The Rainbow Connection Network

About Our Founder

In 2001, New Jersey resident Dean Walton was invited for an evening out with a friend, Debbie Mitchell. Debbie had tickets to the Philadelphia area premiere of a new play entitled "The Laramie Project". As a gay man of a certain age, Walton was familiar with the details of the murder of Matthew Shepard but was not in favor of hate crime laws. "I feel for the kid's family," he told Debbie over dinner before the show, "but I really don't believe a hate crime is any different from any other attack." 

    Three hours later, Walton emerged from the theatre (housing The Philadelphia Theatre Company) a changed man. He was so profoundly affected by "The Laramie Project" that he returned the following weekend to see the show again. Detailing, as it did, the effects of the murder of Matthew Shepard on the town of Laramie Wyoming, Walton was moved to search the Internet for more information. He was directed to a book entitled "Losing Matt Shepard" by University of Wyoming professor Beth Loffreda. 

    Walton's research kept leading him to one point in particular which he found startling. "It seemed," he notes, "a great deal of money had been raised following Matt's death, but very little of that had remained in Laramie or Wyoming to assist other gay youth." There was nothing of consequence which had changed, Walton says, "and I knew there had to be other Matthews out there, still looking for something positive with which to identify." 

    Continuing his Internet research, Walton located an email address for the author of the book which had provided further inspiration. "I emailed [Loffreda] and asked her, as directly as I could, what I could do to help. Walton had recently inherited some money and wanted to put it to good use. "I felt I was at a time in my life where it was time to give back somehow and I was suddenly in a position to be able to do that."

    The author told him that the University had recently allocated space for a new campus office, The Rainbow Resource Center. However, no budget was dedicated to purchase any of the resources it was designed to house. Campus space was in demand and the Rainbow Resource Center was in danger of closing, as it had nothing to offer aside from the promise of a safe haven. "Here was my chance," Walton notes, "to make a difference, a lasting change."

    Walton consulted with Ed Hermance, the owner of Giovanni's Room, in nearby Philadelphia, one of the oldest and most respected  gay and lesbian book stores in the nation. Offering advice and a substantial discount, Hermance helped Walton to assemble a 500 volume library of gay and lesbian books. They then combed titles of DVD's to complete the collection. The Rainbow Resource Center had what it needed to remain open and retain the valuable space.

    After a visit to Laramie in 2001, Walton felt he needed to do more. Returning to New Jersey, he gathered his friends, all members of the arts community, and organized a cabaret to raise more money. That loose knit group of friends became The Rainbow Connection Network. Today, the corporation invites local individuals to participate in the cabaret and includes performers of all ages.

In 2003, Walton was honored by the Shepard Symposium for Social Justice for his contribution.  

    Since that time, The Rainbow Resource Center has become a vital part of campus life at the University of Wyoming. When the university opened a new Student Union, the center was granted significant space in the new building. Today, it houses the largest collection of gay and lesbian books in the state of Wyoming. 

Our Business

While we are currently pursuing 401 C3 status as a non-profit corporation, we maintain those standards. Thus no member of our organization receives salary or compensation of any kind. Most administrative costs are paid for by our members. We are supported primarily through public donations. Our annual fund raiser, generally a musical theatre cabaret style evening, is the cornerstone of our fund raising efforts. In addition, we sponsor a tombola, sort of a silent auction, with items donated by stars of Broadway, motion pictures and T.V