ORLANDO, Fla. — Spectrum News 13 is proud to celebrate Pride Month, and even though Orlando's Come Out With Pride event isn't until October, there's a lot to be done to prepare for the festival. 

What You Need To Know

  • A.J. Eagle started with Come out with Pride in 2018 

  • Eagle eventually became the board president in January 2024 

  • She became heavy into volunteering while studying business at University of Central Florida

It takes an army of volunteers, working year-round to make everything come together, and the Pride board is mostly a volunteer effort. 

A.J. Eagle is one of those volunteers who spends time working on T-shirts that the event production staff will wear, with pride.

"It takes a while, because you're not just going to the front side, you're going to do the front side and the back side because you've got to do sponsors on the back side," Eagle said.

What's on the front side of the shirts, “Stronger Together,” says a lot.

"There were a lot of things that were really making us feel separated," Eagle added.

Eagle started with Come Out With Pride in 2018 and became the board president in January 2024. Before that, she was a photographer.

While she was earning a business degree from University of Central Florida, she volunteered with the Rotary Club, and that unleashed her passion for volunteering.

A lot of times people asked her what she got out of it. Her answer is purpose, and she loves making the event happen each year.

"The fact that it's all operated by volunteers, that's what makes it worth all of our hard work," Eagle said.

The only paid position is the executive director, the rest are volunteers.