BY: Gabriel Lopez Kafati
Covered with rainbow bumper stickers and equality license plates, a Toyota Prius became a staple of BPI. With Al Ellis at the wheel, and his inseparable wife Donna as co-pilot, their Prius traveled thousands of miles every year to be a part of ACB Conventions and other BPI gatherings.
In preparation for an ACB Convention to be held in Phoenix, then BPI President Don Brown thought of contacting the local PFLAG Chapter in search of volunteers who could help with BPI’s events. In a matter of minutes, he received an enthusiastic response from Donna. Once in town, BPI was blown away by the amazing preparations that Al and Donna had put in place to take care of even the smallest detail of the Convention. More than just volunteering, Al and Donna fell in love with BPI, and offered to assist in future conventions.
Since then, they started following BPI wherever the ACB Convention was being hosted. Al and Donna increased their involvement more and more with every passing year. More than volunteering, they offered BPI a sense of family.
From supermarket runs to adult-store visits. From mixing drinks to pouring wine. From greeting attendees at the BPI Suite to sharing jokes with friends. The couple would rejoice with first hugs and would cry with farewells at the end of each Convention. Quickly and surely, Al and Donna Ellis had completely earned the love of BPI.
Packed with leftover utensils, their Prius would take off back to Phoenix, just to be back in a different city the following year, full of those utensils, but more importantly, anxious to hug and kiss old and new friends.
Some of the best friends the Elis made, were the four-legged part of the family. Every year, they would make sure to pack all sorts of doggie snacks and toys. When BPI decided to offer up the Suite to the couple, it became easier for our guide dogs to find the Suite. This was a good way of convincing the couple to stay in the Suite. They fought with all their might to not take anything from BPI but love, hugs, and licks.
Being part of the BPI Family, Al and Donna also made sure the group grew in number and in love. After years of sharing their fun and love experiences with BPI, they sparked the interest of other PFLAG members who wanted to be a part of our family. Ron and Russ started joining us at Convention, and together with the Ellis, they became a beautiful quartet of volunteering and friendship.
Last year, just as we were starting preparations to celebrate BPI’s 20th Anniversary, our friend and father Al left us. Many of us called Donna to support and comfort her; but being the formidably amazing woman that she is, she ended up comforting us. After our 2020 Convention went virtual, we started making plans to have a love feast with Donna in Phoenix in 2021. Now that 2021 has also gone virtual, we will make sure that Donna is our guest of honor in 2022.
Today, BPI has named one of our awards: The Al and Donna Ellis Award for the Volunteer of the Year. Al’s legacy continues to bless BPI. His home PFLAG Chapter decided to honor his memory by presenting BPI with an amazingly generous gift. We are sure that Donna will continue to carry the torch for the couple, not only as part of the BPI Family, but also in their tireless fight towards equality in their community. Al and Donna Ellis came to BPI as volunteers; they became family; and they will live with us forever. In the words of Donna: “We receive more from you than what we give.” In this 20th Anniversary year, BPI expresses our immense love to this wonderful couple who came to stay!