Joe Mannetti aka Joe Falconi (articles - profile) has been seriously busy within the Bear and Gay community of late, it's almost kinda hard just to keep up with him. And all the while he's running around gathering funds for charities, he's also been winning a lot of Bear titles.

The following is from Joe: "I cannot believe that I won the Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009 title! A big thank you to all the great men that were a part of 'Team Bear' (website - articles) that weekend! The Bears of San Francisco (BOSF) selected the best organizations as the beneficiaries this year. The Transgender Law Center, Positive Resource Center, and the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission represent the diversity in our LGBT communities beautifully. BOSF proved that their city is still 'the progressive city' by choosing them as the recipients for the funds that were raised at IBR.
 
I have never been more proud to work side by side with a more caring and attractive group of individuals in a more wonderful city. Thank you for letting me be a part of your family, and thank you for offering me the chance to give back to our communities. Please, let me know what I can do to help out in any way, and I will do my best to be there for you.

In other news - John Clifton has graciously offered to hold a champagne reception at Pistons in Long Beach on Saturday, February 28th to welcome me back to LA! You are all welcome, and I would love to celebrate with you there! I would also like to give a heads up that a documentary film-maker named Julian Dahl will be present and filming there that evening. Be ready to volunteer to be a part of a documentary titled 'HEAVY' that he is filming that evening if he chooses to shoot you, and you are willing to be a part of it! The documentary is about larger sized people in the community. But it is also about diversity, acceptance, and support for others who do not fit certain stereotypical standards of beauty".

Click here for some recent photos of Joe.