01-13-10

Jan. 23 Fundraising pub crawl to benefit the Creating Change conference.

Taken from the facebook event page.

http://www.facebook.com/dfwbinet#/event.php?eid=409696625531&ref=mf

10 Friends – 10 Pitchers of Beer – 3 Hours – 1 Great Cause

To register and for more details, check out http://tourdechange.moonfruit.com

The Tour de Change is a fundraiser for the 22nd National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce.

Over the course of the Tour de Change, teams of up to 10 (plus 2 designated drivers) will travel to 5 Oak Lawn bars. At each bar, each team will be given four (4) tickets valid for payment of four pitchers of beer.

* Teams should have 5 to 10 people. This includes a team captain.
* To promote safe driving, we will also extend two (2) free passes for designated drivers, making for teams up to 12.
* Only online entries will be accepted.
* The deadline for entries is January 22, 2010 or the first 200 teams.
* The entry fee includes beer for the Tour. The fee is $350 per team.
* All teams must be present at JRs at 2:30 p.m. for announcements and sign-in. Tickets for pitchers and bar assignments will be given at this time to Team Captains.

FAQ

* What if we do not have 10 team members?
You can have as few as 5 team members, but the cost of the event is the same.

* What if we do not have designated drivers?
Cab information will be posted at all bars and volunteers will be available to help you make arrangements.

* Can teams be paired together?
Yes. All we ask is that you make a note on your registration form. If this is not followed we can not make any promises.

* Can a team reserve a spot?
The only way to reserve a spot is to register before the deadline. Some teams turn in their payment and registration form before their team is complete. The important information on the entry form is the team captain name, team captain contact information (email and phone) and t-shirt sizes.

* Can we register after the deadline?
No, Once in a while we have a team cancel. You can email a request for your name to be added to the waiting list, but this does not guarantee you an entry.

01-13-10

Hi all,

Finally got my notes compiled from last Thursday’s meeting. Present were Beau H., Jim and Vangie, Lividia, LaTisha and myself. Beau began the meeting by taking questions and explaining how the Bi Suite will work, and how to handle volunteers. A book club/reading from our favorite bi books was discussed.  I read from Lividia’s Bisexual’s Guide to the Universe, in particular the sections that told us what movies were must-see. Please forward this on to anyone who might care, and even those who don’t (yet). There are a couple people whose emails I don’t have, so I will copy/paste this into a facebook message, as well as post it on the CC10 section of articles on Bi Net.

Action items:

Jimbeau is in charge of creating a sign big enough to sit on an easel that will go outside the Bi Hospitality Suite, announcing our presence there. Can you also be our official photographer for while you are there?

Andi will make handbills and flyers with the dfwbi.net website/facebook, to be available and/or passed out at the conference. If you know of a special need/event, please let me know.

Renee will make sure there is an iPod/speakers and/or boombox in the room with ambient music for the three days of the conf.

Matt, please find out (and let us know) if Bi Net Usa will be bringing any swag (buttons, t-shirts, banners, handouts, whatever) with them to offer up in the suite. ALSO, has the dinner with BRC/BiNet Usa people been planned? If so, give us the deets, if the membership at large is invited, I mean.

Volunteering at CC10

Days that need to have the hospitality suite monitored: Thurs, Fri and Sat, 8am til 10pm. It is basically a hotel room that is not meant for lingering in, but for networking, grabbing a snack, passing through to say hi, get info about DFW and DFW Bi Net, and to meet and greet conference goers.The other suites include: People of Color, Transgender, Youth and Elderly. Some have gone to great length with decorations and the like, but Beau says that it’s not really necessary. The Youth Suite is generally the most popular and well-travelled.

As we find people to volunteer, make sure they do ALL of the following:

1) sign up online at the creatingchange.org website volunteer page;
2) are prepared to show up at the sheraton on Jan. 31 for a one-hour orientation between 12 and 6;
3) will give you a time commitment of no less than four hours total in volunteer hours for anything related to cc10, but in shifts of two hours at a time for the suite. If they can work 2 hours each day, great, but they need to be clear about their availability or the room will go unmonitored for that time;
4) give you their first and last name spelled correctly so Beau can make name tags for their free entry into the conference;
5) check the online pdf of the conference schedule so that they can work around workshops they plan to attend.
SEND ME NAMES of those who are interested in being there. They need the right nametag to attend for free.
Beau, did I miss anything?

Looks like the workshop schedule will change often between now and then; the schedule is currently online, but conferences are notorious for last-minute tweaks. Keep this in mind as you are considering your volunteer time. Two people per “shift” at a time is recommended.

Robyn has agreed to a get-together with DFW Bi Net folk on Wednesday, Feb. 3. I haven’t confirmed the date/time with her again since our first exchange. But I hope to hear back soon. An Indian restaurant near the hotel was poised for consideration, so I will ask Robyn first if she likes Indian food ok. If not, we’ll find a different place for dinner.

I hope to take off Thursday so that I can attend the bi institute. Anyone else doing the same? Is anyone getting a room at the Sheraton for any part of the conference? I haven’t yet, and didn’t think I would, but may do so since it starts so early. If I can still get a room, that is.

Here’s what I’ve read from the website about this Bi Institute:
Bisexual/Pansexual/Fluid Organizing Institute – Thurs, Feb. 7, 9a until 6p
(Allies are welcome! Help make your group/community more bi-friendly/inclusive.)

Spend a focused, fun, productive day with bi/pan/fluid leaders to learn how to grow bi and bi-friendly groups and communities at the local, regional and national levels. You’ll identify issues, brainstorm solutions to challenges, set goals, pinpoint strategies, develop media skills/campaigns and special projects, target funding, learn a little history (BiNet USA turns 20 and the Bisexual Resource Center is 25) and network with others. Plus it won’t all be work: we’re planning some playful socializing surprises in a supportive, safe environment. Yes, you can come out as bi, fluid, pansexual or bi-friendly! We’re especially eager to train younger activists, elders, people of color, and folks who don’t feel they “quite fit in” with other groups, queer or otherwise. Help plan and lead the next wave of bi activism!

Facilitators: Angel Fabian, Denise Penn, Ellyn Ruthstrom, Estraven, Faith Cheltenham, Gary North, Luigi Ferrer, Matt Goodman, Penelope Williams, and Robyn Ochs

Questions, comments, suggestions, holler back. CC10 is the big thing in the works right now. Once this is over, I think the following is on the books for discussion:

A name change, overhauling the website
An education series/working with the RCD library
Picnic in the spring
Get-together at Andi and Renee’s in March
Anythin else?

andi.reis@gmail.com

12-20-09

There will probably be changes at the last minute, of course, but I found this schedule on the CC10 website. I think it makes the conference seem a bit more “real” and honestly, it’s right around the corner. The beginning of February will be here in a flash. The workshops are filling up with local, national and international speakers, such as the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, and Robyn Ochs, who was here to visit DFW at the end of September.

Schedule at a Glance

Wednesday, February 3
9:00am-6:30pm – Day Long Institutes, focus on racial justice and people of color organizing

Thursday, February 4
9:00am-6:30pm – Day Long Institutes
7:00pm – First Timer’s Orientation
7:00pm – Welcome To Dallas Reception
8:00pm Welcome to Dallas/Opening Plenary Session

Friday, February 5
9:00am-12:15pm – Academy for Leadership and Action Trainings
9:00am – 10:30 am – Workshop Session I
10:45 am – 12:15 pm – Workshop Session II
12:15pm-1:30pm – Lunch on your own
1:30pm-2:45pm – Plenary Session with Rea Carey: State of the Movement
3:00pm-6:15pm – Academy for Leadership and Action Trainings
3:00pm – 4:30 pm – Workshop Session III
4:45 pm – 6:15 pm – Workshop Session IV
6:30pm-7:30pm – Caucuses and Networking Sessions
7:30pm – Shabbat Service
8:30pm – Receptions and Evening Events

Saturday, February 6
9:00am-12:15pm – Academy for Leadership and Action Trainings
9:00am – 10:30 am – Workshop Session V
10:45 am – 12:15 pm – Workshop Session VI
12:15pm-1:30pm – Lunch on your own
1:30pm-2:45pm – Plenary Session
3:00pm-6:15pm – Academy for Leadership and Action Trainings
3:00pm – 4:30 pm – Workshop Session VII
4:45 pm – 6:15 pm – Workshop Session VIII
6:30pm-7:30pm – Caucuses and Networking Sessions
8:30pm – Evening Events

Sunday, February 7
9:30 am – Interfaith Worship Service, all welcome!
9:30am-11:30am – Workshop Session IX
11:30am-1:00pm – Brunch and Closing Plenary
2:00pm – Conference Feedback Session

More details about Creating Change – not too late to get involved

01-04-10

Dear Host Committee Members,
Last night was our last host committee meeting. We want to thank everyone who has ever attended a meeting. The conference is 47 days away and our work is not done. A few things that we need to wrap up:
Sunday, January 31st, from 12pm-6pm is Volunteer Orientation at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel at 400 North Olive Street, Dallas, TX 75201. Everyone who is on the host committee should attend this orientation to familiarize themselves with the conference hotel, the Task Force staff, the registration process, the conference program and there will be a tour every hour on the hour you will need to attend. Afterward we ask that you help stuff at least 3,000 conference packets. We understand if you can’t stay till 6pm, we are asking for whatever time you can offer.This orientation is for our host committee members and volunteers. If you are on the host committee and haven’t been able to lend your time to a committee, this is a chance for you to sign up to volunteer at the conference and you will gain admission for free for every 4 hours you volunteer in a day. Attached is a map of parking lots around the hotel for you to use for this event and for the conference. We highly suggest using the DART system since there are plenty of park and rides through out the city to utilize.
Below are some conference stats as of yesterday:
Registrations: 451 (on par with last year’s conference numbers according to the Task Force)
Hotel occupancy/reservations: Total of 2569 room/nights reserved, with peak night occupancy of 463. We have three weeks to go til the hotel cut off date, so we’re doing great on the hotel reservations!
Exhibitors: 24 we should have at least 50 if not more exhibitors, this is a large metroplex and not only organizations can exhibit but those who are merchants selling items such as books, clothes, jewerly, pet stuff, etc.
Volunteers registered: 70 we need at least 250-300 volunteers. Tell your friends, co workers and family not to miss this opportunity to attend the nations largest LGBT conference and they can do so by volunteering 4 hours of their time to enter the conference for free on that day.
Community Housing Hosts registered: 2 (sad little number) we really need help.
Community Housing Guests registered: 33 (hosts needed should match this number)
Sessions scheduled from Texas friends and colleagues: 20! (a high number of local sessions yay!)
Advertising begins in the Dallas Voice this week…look for the Creating Change ad!

01-09-10

Taken from CreatingChange.org – see website for more info on getting registered for the conference or as a volunteer to attend for FREE!

Bisexual/Pansexual/Fluid Organizing Institute
(Allies are welcome! Help make your group/community more bi-friendly/inclusive.)
Spend a focused, fun, productive day with bi/pan/fluid leaders to learn how to grow bi and bi-friendly groups and communities at the local, regional and national levels. You’ll identify issues, brainstorm solutions to challenges, set goals, pinpoint strategies, develop media skills/campaigns and special projects, target funding, learn a little history (BiNet USA turns 20 and the Bisexual Resource Center is 25) and network with others. Plus it won’t all be work: we’re planning some playful socializing surprises in a supportive, safe environment. Yes, you can come out as bi, fluid, pansexual or bi-friendly! We’re especially eager to train younger activists, elders, people of color, and folks who don’t feel they “quite fit in” with other groups, queer or otherwise. Help plan and lead the next wave of bi activism!

Facilitators: Angel Fabian, Denise Penn, Ellyn Ruthstrom, Estraven, Faith Cheltenham, Gary North, Luigi Ferrer, Matt Goodman, Penelope Williams, and Robyn Ochs