The nonprofit Tacky Tourist Clubs of America was founded in Seattle in the early 1980s, and incorporated in 1988. The organization sponsored annual parties and events to raise money for other nonprofits, mostly those benefiting the local LGBTQ community. "The Prom You Never Went To" was first held in 1983 and became an institution in the local gay and lesbian community until 1997. The annual party at "Lavender Valley High School, Home of the Fighting Poodles" gave queer people an opportunity to take the dates of their choice to a recreated high-school prom, and to "dance, look fabulous, and have much more fun than anyone ever had at their real high-school prom.” This pennant belonged to Ric Weiland (1953-2006), pioneering programmer for Microsoft and prominent advocate for gay rights. Weiland was a Lakeside School classmate of Paul Allen and Bill Gates and in 1975 became the first lead programmer for Microsoft. He retired in 1988 at age 35. As the value of his stock holdings grew, Weiland increasingly devoted himself to philanthropy, donating nearly $200 million to support HIV research, LGBTQ legal rights, and gay-straight alliances and anti-bullying policies in schools.