GREAT NEWS FROM SOULFORCE!
The Gill Foundation’s $10,000 Matching Grant
Soulforce is reaching critical mass! Media coverage of the June vigils and arrests at the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis (on radio, television, in USA Today and local papers across the nation) was amazing.
On-line registration has begun for our Soulforce return to Lynchburg, October 25-27, 2002, to confront Jerry Falwell’s toxic rhetoric. Join us!!
In less than three short years, Soulforce web page has been "hit" 6,000,000 times with tens of thousands of inquiries from sisters and brothers around the world.
Thousands of new Soulforce volunteers are being trained on line and at local and state-wide workshops in nonviolent resistance to injustice.
Already sixteen Soulforce Local Groups have been licensed with many others in the process and many more calling for information and writing for Soulforce Local Group Start-Up Kits.
And the latest Soulforce Video "The Debate is Over. The Verdict is In. Not a Sickness! Not a Sin!" is ready (AT LAST!) for summer/fall release.
And though most of the time and money required to accomplish these goals comes from generous donors and the volunteers themselves, Soulforce must raise a total of $300,000 in 2002. What a bargain! That’s less than the cost to produce a 30 second television commercial, less than Falwell, Robertson, and Dobson each has to raise every eighteen hours, all year long.
You can imagine how excited we were when the Gill Foundation announced that to help Soulforce raise this year’s budget they were offering a $10,000 "matching grant." The Gill Foundation rules are simple: "All donations from individuals not previously contributing to Soulforce will be matched up to $10,000. And all donations from current Soulforce supporters will be matched for their increased giving (over their largest past annual or single gift) only."
When we mentioned this to the hundreds of volunteers being trained in St. Louis, a lesbian couple (who want to remain anonymous) said, "We’ll double Gill’s matching grant with another $10,000 pledge. That means every dollar you donate will be doubled up to $20,000.
And if ever we needed those funds, the time is now. Would you consider donating today on line. Our donate-by-credit card system is easy, safe, and secure. Or send a check to Soulforce, Inc. at PO Box 4467, Laguna Beach, CA. 92652. Remember, your donation is tax-deductible and our Board and Staff promise to be careful stewards of your investment.
Bless you ALL!
Mel White, Executive Director
Karen Weldin, Director of Operations
**Chuck Phelan, Board Chair
*The mission of the Colorado-based Gill Foundation is to secure equal opportunity for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Established in 1994 by software entrepreneur Tim Gill, the Gill Foundation is the nation’s largest funder of LGBT organizations. With an endowment of $260 million, the Gill Foundation has invested nearly $40 million in nonprofit organizations throughout the country. For more information, call (303) 292-4455 or visit http://www.gillfoundation.org.
** Jimmy Creech is on sabbatical to finish a book. Then he returns as our Board Chairman.