The 2018 Bear to Make a Difference Gala is an opportunity for community members, civic leaders and corporate partners to come together to support the work of the Matthew Shepard Foundation and those who share our commitment to a future free from hate.

Special Guests: Judy and Dennis Shepard

The 2018 Bear to Make a Difference Gala

6:00pm
Saturday, October 20, 2018

Hilton Denver City Center
1701 California Street
Denver, CO, 80202

Special reduced ticket price ends on Memorial Day!
Purchase your tickets here.

If you want to purchase a room from our official BTMAD Block,
please click here. 

Adam Rippon made history as the first openly gay U.S. American male figure skater to compete in the Olympic games. Rippon publicly sparred with Mike Pence in the press and on social media, bringing a new focus on Pence’s long anti-LGBTQ record. Rippon publicly voiced his concern over Pence leading the diverse U.S. delegation to the Olympics. By being out and proud, Adam is bringing LGBTQ+ visibility to a whole new level while capturing the hearts of millions around the world with his incredible talent and personality. He isn’t afraid to use his global platform to speak out for equality, and that is truly what makes him America’s Sweetheart.

Lesléa Newman has created 70 books for readers of all ages including the poetry collections, Still Life with Buddy, Nobody’s Mother, Signs of Love, and I Carry My Mother which received the 2016 Golden Crown Literary Society Poetry Award. In 2012, her novel-in-verse, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard, received a Stonewall Honor from the American Library Association, and the Florida Council Teachers of English Joan F. Kaywell Books Save Lives Award. In addition, the Massachuetts Center for the Book named October Mourning a “Must Read” title. Ms. Newman has won many literary awards including poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation; the Burning Bush Poetry Prize; the Americus Review poetry prize, and second place runner-up in the Solstice Literary Journal poetry competition. Her poetry has been published in Spoon River Poetry Review, Cimarron Review, Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art, Evergreen Chronicles, Moment Magazine, Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, Lilith Magazine, Kalliope, The Sun, Bark Magazine, Sow’s Ear Poetry Review,  Seventeen Magazine and others. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award Finalists and she has received four Pushcart Prize nominations. From 2008-2010 she served as the poet laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts. Currently she is a faculty member of Spalding University’s low-residency MFA in Writing program. Her newest poetry collection, Lovely, was published in January 2018 by Headmistress Press.

Chance Mitchell is the Co-Founder & CEO of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community and the largest LGBT economic advocacy and business development organization in the world.

Chance is dedicated to increasing access to capital, resources and economic opportunity for the LGBT community. He believes that the creation of the NGLCC was the next logical step in the quest for equal rights.  In addition to over 45 LGBT affiliate chambers in the United States representing America’s 1.4 million LGBT business owners, NGLCC leads economic development opportunities at over a dozen international affiliates.  NGLCC is responsible for major policy victories for the LGBT business community, among them the first-in-the-nation inclusion of LGBT suppliers in statewide contracting opportunities with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  

For his work in establishing the NGLCC, he, along with Co-Founder & President Justin Nelson, was named in December 2002 to the “Top 100 Greatest Gay Success Stories of 2002” by OUT Magazine, among many other distinctions and awards.  His entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with strong business and technology skills, are an integral component to his leadership at NGLCC. In addition to cultivating new partnership and policy opportunities, Chance directs NGLCC operations to expand equity for the LGBT community and providing activism through economics.

Prior to launching the NGLCC, Chance provided information technology assistance and litigation management services to one of the nation’s top law firms, which handled some of the largest cases in the country. Apart from the legal arena, Chance served as an executive for a global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce company where he coordinated e-business initiatives, managed client relationships and developed strategic marketing plans. In addition, Chance developed e-business strategies that targeted niche industries, while focusing on customer acquisition, retention, and branding in order to maintain a strong competitive advantage.

Chance holds a BA in Finance from Texas Christian University and an MS in Information and Telecommunications Systems for Business from the Johns Hopkins University.

Justin Nelson is the Co-Founder & President of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community and the largest LGBT economic advocacy and business development organization in the world.

In addition to over 45 LGBT affiliate chambers in the United States representing America’s 1.4 million LGBT business owners, NGLCC leads economic development opportunities at over a dozen international affiliates.  NGLCC is responsible for major victories for the LGBT business community, among them the first-in-the-nation inclusion of LGBT suppliers in statewide contracting opportunities with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  

Justin regularly advises senior leaders at the White House, in Congress, and corporations throughout the world to build business opportunities through commitments to LGBT-inclusive supplier diversity programs. He is a sought-after speaker at conferences and meetings around the globe promoting the business case for LGBT inclusion and creating equity for the LGBT business community.

Justin and Team NGLCC are also responsible for the creation of the National Business Inclusion Consortium (NBIC), advocating the business interests of a diverse range of people, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, ethnic minority, disability, and women-owned business communities, representing a total of over $9 trillion in annual consumer spending power and significant contributions to the marketplace and workplace. 

For his efforts in establishing the NGLCC, Justin was named to OUT Magazine’s Top 100 Greatest Gay Success Stories. Justin was also named to the 25 Leading Men of 2006 list by Instinct Magazine, SmartCEO Magazine’s 2012 Top 20 Leaders We Admire, and the 2012 Global LGBT Power 100 from the Guardian Newspaper in Great Britain. In 2010 Justin received the Outstanding Collaborative Partner Award from the U.S. Business Leadership Network for his partnership work on disability issues and is the recipient of the 2014 Vanguard Award from the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to launching the NGLCC, Justin was the Director of Federal Affairs and External Relations for the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Washington, DC. During his tenure, the organization was named one of the top 100 lobbying organizations in Washington, DC by Forbes Magazine. Prior to lobbying Congress and the White House, Justin spent five years as an aide in the United States Senate. He has served as a past volunteer coordinator for the Wyoming Special Olympics, a Capitol Hill Chair for the March of Dimes Walk America and on the advisory board for the First Wyoming Race for the Cure. Justin holds a BA in political science from the University of Wyoming.

View photos from our 2017 Gala

Details TBA

Matthew Shepard Foundation Honors is produced by: