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Daniel's interest in BBW's
(Big Beautiful Women) has been
lifelong. For many years he'd been a chat room host for BBW Network. "I'm 6'6" and
280 pounds myself,"
Daniel said, "and have been a lifelong advocate of size acceptance. I can't understand why if
woman is above the media's concept of weight/height proportionate, she should be treated as any less of a
person."
Active in event planning and advertising for
over 20 years, Daniel has done countless promotions for top-rated
radio stations as a program director, on-air personality and mobile DJ
for community and corporate events. As executive producer for America Online's
Digital City in Dallas/Fort
Worth he produced offline events for people who met online.
Upon moving to the Northwest, Daniel became National VP of Marketing
for the popular singles club Events
& Adventures. Deven enjoyed success as a small business consultant in her hometown of
Dallas, Texas and developed Digital City Dallas/Fort Worth's online
entertainment section. She's also a commissioned artist and an
aspiring stand-up comedian. She met Daniel through a personal ad in BBW
Magazine, and after a long distance relationship, they married in
New Orleans in 1991. Both
had been members of various plus-sized social groups over the
years, but had felt less than comfortable at their functions. Said
Deven, "There's nothing worse than being a new face at an event where everyone seems to know everyone else and you're a little too shy to
mingle. Daniel and I know that feeling... we've been those
people!" "There were already a couple of other
online-based BBW groups in Seattle," Daniel recalled, "but it
seemed everyone already knew everyone else. We were proactive in our
attempts to make
friends, but were mostly received with stares and whispers. One
group told Deven she 'wasn't fat enough' to be a BBW!" The
couple resolved to form a new group that would treat others the way
they wanted to be treated. One that would enthusiastically welcome everyone
- especially new members. One that would revolve around a
full calendar of real-time events, rather than an online message board.
And on July 4, 2000, The Seattle BBW
Trust was born. By their
first official event seven weeks later, they already had several hundred
registered members. What did they have in common? The desire to be welcomed by a fun and
comfortable group that was truly founded upon acceptance without an
"in-crowd", gossip or politics. Over
their first 12 months of successful events, something wonderful
happened. Word about the new group was spreading and an increasing
number of
members were joining from beyond the Puget Sound. Daniel and Deven
were welcoming hundreds of new members from all over the Northwest. To recognize
and better meet the needs of their increasing membership beyond
Seattle, on Christmas 2001, they renamed this organization The Northwest BBW Trust
and launched this site, BBWNorthwest.com.
The group's continuing goal to bring more fun, community, camaraderie and support of the the
size-positive movement
in the Northwest is now entering its big 8th year. Reaching the many who
are not into online BBW groups is a big priority. Deven agreed that's what sets
BBWNorthwest apart from most internet-based groups. "Most
everyone has
met some scary people online. That's why we're not all about the internet. We're
about real people meeting real people in real time for real fun!"
 "Our group will always be about living well," Daniel noted. "Poet George Herbert once said 'Living well is the best revenge.'
We want our members to have fun and enjoy
life just the way they are. In doing so we are giving the world the
message that fat people are big, beautiful, happy, and worthy of love
and respect." |
