The Empire of the Royal Sovereign and Imperial court of the Single Star, Inc. (ERSICSS) is a fundraising nonprofit organization that raises money one dollar at a time for GLBT and HIV service providers through the time-honored tradition of performance. ERSICSS (pronounced “E-reeses”) was founded in 1984 by Lonnie C. McElwain, known as Loura Lee Love, to unite the talents and fundraising efforts of the many entertainers assisting in the fight against HIV/AIDS, primarily through drag. Its misson is threefold: to promote charitable and educational programs, to recognize community leaders, and to promote harmony within the community.

Throughout the years, ERSICSS has grown to include 75 members, whose efforts have donated more than $1 million to local charities. MCC and HATCH are honored to have been an annual beneficiary for the last three years, under the leadership of Emperor and Empress XXV J.P. Gill and Marcia Mink Anne Gill, Emperor and Empress XXVI Falcon and Sheri Anne Bouton, and current monarchs Emperor and Empress XXVII Scott Kenyon and Lillian Deveraux.

In addition to two annual beneficiaries, in recent years ERSICSS has sponsored the Kimberly Anne O’Neil “Believe in a Dream” Scholarship Fund. The first scholarships were distributed in January 2010 to community member furthering their education. In January this year, the fund donated ukeleles to HATCH so that the youth could fulfill their dream of creating a HATCH All Uke Band.

These words are not enough to express how grateful we are for all of the help we have been given bu this colorful, talented, passionate organization. We invite you to learn more about this great group by visiting ERSICSS – on their website or at one of their many weekly shows.