balance Counseling

  • Little Big Helpers Inc.

  • Mages and Price LLC

  • Maria Manojlovic of Paparazzi Jewelry

  • Megan Sayre, LCSW

  • Mitzvah Photo by Annette Leibovitz

  • Mundelein LGBT Alliance and Allies

  • Nadine "Deenie" Pomilia - RE/MAX Unlimited Northwest

  • Our Home Improvement (OHI)

  • Our Revolution BG and Lake County

  • R. Hobbs Insurance

  • Schlesinger & Strauss LLC

  • School of Rock, Arlington Heights

  • SIEMENS*

  • SIEMENS Healthineers*

  • Senator Julie Morrison

  • Supercuts of Buffalo Grove

  • Temple Chai

  • The Law Firm of Neil S. Zweiban

  • The Tutor Doctor, Pete Ross

  • Toy Con Toy Shows

  • Veterinary Specialty Center*

  • Xfinity*

* Presenting Sponsors

 

BG PRIDE DRIVE 2021 SPONSORS

Diamond Sponsors

The ZEAL Team (Zebra Equality Alliance for LGBTQ+) at Zebra Technologies

Gold Sponsors

ADP, Always Designing for People • BMO Harris Bank • Temple Chai • Aaron Hechtman, Content Creator • Mitzvah Photography by Annette Leibovitz • UL Parent and PRIDE UL Business Resource Groups of UL LLC • Wintrust

Silver Sponsors

American Eagle Outfitters • Be You Tiful Initiative •  BCU • Congregation Beth Judea • Congregation Beth Shalom • The Rue-Borden Team at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services • Bill’s Pizza & Pub • Condell Hospital • Raj’s Dunkin’ Donuts • Reverie Dance Academy • The Kenneth Young LGBTQ Center • Kingswood United Methodist Church • Elizabeth Kilbourne • Microsoft • US Cellular • Shelter Inc. • Sheriff John Idleburg • Sherwin-Williams • Wipfli LLP

Bronze Sponsors

AJG Analytics • Bartlett Tree Experts • Temple Beth-El • Illinois State Representative Jonathan Carroll, District 57 • Cohen Counseling LLC • The Eisenstot Family • Equality Illinois • Evolution Body Arts • Families of all Sizes•First Student • First United Methodist Church Arlington Heights• The Forest Preserves of Cook County • FW Family Law Group LLC • The Gerber Group with Engel & Volkers North Shore •The Goldman Funeral Group • Congregation Hakafa • Illinois NOW (National Organization of Women)• St. John UCC • Elizabeth Kilbourne • Kopka Pinkus Dolin PC •  The Law Office of Jack M. Shapiro• Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in Lincolnshire • The Marriott Theater • Mathnasium Buffalo Grove • Mattress Firm • Movement & Sound Dance • Mundelein LGBT Alliance and Allies • Commissioner Kevin Morrison • North Shore Unitarian Church in Deerfield • Oak Point Counseling • PFLAG of Grayslake/Round Lake • Prince of Peace United Methodist Church• Quill •Sayre Counseling • Our Saviour Lutheran Church of Arlington Heights • Schlesinger & Strauss LLC • Congregation Or Shalom • Shir Hadash  • Seize the Stage • Terry Slaw, Attorney at Law • Susan & Dave Weidenfeld • VOCAL • Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center

Friends of BG Pride

Congregation Beth Am • Hirsch/Fierstein/Nathan Families • League of Women Voters of Arlington Heights, Mt. Prospect, & BG • MHS Coexist Club • Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook