I love
September—the excitement of the summer is still with us, the shops,
restaurants, and clubs are all still open, and most of the time the
weather remains gorgeous. It is a time when those of us who live and work
year-round at the beach have a moment to catch our breath and ease back to
a more normal pace. For all of us at CAMP Rehoboth, September is a time to
celebrate another successful season at the beach, and to be thankful for
all the amazing people whose lives intersect with ours and who give so
generously of their time, talents, and resources. From our perspective,
Rehoboth is truly an extraordinary community and we are glad to be a part
of it.
Nothing we do better demonstrates the
nature of our community than Sundance. Murray and I were a little worried
that the sagging economy and a year of living in the shadow of 9/11 might
negatively impact our fund raising abilities this summer, but that turned
out to be a needless worry. Once again, the generosity of our community
has helped to set a new Sundance record, and I am pleased to announce that
this year’s net amount raised will be over $170,000. That amazing number
could not have been reached without the almost 500 sponsors, supporters,
and hosts who made the event possible, or the 475 items donated to the
live and silent auctions. Nor could it have happened without the more than
180 volunteers whose dedication and talents make working on this event a
real pleasure. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped to make Sundance
2002 a success.
Sixty percent of the money raised at
Sundance will be given to Sussex County AIDS Committee, and I am sometimes
questioned as to why we continue to give so much to support the needs of
the AIDS community. That reason seems obvious to me: there is still a
great need. In the past couple of months, four more of our friends have
died. At the recent memorial service for SCAC Board of Directors’
member, Ed Imwalle, at Epworth United Methodist Church, Murray said, “I
have stood in this place for this reason far too many times...AIDS is
still among us, and still taking our loved ones from us.” This fight is
not one that can be given up yet, and we must all continue to do what we
can to help those who are suffering and to encourage safer sex practices
whenever the opportunity arises.
In the last issue of Letters, there
was a letter from Thom Swiger questioning Republican candidate for state
Representative, Mike Meoli, about his stand on HB99. I ran an editor’s
note with the letter, explaining that I had met with Mike earlier in the
month and that he told me he was in support of HB99. Before I ran the
note, I called him to confirm his support and to let him know what I was
going to say. A few days after the issue was released, Mike came by to say
that he had changed his mind and would not be supporting HB99 after all.
There was not another issue of Letters between that one and the
primary—which, by the way, Mike won. In November, Mike faces Democratic
candidate Pete Schwartzkopf and Libertarian candidate Everett Wodiska—both
supporters of HB99. On page 24, Eric Peterson reports in more detail on
the story.
As
we’ve said many times, and as surely everyone knows by now, Sundance
began as an anniversary party for Murray and me. That’s another reason
why I like September so much. This year’s Sundance marks 24 years since
he walked into my life. Gay unions, in whatever form they take, are not
much celebrated in the world in which we live, which means it’s
important for us to make as much noise about it as we can. The first
Sundance was our 10th anniversary, and next year’s Sundance will be our
25th—so get ready for a lot of noise. In the meantime, Murray, happy
anniversary, I love you.
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