Hey gang,

I have responses from the following people for saturday's runs:

Those that are not running Please come out and Cheer your teammates
on!!

Glen Gilbert Half Marathon
Ray Cline 5k
Paul Koenke 5k
Jay Norvell Half Marathon
Mike Rogers Marathon
Greg Shackleford 5k
Augie 5k
Joey Bundy 5k

The schedule is as follows.

Saturday, December 9

8:00 a.m. Marathon, Half Marathon and Marathon Relay Start on Tryon
Street near 6th.
8:15 a.m. 5K start on Tryon near 6th.

7:45 - Meet at the TransAmerica building Corner of 7th and Tryon
(Therapy Cafe-Rockbottom) there is parking in that building and
getting in and out should be easier.

5K ending: That ends at the convention center - As we finish, let's
gather at the funnel and cheer those behind you on until we all
finish. We can then walk back to our cars at TransAMerica.

1/2 marathon ends at the dowd YMCA.  Glenn and Jay.. ya'll should be
close around and the race traffic winds down Morehead / Kings.. after
the usual Saturday run with the group. we can grab our bagels and
cheer on Glenn, Jay, and Mike around 9:30ish?

Happy Running!!

4th Annual Front Runners Gift Exchange – Monday 12/11

The Front Runners will have a Christmas Party Gift Exchange after
the regular Monday night run on 12/11. The Party will be at the home
of Russ and Steve. Directions will be given out at the run. Send an
email to info@... if you would like directions
prior to the event. 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.

News from HRC Carolinas Dinner/actor Leslie Jordan to deliver keynote
address

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Bert Woodard, 2007 HRC Carolinas Gala Public Relations/Marketing Co-
Chair, 704-332-9060, woodardbert@...

Emmy Award-winning actor Leslie Jordan to deliver keynote
address at HRC Carolinas 12th-Annual Gala

Will & Grace's Beverley Leslie has also appeared in film and on stage

Charlotte, NC – January 3, 2007 – The Human Rights Campaign's (HRC)
Carolinas Gala committee has announced that television and movie
actor Leslie Jordan will deliver the keynote address at the 12th-
Annual HRC Carolinas Gala on Saturday, February 24, 2007 at the
Charlotte Convention Center.

Jordan, a Tennessee native, has appeared in hundreds of television
shows, films and commercials, and is a familiar face on the
entertainment scene. He won a 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest
Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of Beverley Leslie on Will
& Grace. Audiences will also recognize him from his performance as
Brother Boy in the feature film Sordid Lives, which also starred
Olivia Newton-John, Delta Burke and Beau Bridges.

Jordan has had recurring roles on Boston Legal and Reba and stars in
the soon-to-be-released feature film Wanted: Undead or Alive with
Chris Kattan. He will be a recurring character in the upcoming CW
series Hidden Palms and will be starring with Lily Tomlin and Mary
Kay Place in 12 Miles of Bad Road, a pilot for HBO written and
produced by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason.

On stage, Jordan won the Ovation Award, The Garland Award and The Los
Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his portrayal of Preston
Leroy, the aging, sodden barfly, in Del Shores' hit play Southern
Baptist Sissies. He has recently completed a national tour performing
that role in repertory with Brother Boy in Sordid Lives. He is
currently performing his autobiographical, one-man show Like a Dog on
Linoleum to sold-out audiences in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Chicago,
Atlanta and San Francisco.

Jordan has also enjoyed considerable success as a writer. His play
Hysterical Blindness and Other Southern Tragedies That Have Plagued
My Life Thus Far ran to sold-out houses in Los Angeles and had a
successful seven-month Off-Broadway run. His screenplay Lost in the
Pershing Point Hotel won the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival's
Production Grant Award over a field more than 600 scripts and was
subsequently turned into an independent film.

Founded in 1980, HRC is America's largest civil rights organization
working to achieve LGBT equality. HRC 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 relationship recognition, workplace, family, and
health issues. In addition, the HRC Foundation engages in extensive
research and provides education and programming. HRC currently has
over 500,000 members, including more than 18,000 in the Carolinas.

HRC hosts annual fundraising Galas throughout the country to support
its mission of building an America where LGBT people are ensured of
their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home,
at work and in the community.

For more information and to purchase Gala tickets, e-mail
info@... or visit www.hrccarolinas.org.

###

News from 2007 HRC Carolinas Dinner/Jennifer Holliday to perform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Bert Woodard, 2007 HRC Carolinas Gala Public Relations/Marketing Co-
Chair, 704-332-9060, woodardbert@...

Broadway star Jennifer Holliday to perform at HRC Carolinas 12th
Annual Gala

Original star of the Tony® Award-winning Dreamgirls also a hit on
TV's Ally McBeal

Charlotte – January 22, 2007 – The Human Rights Campaign's (HRC)
Carolinas Gala committee has announced that Broadway singer Jennifer
Holliday will give a special performance at the 12th Annual HRC
Carolinas Gala on Saturday, February 24, 2007 at the Charlotte
Convention Center.

Holliday's portrayal of the heroine, Effie Melody White, in the
Broadway production of Dreamgirls catapulted her to stardom and
national recognition. Her performance garnered her the 1982 Tony®
Award for Best Actress in a Musical and her first Grammy® Award for
Best R&B Female Vocal Performance for her signature torch song and
Top 40 Hit "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." Her second Grammy®
would come three years later for her rendition of Duke Ellington'
s "Come Sunday," a moving tribute to the late Mahalia Jackson.

Currently, Holliday gives concerts throughout the world and performs
with many symphonies across the country. She made her motion picture
debut in The Rising Place, an independent film for Flatland Pictures.
She was also a recurring special guest star on the hit Fox TV show
Ally McBeal during its entire five-year run as Lisa Knowles the
outspoken choir director at Ally's church.

In addition, Holliday has performed at the White House for Presidents
Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush,
and she recently performed in The Singer and the Song: In Performance
at the White House, a primetime special for PBS. In 2000, she
received an honorary doctor of music degree from the Berklee College
of Music in Boston.

Founded in 1980, HRC is America's largest civil rights organization
working to achieve LGBT equality. HRC 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 relationship recognition, workplace, family, and
health issues. In addition, the HRC Foundation engages in extensive
research and provides education and programming. HRC currently has
over 500,000 members, including more than 18,000 in the Carolinas.

HRC hosts annual fundraising Galas throughout the country to support
its mission of building an America where LGBT people are ensured of
their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home,
at work and in the community.

For more information and to purchase Gala tickets, e-mail
info@... or visit www.hrccarolinas.org.


###

In this issue:
1. HRC Fun Run – Saturday 2/24/07 (order your shirts by 2/1)
2. New Restaurants??

1. HRC Fun Run – Saturday 2/24/07 (order your shirts by 2/1)

The Charlotte Front Runners will be hosting the annual HRC Fun Run
on the morning of the HRC Carolinas Dinner.  The run will consist of
a 2 and 4 mile course laid out for a social run/walk through the
historic Dilworth neighborhood. The run will begin at 9:00AM
Saturday, February 24th at the Charlotte Westin.  Following the run,
a complimentary continental breakfast sponsored by the Compass Group
will be served at the Westin.

We will also have short sleeve 100% cotton t-shirts made with a HRC
Carolinas Dinner inspired logo specially designed for our run by Tom
Feldman at Tyvola Designs.  Visit our website at
www.charlottefrontrunners.com to view the logo. We are printing a
limited number of shirts so you will need to pre-order one in your
size by February 1st.  The shirt will cost $15.  Please send your
request to Greg Shackelford at ggreg.shackelford@... or 704-
372-0079.

You can get more info about the run and the HRC Carolinas dinner at
www.hrccarolinas.org.

2. New Restaurants??

It is time to change up the restaurants for our Monday night runs.
Please email me with your ideas.  Please keep in mind that we need
to limit the choices to restaurants where we can order individually
at the counter.

HRC Carolinas Announces 2007 Award winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Bert Woodard, 2007 HRC Carolinas Gala Public Relations/Marketing Co-
Chair, 704-332-9060, woodardbert@...


HRC Carolinas Announces Winners for 2007 Equality Award,
Community Service Award, and Legacy/Trailblazer Award


Charlotte, NC – February X, 2007 – The Human Rights Campaign's (HRC)
Carolinas Gala committee has awarded the 2007 Community Service Award
to Alliance of AIDS Services • Carolinas, the Equality Award to
Rainbow Radio, and the Legacy/Trailblazer Award to Scott Vitez. The
winners will receive their awards at the 12th Annual HRC Carolinas
Gala on Saturday, February 24, 2007 at the Charlotte Convention
Center.

"These awards are the only LGBT recognitions that are truly meant to
focus on the amazing efforts that are happening in the LGBT
communities across the Carolinas," said Robert Dogens, 2007 HRC
Carolinas Gala Awards committee chairman. "So many individuals and
organizations in both states work tirelessly for tolerance, fairness
and equality. Each year we have an open call for nominations to
ensure that we have an opportunity to reflect our diverse community
and the inspirational efforts toward achieving full acceptance and
equality. We are so proud of our 2007 winners."

The 2007 HRC Carolinas Community Service Award recognizes an
organization for contributions at the grassroots level to issues and
concerns of the Carolinas' LGBT community and its allies. Alliance of
AIDS Services • Carolinas (AASC) has been providing compassionate and
non-judgmental care, prevention education, and advocacy services to
persons living with HIV/AIDS, their families, and their communities
for more than 15 years in the Raleigh area. The agency visits such
venues as high schools, health fairs, prisons, nightclubs, college
fraternity houses and churches to educate, minister to and protect
those living with or at risk of infection with HIV/AIDS. AASC meets
the spiritual needs of its clients in an affirming manner as well as
meeting their needs for food, shelter, and medical services.

The 2007 HRC Carolinas Equality Award recognizes an outstanding group
that has furthered the progress of civil rights for LGBT persons.
Rainbow Radio of Columbia was the first broadcast program in South
Carolina to serve the state's LGBT community directly. It continues
to address numerous issues not articulated by mainstream media
outlets including legal, political, religious, mental and physical
health matters. Rainbow Radio is dedicated to relaying the voices of
LGBT South Carolinians and spreading their message in the fight for
equal rights. The broadcast reaches listeners locally and beyond
through a consistently updated website. Rainbow Radio is also
committed to exhibiting a diverse and unprecedented range of
viewpoints.

The 2007 HRC Carolinas Legacy/Trailblazer Award recognizes an
individual who has contributed efforts to improve the lives and
visibility of LGBT people over a long period of time and is seen as a
role model to others. Scott Vitez's desire to bring campy fun to
HIV/AIDS fundraising led him to organize a supporting cast of friends
and in 2000, Gay BINGO was born. His alternate personality, "Miss
Shelita Hamm," and his quick wit kept everyone coming back month
after month. Vitez's goal was not only to raise money but also to
raise awareness of the work of Regional AIDS Interfaith Network
(RAIN), where he serves as a long-time HIV/AIDS CareTeam volunteer
and board member. Gay BINGO became a destination for LGBT and
straight alike to openly mix and mingle and was voted "Best Zany
Night Out" by Charlotte Observer readers.

Founded in 1980, HRC is America's largest civil rights organization
working to achieve LGBT equality. HRC 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 relationship recognition, workplace, family, and
health issues. In addition, the HRC Foundation engages in extensive
research and provides education and programming. HRC currently has
over 500,000 members, including more than 18,000 in the Carolinas.

HRC hosts annual fundraising Galas throughout the country to support
its mission of building an America where LGBT people are ensured of
their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home,
at work and in the community.

For more information and to purchase Gala tickets, e-mail
info@... or visit www.hrccarolinas.org.

###

Charlotte Front Runners to host HRC Carolinas Saturday morning run on
Feb. 24

For Immediate Release: February 16, 2007

Contact: Steve Thomas
704-277-4196

CHARLOTTE -- Charlotte Front Runners, the Queen City's gay and
lesbian running and walking club, will move its regular Saturday run
on Feb. 24 to the Westin Hotel in uptown Charlotte in conjunction
with the Human Rights Campaign's Carolinas Gala weekend. The group
will host an "HRC Front Runners run" at 9 a.m., beginning and ending
at the Westin, which is the host hotel for the dinner weekend. The
2007 HRC Carolinas Gala will be held on Saturday night, the 24th,
at the Charlotte Convention Center.

The HRC run will consist of a 2- and 4-mile course laid out for a
social run/walk through the historic Dilworth neighborhood. Following
the run, a complimentary continental breakfast sponsored by the
Compass Group will be served at the Westin.

Compass Group North America, which is headquartered in Charlotte, is
a subsidiary of Compass Group, PLC, the world's largest foodservice
company.

"We wanted to participate in HRC Carolinas weekend and at the same
time offer out of town dinner guests and interested local runners a
chance to get some exercise and social interaction to start a busy
day," said Steve Thomas, Charlotte Front Runners coordinator. "We
also will be able to answer questions for any individuals interested
in starting a Front Runners chapter in their hometown across the
Carolinas."

Charlotte Front Runners, an official chapter of International Front
Runners, hosts two runs each week – Monday nights, 6:30, beginning
and ending at the Dowd YMCA back porch, and Saturday mornings, 9:00,
from the Bruegger's Bagels parking lot on East Blvd. The group meets
for dinner after the Monday night run and breakfast following the
Saturday morning run, the latter at Bruegger's.

Front Runners welcomes all abilities, including walkers, and requires
no membership dues. The group starts each run together, and most
participants run a four-mile course through Dilworth and Myers Park.
However, everyone runs his or her own pace during the run. The club
has a working group of 60 runners and draws an average of 10-20
runners each time.

"It's not a contest," said Greg Shackelford, who helped found
Charlotte Front Runners in 1995. "We have some serious runners, but
everyone runs his or her own distance and we then we meet afterward
for food and drink. I think for most of us, it has become an
important exercise and social outlet during the week."

For more information on the HRC run or Charlotte Front Runners,
contact Steve Thomas at info@..., or visit the
Website at www.charlottefrontrunners.com.

For more information on the HRC Carolinas Gala, visit
ww.hrccarolinas.org.

- END -