We’re pretty damn lucky. If you take a moment to look around you and get to know the community you live in, you’ll see great work being done on every front. From the amazing events and fundraisers nominated for Gay Faves Event (Nashville Pride, TEP’s Olympus, Music City Sisters’ H8s a Drag) to our cities’ kick ass sports teams. Get a taste of your Gay Faves Community winners below!

Nonprofit: Nashville CARES 

Between a record breaking year for their Annual Dining Out for Life and reaching their $230,000 goal for Nashville AIDS Walk, Nashville CARES continue to be the largest provider of HIV/AIDS services for Tennessee. Last year, Nashville CARES provided HIV education to 24,300 LGBT individuals, 13,000 free confidential HIV tests across Middle Tennessee and provided support services that included food, housing and medical bills to 2,500 men, women and children living with the disease. 

So it’s no wonder Nashville CARES won the 2013 Gay Faves Nonprofit but their services depend on fundraising and community awareness, so mark your calendar for February 8 and get tickets for the Nashville CARES Avant Garde Masquerade Ball here.

Event: Nashville Pride 

Change is in the air and it's no more evident than with Pride’s announcement that this year’s festival would move from Riverfront to Public Square Park. While many are already cheering the addition of shade during the sometimes overheated weekend, Centennial Park detractors maintain their stalwart position for Pride to move back. Well, march forward we say. And Pride is with the announcement of a Friday night concert and their redesigned website.

Want to be the first to know all things Pride? Join Nashville Pride’s Friends with Benefits program. For a tax-deductible donation of $150, you’ll have access to this year’s events 2 Chefs/2 Visions, Martinis and Jazz, Pride Turnabout Show and so much more. Click here to sign up.

Sports Team: Nashville Grizzlies 

Every time thy're on the pitch, they give it all and now the Nashville Grizzlies’ are nearly baring it all for their 2014 calendar. If they continue to release their calendars, does any other team have a chance to take away the Gay Faves Sports Team trophy next year? We’re not sure . . . but we are sure that we may leave our calendar stuck on February all year long.

Shot by Christopher Malone of PhotoGenesis Studio, the $20 calendars can be purchased via the Grizzlies’ website. Proceeds help send the team to the 2014 Bingham Cup in Sydney, Australia.

Politician: Karl Dean

Mayor of Music City may have his hands full with a battle over AMP, but according to O&AN readers, he’s their Gay Faves 2013 Politician and has served as an ally to the LGBT Nashville community.

LGBT Musician: Nashville in Harmony 

Using music to build community and create social change, Nashville in Harmony has celebrated a banner year which is capstoned with Sugar Plums, their December 5 holiday concert in which Gay Faves politician Karl Dean will be on hand to introduce their Ryman Auditorium debut. Tickets are still available for that and the rest of the shows in their TenSational anniversary season. Click here for tickets.

LGBT Actor/Artist: Jared Allman 

In 2009, Jared Allman took part of our now defunct series Nashville Exposed. Since then the hottie has starred on the reality series Girls Who Like Boys, Who Like Boys as well as several films including 2012’s locally filmed Scenes from a Gay Marriage and its sequel, More Scenes from a Gay Marriage, which just finished shooting in Nashville last month. And while we’re excited for what’s next in Allman’s career, his move late last year to Atlanta opens up the door for a new Gay Faves LGBT Actor/Artist in 2014.