The Wingspan Annual Dinner is a time for Southern Arizona's LGBT and Allied community to come together and celebrate the accomplishments and progress of our community . The Annual Dinner, a powerful community-building event, is Wingspan's largest fundraiser, grossing nearly 15% of the agency's overall budget each year through a silent auction, corporate giving program, and individual gifts made at the event.
The Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony was started by a small group of volunteers. The first Annual Benefit Dinner, held in 1998, was attended by 250 people and raised over $10,000, and was the greatest fundraising event that the nascent organization had ever seen. Ten years later, the Wingspan Annual Benefit Dinner is attended by over 1,100 community members and local leaders and dignitaries, and raises more than $280,000 to continue Wingspan's important work in the community. The event is held at the Tucson Convention Center, centrally located in downtown Tucson, and is widely considered to be one of Southern Arizona's premier gala events.
1998 Elaine Richardson, Arizona State Senator
1999 Kerry Lobel, Executive Director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
2000 Urvashi Vaid, Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute
2001 Riki Wilchens, Executive director of GenderPAC
2002 Kevin Jennings, Executive Director of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
2003 Lori Jean, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center
2004 Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry
2005 Mandy Carter, Executive Director of Southerners on New Ground (SONG)
2006 Neil Giuliano, President of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and former Mayor of the City of Tempe.
2007 Leslie Feinberg, Internationally Renowned Author and Activist.
2008 Judy Shepard, Executive Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation
Each year at the dinner, awards are presented to leaders in the LGBT and allied community. These awards are:
The Godat Award was inaugurated in 1998 to recognize extraordinary long-term contributions by an individual to Southern Arizona's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Ken Godat, after whom this award was named, was the first recipient. Since its inception, the Godat Award has celebrated the personal commitment and public advocacy of the following community leaders:
1998 Ken Godat
1999 Jean M. Baker
2000 Colette Barajas
2001 Ana "Bertie" Lozano
2002 Bob Ellis
2003 Alexander John Goodrum
2004 Alan Storm
2005 Mae Krueger
2006 Craig Snow
2007 Reflection on 10 Years of Wingspan Awards
2008 Noel Matkin
In 2001, an award was crated to honor a straight ally who has made significant contributions to advance the freedom, equality, safety, and well being of LGBT people in Southern Arizona. Award winners have been:
2001 Ernesto Portillo Jr.
2002 George Miller
2003 Reverend David Wilkinson
2004 Dr. Kevin J. Carmichael
2005 Detective Tim Rupel
2006 Donna Rochester
2007 Reflection on 10 Years of Wingspan Awards
2008 Mary Ellen Beaurain
The Hall Award is given to an individual who makes outstanding volunteer contributions to further Wingspan's mission of promoting the freedom, equality, safety and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. The award is named after Steve Hall, a former Wingspan Board member and volunteer who died in 2001. Past Award winners are:
2001 Steve Hall
2002 Jim Sincox
2003 Lavina Tomer
2004 David Eyde
2005 Kathy Altman
2006 Kevin Maxey
2007 Reflection on 10 Years of Wingspan Awards
2008 Shirley Snow and AngieRose Tilghman
