POWER Employees Take Over Denver for 2024 Pride Event

Culture

At POWER, we believe that it’s not enough for people’s uniqueness to just be accepted — it should be celebrated. The annual Pride event, organized by “Queer Power” (POWER’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group) along with our Cultural Diversity & Inclusion Initiative (CD&I), transcends a typical party or parade. It’s an opportunity to create a meaningful experience for our employees, advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and give back to the queer community.

Bri Pflug, a Remodeling Consultant Mentor in Houston and Queer Power member is helping us recap the happenings of last month’s event and to share its significance to her.

But first, let’s rewind to see where it all started.

A Simple Idea with Big Impact

The inception of Power’s Pride event dates back to 2019, sparked by severals frontline employees who believed that POWER could leverage its size and influence to make a substantial impact on LGBTQ+ employees and the communities we serve. With the support of POWER’s National Director of our CD&I Initiative, Olumidé Cole, and our executive team, the idea was transformed into reality.

Each year we celebrate Pride in a different city, welcoming LGBTQ+ community members and allies to participate in education, volunteering, team bonding, and of course, celebration. Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, and Philadelphia have all proudly hosted this meaningful event, and this year, Queer Power brought the festivities to Denver.

More Than Icebreakers

employees engaging in team building activity outside

First and foremost, our Pride event was curated to provide a meaningful experience for our employees — to ensure they felt supported within our walls and can openly celebrate their true selves. But building community was the cornerstone of this year’s event. Why? Because POWER’s Queer Community may be someone’s only Queer Community.

This multi-day trip is thoughtfully organized by Queer Power leadership, CD&I leadership, and POWER’s People Experience team, offering an experience that goes far beyond the average employee retreat.

The POWER Pride experience included an epic trip to the beautiful Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater for an early morning reflective journaling exercise, followed by fun and engaging team-building activities that truly helped to forge deeper bonds among attendees.

“One of the most meaningful moments from this weekend was when we all read the letters we had written to our younger selves atop Red Rocks, overlooking these amazing views, and just being completely vulnerable with each other. It was beautiful,” shared Pflug.

Supporting Our Communities

employee volunteering by restoring camp — _{Giving back to the communities we live and work in is a major pillar of our annual Pride Event. Restoring CampSeen — the only queer camp for Black youth in the country — was this year’s volunteer project.}

For this year’s Pride volunteer project, POWER teamed up with YouthSeen — a non-profit dedicated to fostering and empowering the social and emotional well-being of LGBTQ+ youth and their families.

To prepare for the organization’s annual CampSeen summer camp — which in fact is the only queer camp for Black youth in the country — POWER employees donated their time by painting, landscaping, cleaning, and making other necessary improvements. These efforts created a welcoming, fun, and safe environment for the camp attendees.

“Volunteering at YouthSeen was one of my favorite parts of the trip, and a perfect way to kick off the weekend,” said Pflug. “Preparing the camp for the queer youth who will be attending was such an incredible way to give back and reflect on the impact this will have for these kids to have a community like this at such an early age.”

Celebrating Around the City

employees pose for selfie at Pride event — *_{Queer Power members and allies ended the trip with a celebration at Denver’s Pride Parade.}*

While advocacy, community service, and education are all apart of this event, Pride is not complete without a little celebration. Drag bingo, dinner at an LGBTQ+ -owned establishment, group cooking class, attending Denver’s Pride Parade, and a farewell Drag Brunch were opportunities for our Queer Power members to show up and show out — exactly as they are.

We turn the mic back over to Bri, who sums up the impact of Pride 2024 and Queer Power. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves:

employees pose for photo at dinner — *_{Bri and her fellow Queer Power family enjoy Drag Bingo during Pride.}*

“This event was so meaningful to me because it’s not just an opportunity to see my queer family but to support and grow with them, as well as to bring in people who are new to the business and show them they have community here. Being apart of Queer Power to me is like family. This community is filled with my best friends, the people I spend holidays with, my confidants, my advisors, my biggest supporters. I truly couldn’t be where I am today without them.”

While POWER is proud to honor Pride Month every June, our support of the LGBTQ+ community remains a priority all year long. In fact, 98% of employees feel they are treated fairly here regardless of their sexual orientation.

Looking for a workplace where you can show up exactly as you are? Explore our open positions in your area here.

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