"Best dinner yet!"
When I came in to the office on Monday, I was so grateful to read that note among the extremely positive feedback I've received from attendees at this year's annual benefit dinner and celebration of Wingspan's 20th anniversary.
It was quite a celebration – good friends, good food, inspirational award recipients, and moving videos and speeches. We looked back on Wingspan's incredible 20-year history, and we came together to move forward, hand-in-hand, into the future.
The evening began with a pre-dinner reception featuring hors d'oeuvres, time to catch up with old and new friends, and a silent auction that included over 100 items, from gift certificates at favorite Tucson restaurants to an authentic Chagall print.
As I wandered through the TCC Galleria and Grand Hallway greeting everyone and thanking them for their support, my heart and spirit was lifted by the energy, excitement, and diversity around me – LGBT and straight ally, young and old, Native and Latino/a, Black, white, Asian and everything in between – celebrating our lives, our loves, our friendships, and our families.
At about 6:45pm, the Batucaxé Samba band led everyone into the ballroom, marching to the celebratory beat of bells and drums. I sat down at my table, thanked keynote speaker Judy Shepard who was sitting next to me, and the program started by honoring Mary Ellen Beaurain with the Community Ally Award for her incredible work to help create Wingspan's Senior Programs.
Next was a moving video created by interim program director Liz Burden, chronicling Wingspan's 20 years of service to our community. I invite you to watch that video below.
We also presented videos created by Angela Soto to honor our award recipients. These videos as well as a clip of my speech will be avilable shortly on our YouTube page: www.youtube.com/wingspanaz.
During dinner, I visited as many tables as I could to say hello and thank everyone for their support and commitment to Wingspan's mission of promoting the freedom, equality, safety and well-being of our community. The lights dimmed, and we honored Steve Hall Award winners Shirley Snow and AngieRose Tilghman. Each have been volunteers for over nine years, serving not only at Wingspan's front desk, but also on a variety of program committees.
Sam Holdren, political director at Equality Arizona, assisted board president Carol Lohman in thanking the over 30 elected officials, candidates and other honored guests who came to show their support for our community.
Afterward, Nick Ray, our director of development, came on stage to announce an incredible gift and surprise.
Judy Dlugacz, founder of Olivia Cruises, was in attendance as part of celebrating the opening of the first and only Olivia Community, right here in Tucson. She was so moved by her experience in Tucson and with Wingspan, that she donated a luxury cruise package to the Eastern Caribbean for us to offer as a live auction item. I watched in amazement as Nick and Tucson's Black Cat, Ajia Simone, started a bidding war that raised an additional $10,000 for Wingspan!
After the crowd settled down from the auction, we celebrated the lifetime of service and commitment to our community in Southern Arizona of Godat Award Recipient Noel Matkin, who, among other accomplishments, was instrumental in the creation of Tucson's domestic partnership registry when he was co-chair of the City of Tucson LGBT commission.
University of Arizona Pride Alliance director Justin Howes introduced Keynote speaker Judy Shepard. Her speech was preceded by a video that told the parallel stories of how the hate-motivated murders of her son Matthew and of James Byrd Jr. in Texas forced communities around the country to organize for and demand the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in hate crimes legislation.
Judy also urged us to not become complacent despite our country's slow but steady movement towards equality. She ended her remarks by reminding us that it is local communities, through organizations like Wingspan, that have the power to truly impact people's lives on a daily basis. Our standing ovation reminded Judy that we will never forget her son or the incredible work she and her husband support through the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
Our celebration ended with a dessert reception in the TCC Galleria, where guests were able to mingle with each other while enjoying a selection of 15 delectable desserts. Batucaxé also entertained with more Samba music, and many took the opportunity to create their own dance floor in the lobby.
I left the TCC around 10:15pm, happily exhausted. Just as this year's dinner was our most successful to-date thanks to the hard work of our incredible dinner committee volunteers and development staff, Wingspan's growth and success over the past 20 years has been and always will be dependent on you.
As I said in my speech, this incredible evening was not just a celebration of Wingspan, it was a celebration of you, because through your time, love, volunteerism, and financial support, you make our work possible.
This is your community and Wingspan will always be your center. I'm so excited and grateful to be a part of working with you at the start of our next 20 years.
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