Kent Pride Fest creates emergency relief one dollar at a time

- Adriana Gasiewski

With the help of a Morgan Startup Grant, a grant the Burton D. Morgan Foundation donated to LaunchNET at Kent State University, owner of Sun in Leo Justine Gallo was able to open her upcycled clothing boutique in January 2023.

Gallo always had an interest in returning the favor and supporting the Kent community, so when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 1 into law in March 2025 and the university’s LGBTQ+ Center closed its doors in June 2025, she began brainstorming.

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