Three to be Honored at Miami Recognition Dinner

By JDH
sobegayinfo.com

Miami, FL –September 17, 2007 - The 11th annual Miami Recognition dinner will be held on November 3, 2007 at the InterContinental Hotel Miami.  The dinner is an important fundraiser for the local and national LGBT community.  This event recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to the social, cultural, political and humanitarian needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.  The Task Force donates two-thirds of the net proceeds to the Dade Community Foundation, which then awards grants to Miami-Dade LGBT service organizations such as Pridelines Youth Services, South Beach AIDS Project and GLSEN. The remaining one-third supports the Task Force’s efforts to secure equal rights for all LGBT people.  Bill Clinton made a surprise appearance at the VIP reception last year.  The Recognition Dinner features two pre-dinner cocktail receptions (one exclusively for VIP ticket-holders), an awards ceremony during dinner and dancing following the program. A silent auction will include an original painting created for the occasion by local artist Noel, as well as numerous items in categories ranging from travel and spa treatments to meals and the performing arts.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will be presenting awards to Jerry Chasen, Leonard Pitts, Jr. and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Jerry Chasen will be receiving the 2007 Eddy McIntyre Community Service Award.  Jerry, an estate planning attorney and certified life coach, has supported many organizations in Miami by contributing money, time, or professional services to groups like Project YES, the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, the Miami Gay Men’s Chorus, the Miami Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and SAVE Dade. 

His greatest contribution to the LGBT community may be when the Gay and Lesbian Foundation of South Florida closed.  Knowing the impact of the Foundation’s two signature events, The Winter Party Festival and the Miami Recognition Dinner, and the loss of the events and the revenue that came with them, he brokered the current arrangement between The Task Force and the Dade Community Foundation, securing two-thirds of the net proceeds of each event to be used for the benefit of this community.  As a result, since the first event produced by the Task Force nearly three years ago, over $480, 000 has been distributed among worthy organizations in Miami’s LGBT community.

Leonard Pitts, Jr. will be awarded the 2007 Humanitarian Award.  Leonard has been writing professionally since 1976 when, as an 18-year-old college student, he began doing freelance reviews and profiles for SOUL, a national black entertainment tabloid.  Not long after, he was its editor.  Since then, his work has appeared in such publications as Musician, Spin, TV Guide, Reader’s Digest, and wrote for Casey’s Top 40 with Casey Kasem of radio fame.

Pitts was awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.  He’s a five-time recipient of the National Headliners Award.  Over the years he’s been honored with numerous awards including in 2002, GLAAD Media awarded Pitts the Outstanding Newspaper Columnist award.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will be honored with the 2007 National Leadership Award.  Wasserman Schultz has spent the last 14 years serving the people of South Florida, first as the youngest woman elected to the Florida state legislature, and now as the Congresswoman from Florida’s 20th Congressional District.
Debbie has always been a vocal advocate for equality as illustrated by her actions such as co-sponsoring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (EDNA) now before Congress.  She passed a resolution calling for the President to declare a Jewish American Heritage Month.  She also passed key amendments to legislation protecting children from sexual predators and protecting women and children from legislation, which would have outlawed warning labels on food containing high levels of mercury. 

At Fort Lauderdale’s Stonewall Street Festival this past June, she said, “we want to make sure that people understand it doesn’t matter whether you’re gay or straight, we should all stand for tolerance and diversity and understanding.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s the civil rights of the gay community or the African-American community, the Hispanic community.  You can never rest when it comes to promoting and standing up for civil rights.”

This high-profile event affords a tremendous marketing opportunity for businesses wanting to reach the LGBT market. Sponsorship levels range from $2,500 to $25,000 and exclusive underwriting opportunities allow corporate entities to be associated with a particular aspect of the event, such as printing, audio-visual needs or naming rights to the VIP reception.

The Recognition Dinner is one of two events that the Task Force produces to raise money to help support GLBT service organizations in South Florida.  The Winter Party Festival, now in its 15th year, is held every March drawing visitors from around the world.  The highlight of the weekend is one of the largest gay beach parties in North America. 

The Miami Recognition Dinner will be held at the InterContinental Hotel in Miami on November 3, 2007 from 7:00 pm until Midnight. 

If you can’t attend the event, you can make a donation by going to www.thetaskforce.org/miami.

For more information you can contact the Task Force by going to:
www.thetaskforce.org, or call 305-571-1924.