Left to right: Matt Miller, Midwest Chapter President, Gary Johnston,
Metro DC/Baltimore Chapter Vice-President, Derek Bjerga, and Robert
Reedy, California Chapter Vice-President |
The Matthew Shepard Foundation Presents The Fifth Annual "Bear
To Make A Difference" Gala Dinner and Celebrity Teddy
Bear Auction.
It could just as easily been called "A Night to Erase Hate." The
foundation was created in memory of Matthew Shepard, who was
brutally beaten and murdered because of his life style. It was
after his murder that hundreds of teddy bears were created and
donated in Matt’s memory and his parents Judy and Dennis
Shepard founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation to "replace
hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance."
The first auction of teddy bears to benefit the Matthew Shepard
Foundation was held by local Denver notables in 2002, and has
grown since. This year, Teddy bears were designed and donated
by celebrities such as Margaret Cho, Sean Hayes, Pink, Chad Allen,
Cyndi Lauper, Barbara Streisand, Elton John & Bernie Taupin,
Judith Light & Robert Desiderio, local weatherman and host,
Mike Nelson, as well as Judy Shepard and others. Verizon was
this year’s only platinum sponsor of the event and between
corporate sponsorship and employee participation in the auction
donated over $22,000 to this worthy cause. As host, Mike Nelson
did a wonderful job. At one point, due to equipment problems,
he even had to ad lib with his "Tornado Dance" that
he performs at local schools. Honorees of the event included
Ryan Olson, who is president of HERO (Helping Educate Regarding
Orientation) at Gonzaga University, and Radi Driscol, singer – songwriter
of "What Matters." Judith Light and Robert Desiderio
were the recipients of the "Making a Difference Award." After
the awards ceremony, the live auction started with auctioneer,
Don Martin. This was followed by comedian Alec Mapa to lighten
the evening and then Mike Nelson closed the night with some final
words.
A warm and loving thank you to Matthew Shepard and his family
who turned their grievous loss into a positive benefit for us
all.
In attendance for Verizon were Matt Miller, Midwest Chapter
President, Robert Reedy, California Chapter Vice-President, and
our Chapter Vice-President, Gary Johnston accompanied by his
partner, Derek Bjerga.
For more information about the "Bear to Make a Difference" event
and the Matthew Shepard Foundation, see the Matthew
Shepard Foundation Web Site.
For more information about the Verizon's
sponsorship of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, see:
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