DIFFA Umbrellas event raises $20,000

That sea of pink umbrellas in Loring Park early last month was no movie-musical set -- it was DIFFA Minnesota's Pink Umbrellas fundraiser. The installation of 500 pink 6-foot umbrellas raised $20,000 in funds for local HIV/AIDS service organizations. Individual donations, small-group sponsorships of the umbrellas, and an event-related party brought in approximately $12,000, says DIFFA staffer Pamela Diamond, while corporate gifts from American Express, Dayton's, Simitar Entertainment, and the Loring Cafe accounted for the remainder. Half the proceeds will go to the Minnesota AIDS Project, Diamond says, while the rest will be distributed to local AIDS service organizations by DIFFA Minnesota. Absolut Vodka served as corporate sponsor of the Pink Umbrellas event, which has toured through eight cities in the United States.