Dear friends and family! I moved to Lincoln in the summer of 2007. When I asked about the LGBT community I kept hearing the same thing over and over again: The LGBT community was fractured but decent, and since Nebraska is a conservative state, it wasn’t going to ever change. Now that I have accepted a new adventure in another state, I am proud to say that your passion and work give me confident that Nebraska is changing. Having taught about creating change for several years, I knew that vision was a key element of any organization or community.  If we believed things weren’t going to change, then it wouldn’t ever change.  We were stuck and many people continued to move to other communities where they thought they had a better chance at being successful. Outlinc was created in early 2009 when you rejected the old vision and created a new vision for a better Lincoln!  You took control of your future. You took control of your success. You dreamed of a community where you could put a photo of your partner and family openly on your desk. You dreamed of having a resource directory of people who were safe to work in your home and look out for your well-being. You dreamed of a community where you were accepted openly! In less than three years, so many people have contributed to make Outlinc a success and Lincoln is a better place because of you.   Ultimately, you can’t have a community center without a strong community.  You now have a monthly professionals group social and book club, weekly volleyball games, annual social at the LGBT History Dinner, resource directory, community calendar, and various events throughout the year. This city is rapidly changing because of other organizations as well: Star City Pride, touché Magazine, PFLAG-Cornhusker, Plymouth Pride, UNL’s LGBTQA Resource Center to name a few. Your vision was that Outlinc exist to bring out the best of each of these groups to share with Lincoln’s LGBT community. You have come a long way by taking control and creating the life you dreamed, and we have more work to do.  In the coming weeks and months our community will face new challenges and stronger resistance to the changes that need to happen. You must continue to push forward with your dream of making Lincoln a safer place for you and other LGBT people. In January, new officers will take the lead and define a new era for Outlinc. With your help, you can help make Outlinc and the Lincoln LGBT community stronger. Join a next step team or make a year-end donation today to leave a legacy for Outlinc. Thank you for making Outlinc and the LGBT community one of the things I am most proud of.     Heath HardingOutlinc Founder