Shelly O’Rourke

Immediate Past Chair

I’ve been lucky enough to be part of The LGBTQ Center of the Cape Fear Coast since the beginning, when it was formed in the memory of the late Frank Harr. The Center, formerly the Frank Harr Foundation, is his legacy. When I knew Frank, we lived in a tight-knit community of neighbors near new Hanover High School. After an epidemic of suicides among gay teens, Frank organized the neighborhood to reach out. He wanted to make sure the teens walking or riding in our neighborhood felt safe and accepted. We all placed rainbow flags outside our homes to signal that LGBTQIA teens were always welcome in our neighborhood and our homes.

In the years that I knew him, Frank worked to create a community that welcomed all and took care of its own, a community driven by kindness and basic human decency. Frank inspired me then and now to always work toward that ideal community.

In the 30+ years that I’ve lived in Wilmington, I’ve worked to promote, educate, inspire positive change, and bring people from disparate backgrounds together to create a better community and a better world. I identify as a Queer woman and have raised 7 children, 3 of which Identify as LGBTQ. I am a non profit and progressive political professional with a focus in the Eastern US. I serve on the Board of Directors on our local NPR affiliate radio station WHQR and the NC advisory board of Victory Fund that promotes LGBTQIA political candidates. I have served as a volunteer with the Guardian ad Litem program to protect local children in need and the NAACP to promote racial justice.