Thank You for Inspiring Us

• Thanks to our online activists who generated more than 100,000 emails, voice mails, phone calls, letters, and visits to legislators in support of Equality NC's legislative efforts. Your base-building efforts brought us within one vote of passing the School Violence Prevention Act, and we were able to hold back a constitutional amendment against marriage equality for the fifth year in a row. Because of you, North Carolina remains the LGBT oasis within the Southeast.
• Thanks to our pro-equality legislators and to our anti-equality legislators who will see the light in 2009.
• Thanks to all the candidates endorsed by Equality NC PAC who were elected and those few who were not. You all stepped up for equality and we will remember.
• Special thanks to John Arrowood, Ed Ridpath, and Senator Julia Boseman for your strength and grace through tough campaigns.
• Thanks to all our speakers at the 2008 Equality Conference & Gala, who traveled from all parts of the country. Our keynotes Mara Keisling with the National Center for Transgender Equality, Kate Kendell with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Alexander Robinson with the National Black Justice Coalition inspired everyone and Representative Paul Luebke, the recipient of our second legislative leadership award, will continue to inspire us for many years to come.
• Thanks to the members of North Carolina's transgender community who participated in our survey to assess your needs and who traveled to our transgender summit to make sure we heard you correctly. We are honored by your involvement and thank you for giving us a place at your table.
• Thanks to all our volunteers across the state who participated in our anti-bullying postcard campaign. Because of you, we are now more strongly represented in nearly every county within this great state of ours, from ocean to mountains and back again.
• Thanks to our dedicated board members and the dedicated members of our committees, including the members of our new major gifts committee who together raised $80,000 in gifts and pledges to help sustain our work. Not bad for their first time up!
• Thanks to all our event volunteers and sponsors along with the 750 people who attended our events across the state to benefit Equality NC, Equality NC PAC, and Equality NC Foundation. More than 350 people attended the 2008 Equality Conference & Gala alone!
• Thanks to our nearly 1,000 donors including our monthly sustainers and the members of our Equality Council. Membership in the Equality Council grew an astounding 50% this year in spite of the economy.
• Thanks to the 88 individuals at the 2008 Equality Gala who made gifts and pledges totaling nearly $14,000 in response to Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation's challenge to raise $5,000! This extraordinary outpouring of support for Equality NC Foundation's educational work was our most inspiring moment this year.
• Thanks to the 32 organizational sponsors of the 2008 Equality Conference & Gala, up from 21 last year in spite of the economy. You honor us with your support.
• Thanks to our spectacular interns. Can we ever say enough about them? Are they not extraordinary?
• Thanks to all the young people who joined with us in partnership this year. You showed up in force at the 2008 Equality Conference & Gala AND you made the Prop 8 rallies held across North Carolina successful. You are now 1,000 strong on our Facebook page. We thought we were still young, but you taught this old dog some new tricks.
• We would also like to acknowledge some of our vendors for going above and beyond in their work for us:
• Daniel Wiggins, who designed our anti-bullying postcard and the postcard and program guide for the 2008 Equality Conference & Gala

• Jewell, deButts & Roberts, PLLC, who have provided accounting assistance above and beyond for several years

• AdSpice Promotions in Durham, who worked with us on many items, including our ENC T-shirts and collectible conference T-shirts
• Lasting Printing, whose owners Ken and Don have given extra time and energy to get our printed materials produced in a timely and efficient manner
• Custom Mail, whose husband and wife team and their staff have provided amazing and unbelievable turnaround on our mailings
• NetCorps in Durham, whose staff members have given great technical support for our website and in-house technology

From all of us to all of you, thank you, thank you, thank you!