In this message:

1. 3nd Annual Front Runners Gift Exchange – Monday 12/12
2. Reindeer Romp 5k – Saturday 12/4
3. Thunder Road Marathon Volunteers Needed
4. HRC Carolinas Announces OutREACH Fellowships for 11th-Annual
Dinner Gala on Feb. 25
5. Group run reminder


1. 3nd Annual Front Runners Gift Exchange – Monday 12/12

The Front Runners will have a Christmas Party Gift Exchange after
the regular Monday night run on 12/12. The Party will be at the
home of Chris Davis. It is in the condo (5A) building across from
Frankie's Italian Grill, near the Dowd YMCA. Contact Chris at
daviscicero@... for more details. We can pitch in and order
pizza. Beverages will be provided. The gift exchange will be in
the Chinese Gift Exchange (Dirty Santa) format. You can attend the
dinner without participating in the gift exchange. The target price
for the gift is $10-15. These should be real gifts, not gag gifts.
Keeping with the running theme would be nice but feel free to get
anything you want. As always, you can still come to the party even
if you don't run.


2. Reindeer Romp 5k – Saturday 12/10 @ 10:00 am

Our next official Front Runners race will be the Reindeer Romp 5k.
For more details, go to http://www.runforyourlife.com/event/Reindeer%
2005/index05.htm. Registration fees: $17 by 12/2, $20 by 12/9 or
$25 on race day. Register at any Run For Your Life location or on
line at http://www.activezach.com/events/eventDetails.cfm?
pEventId=1833
We will meet before the race between 9:30 and 9:45 at the corner of
Stonewall St and McDowell. Don't forget to wear your Front Runner
Shirt!

3. Thunder Road Marathon Volunteers Needed

This coming Saturday, the first annual Thunder Road Marathon will be
run through the streets of Charlotte, and you can play a huge role
in helping ensure the event's success by volunteering your time at
one or more tasks. We're primarily looking for people to serve
either as Race Expo volunteers, or Course Monitors. Here's what's
involved in each task:

Race Expo: This takes place at the Adams Mark Hotel in uptown
Charlotte on Friday, Dec. 2. We have shifts available from 8am until
noon; noon until 4pm; and 4pm until 8pm. Volunteers will be helping
runners sign up, get them their information packages and t-shirts,
and so on. Volunteers will report to the Expo area at the hotel. To
sign up for a shift, contact Bob Young at 704-333-7471 (w); 704-491-
0824 (cell) or BobY@....

Course Monitors: Monitors on the course help make sure that runners
stay on the course, and that vehicles stay off the course while
runners are passing by. Monitors need to check in at the volunteer
tent on Saturday, Dec. 3 by 7am to be assigned a spot on the course.
(Volunteer parking is at the First Baptist Church on South Davidson
between 2nd and 3rd St, at the west end of Marshall Park; volunteer
check-in is in the Education Center parking lot on the corner of 2nd
and McDowell, across from the Adams Mark). To sign up, contact Bob
Young at 704-333-7471 (w); 704-491-0824 (cell) or
BobY@....

All volunteers will receive free marathon volunteer t-shirts. Course
monitors will also receive a Chick Fil-A sandwich and a beverage.


4. HRC Carolinas Announces OutREACH Fellowships for 11th-Annual
Dinner Gala on Feb. 25

Charlotte, N.C. (November 18, 2005) – The Human Rights Campaign's
Carolinas Dinner committee has announced the opportunity to apply
for an OutREACH Dinner Fellowship for the 11th-Annual HRC Carolinas
Dinner, which is scheduled for Saturday, February 25, 2006 at the
Charlotte Convention Center. Last year's dinner, also held at the
Charlotte Convention Center, drew a record crowd of more than 1,300
guests. Regular tickets cost $175 each but the price increases to
$195 each after Feb. 9, 2005.

"The Human Rights Campaign is committed to the involvement of a
broadly representative population that visibly reflects the
diversity of our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of
North Carolina and South Carolina," said Jennifer Garner, Co-Chair
of the 2006 HRC Carolinas Dinner. "As a result, we created a limited
number of OutREACH Dinner Fellowships for individuals whose income
or financial resources would prevent them from being able to attend
the 11th-Annual milestone event without financial assistance."

Any current resident of North Carolina or South Carolina may apply
for an OutREACH Dinner Fellowship. The OutREACH Dinner Fellowship
allows individuals awarded a special pricing of one dinner ticket at
a rate of $87.50. The price is 50% of the regular price of $175 for
an individual ticket. A limited number of OutREACH Dinner
Fellowships will be made available to those individuals who
demonstrate need and would otherwise not be able to attend this 11th-
Annual milestone event without financial assistance. The criteria is
based upon a completed application form as well as a commitment to
the HRC mission to build an America where LGBT families and
individuals can be open, honest and safe at work, at home and in the
community. All applicants must demonstrate need for financial
assistance.

All OutREACH Dinner Fellowship are awarded on an on-going, first-
come, first-serve basis starting on November 1, 2005 until the
limited number of awards have been exceeded. All recipients will be
notified no later than Wednesday, February 8, 2006. HRC Carolinas
OutREACH Dinner Fellowship Application forms may be requested by
emailing info@... or found online at
www.hrccarolinas.org under the sidebar OutREACH Dinner Fellowships.

"The OutREACH Dinner Fellowships allow us to reach another segment
of our LGBT and straight ally community, our broader family," said
Jay Biles, Co-Chair of the 2006 HRC Carolinas Dinner. "We offer this
program as one method of outreach along with our Youth Scholarship
program -- all the while we maintain the integrity of the annual
fundraiser and step forward with necessary outreach to all diverse
communities – regardless of income."

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT advocacy organization,
effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support to fair-
minded candidates, and works to educate the public on a wide array
of topics affecting LGBT Americans, including workplace, family,
discrimination and health issues. In addition, the HRC Foundation,
an HRC-affiliated organization, engages in extensive research and
provides education and programming.

Founded in 1980, HRC currently has more than 650,000 members,
including more than 18,000 in North and South Carolina. Among the
organization's 28 regional steering committees throughout the
country, the Carolinas is the only true multi-state steering
committee and membership base. Examples of other steering committees
include Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

- END -


5.
Group run reminder

Don't forget our weekly runs:

Monday night at 6:30 PM, Dowd YMCA back porch, dinner afterward.

Saturday morning at 9:00 AM, Caribou Coffee/Brueggers Bagels parking
lot, breakfast afterward at BRUEGGERS BAGELS.

Also, if you are interested in a Thursday night run, remember the
Bloody Mary Running Club, which meets at the Dowd YMCA back porch
each Thursday, 6:30 p.m., dinner afterward. Contact Aprille at
aprille.shaffer.c568@... for more information.


Steve Thomas
spt@...