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LGBTQ Community Lifts Local Small Business

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COVID-19 has come along and flipped the script on us all. Businesses are shutting down for weeks at a time to keep others safe, creating a silent storm within the small business world. A storm that many find themselves drowning in. Bubby & Sissy’s is no different and finds itself falling farther behind with each government closure.
 
Bubby & Sissy’s has been welcoming people for every shade of the rainbow for almost 20 years now with dazzling performances on the stage upstairs (and more recently on the back patio), flowing drinks and a friendly atmosphere.
 
Young and old alike feel at home at Bubby & Sissy’s. You know you are in a safe space where you can let your freak flag fly. It’s a place you can truly let your walls down and show who you really are without fear of being judged or shunned. Everyone is welcome whether gay, straight or curious.
 
Places like this have been so important to the LGBTQ+ community. Bubby and Sissy’s is so much more than a gay bar: it gives you a space to belong; it gives you a sense of community; it gives you a place to meet others who have gone or are going through the same struggles as you; it’s a place you can go and still have a conversation with someone who understands you the way some of your friends and family just can’t grasp.
 
Now let me introduce you to the man behind the neon sign – Mike Paynic. He is a man who wears many hats: business owner, coach, safety aide, brother, friend. He spends his days in a local elementary school monitoring meal and play time. Mike is also the coach for the middle and high school Winter Guard teams, including the Marching 100 Color Guard team. He also coaches an independent team of high school graduates and college students. He devotes countless volunteer hours, season after season, to his student athletes. Mike is also the owner of Bubby & Sissy’s, working behind the scenes, behind the bar, and the crowd. Every hour of every day is devoted to his community. Whether through the schools or through his bar, he is there for everyone.
 
It is our turn to be there for him. It is our turn to show him the care and support he has been providing the Alton and LGBTQ+ community for decades. Our community is known for rallying around each other and making things happen. We are strong and a force to be reckoned with when we come together for a common cause. Let our cause in this moment be saving a treasure of the LGBTQ+ community, Bubby & Sissy’s.
 
All funds raised will be given to Mike Paynic to help cover expenses to help keep Bubby & Sissy's going through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please, whether it is sharing this fundraiser or making a donation, help.



 
 

Organizer and beneficiary

Dawn Strickland
Organizer
Alton, IL
Michael Paynic
Beneficiary

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