Fun times were had by all at the 2011 Volunteer Thank You Party last week. With heaping baskets of brie & crudite, yummy (and complimentary!) cocktails, cordial staff and awesome guests, Rm Fifty5 proved itself to be a sweet spot for a party- and boy, did we have a ton to celebrate. Because of the time, brains, energy, and money Freelancers Union member volunteers contributed in 2010, we were able to introduce the Freelancer Payment Protection Act (a.k.a. Deadbeat Client Bill) in Albany and elect our allies in November's elections! These fearless leaders are making freelance fair- now, and years to come. Althea, our Associate Director of Advocacy and Policy took the time to review all of these accomplishments and Executive Director Sara spoke a little bit about how this critical work is reflective of the mutualist spirit- independent workers coming together to build support systems that meet their needs. It was a lovely evening to honor the work of Freelancers Union members; to get pumped for the year ahead; and to recognize a few special volunteers with our first-ever Squeaky Wheel Superlatives. The recipients were: Rich K.: THE CHIEF POLITICO AWARD (FOR MORE ELECTION COVERAGE THAN CNN) Lawrence B.: THE SUPER COMMUTER AWARD (FOR TRAVELING THE LONGEST DISTANCE TO VOLUNTEER) **Vanessa P.: **THE HIDDEN TALENTS AWARD (FOR ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CAUSE) Wendy F., Ben R., Jason W.: THE NEXT ERIN BROKOVITCH AWARD (FOR WILLINGNESS TO TESTIFY) **Suzanne S., Simone T., Logan B.,: **THE PERFECT ATTENDANCE AWARD (FOR MAKING IT TO ALL 3 MEMBER MEETINGS!) Congratulations! So are you now completely stoked to get an invite to our gathering in 2012? I hope you are! It's never too late_-_ start today by joining us at tomorrow's Monthly Member Meeting, or sign-up for future notifications. The movement surely needs your freelancer expertise, and we look forward to our relationship with you. Always, Kaitlyn Organizer/Volunteer Coordinator