PRESENTED BY WELLS FARGO

The Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber Of Commerce (MDGLCC) will honor corporate and individual supporters of the Miami-Dade LGBTQ community at its 16^th Annual Gala and Awards Celebration, “THE TOPAZ GALA”on Saturday, May 13^th, at the Hilton Miami Downtown, 1601 Biscayne Boulevard. The honorees were selected for their long-term commitment to fostering diversity, as well as for their efforts in contributing to the overall quality of life in South Florida. This year’s gala will once again be presented by Wells Fargo.

“Our annual gala is all about networking with each other and with leaders in the community. It is the networking event of the year. Our five hundred guests just get to have a lot of fun in the process,” said Steve Adkins, MDGLCC president. “As the voice of the LGBT business community in Miami-Dade, the Chamber is especially proud to have such an accomplished and extraordinary group to recognize this year.”

The 2017 Honorees:

“AT&T Business of the Year Award”

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

This award is presented annually to organizations whose mission statement adheres to the highest standards in their outreach to the LGBTQ and allied community. Nominees must have been a Chamber member for at least two years, be active in the LGBT community and have non-discrimination (sexual orientation/gender identity) language incorporated into their human resource policies. This award is sponsored by AT&T.

“Royal Caribbean is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 46-year legacy of innovation and industry ‘firsts’ never before seen at sea,” said Adkins. “One of their most recent firsts was to launch a new Diversity & Inclusion Department and appoint an openly gay Diversity Executive whose early initiative was to become Miami Beach Gay Pride’s presenting sponsor for 2017.”

Regions Bank “Business Person of the Year Award”

Bill Warren

This award is given annually to individuals who embrace diversity in all forms and demonstrate excellent management and leadership skills. Nominees must have been a Chamber member for at least two years and be active in the LGBT community. This award can recognize outstanding work for the year awarded, or for a body of work over a longer period of time. The award this year is sponsored by Regions Bank.

“Bill is a member of the Miami Beach Human Rights Committee and is one of the more active members of the MDGLCC. There’s hardly a Chamber event that goes by without Bill shaking hands and passing out business cards,” said Jorge Richa, MDGLCC marketing and programming director. “Through his company, Benefits Design Resources, Bill helps many in our community navigate the complexities of healthcare, life and disability insurance.”

“Non-Profit Organization of the Year Award”

ACLU Florida

This award is given annually to organizations which embody the highest standards of diversity and inclusion of the LGBTQ and allied communities in their mission statement. Awardees must have been a Chamber member for at least two years and be visibly active in the LGBTQ Community. This award can recognize outstanding work for the year awarded, or for a body of work over a longer period of time.

“When people's rights are under attack, the ACLU is there to fight back,” said Scott Bader, MDGLCC director of membership & engagement. “From protecting the right to vote or a woman’s right to choose to securing anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ Floridians and ensuring that gay youth have a safe educational environment, ACLU Florida has been championing your rights for over 50 years.”

“Morgan Stanley Bob Balsam Civic Achievement Award”

Joan Schaeffer

“For the third year in a row, MDGLCC is honoring former Miami Beach Convention Center General Manager Bob Balsam by naming this award in his memory. In his short five-year tenure in South Florida, Bob made significant contributions to the LGBTQ community. He was a kind and generous man who gave tremendously of his time. Bob was financially generous to make sure ‘his community’ benefitted from his stature as a business leader, including his support of the MDGLCC and of me personally from the day he arrived in town,” said Adkins. ”Joan is nothing short of a force of nature,” said Marty Davis, The Topaz Gala’s Chair. “She has served on a number of community boards, including SAVE, Dade Action PAC, Dade Human Rights Foundation, the National Women’s Political Caucus of Dade County and the Board of Trustees of Temple Israel of Greater Miami where she is the Immediate Past President. She is currently working as a Consultant to Jewish Community Services of South Florida where she is the Liaison to the Adult LGBTQ Community. Since moving here in 1977, Joan has given so much of herself, so selflessly.”

Following a tradition set three years ago, the MDGLCC Gala Committee selects a different color of the rainbow flag for the gala’s theme and elevates the status of that color by interpreting it in its gem stone complement. The 2017 “topaz” theme signifies synchronicity, good fortune, success. The MDGLCC encourages guests to wear a splash of topaz (yellow) to this year’s event.

The 16th Annual Gala and Awards Celebration, “THE TOPAZ GALA”presented by Wells Fargo, starts at 6 p.m. with a reception, silent auction, and interactive pop-up displays which will be followed by a grand buffet, the awards presentation, and a Moonlight Networking soiree sponsored by Jackson Health System to end the evening.

Tickets to “THE TOPAZ GALA”are all VIP again this year, Adkins said. Tickets are $2,000 for tables of 10 or $200 for individual tickets and include reserved seating, a grand buffet, an open bar featuring Bacardi Brands’ GREY GOOSE^® Vodka among others, a VIP gift bag, and participation in the grand drawing. Reservations are available online at www.gaybizgala.com, or by calling (305) 673-4440.

“THE TOPAZ GALA”is the MDGLCC’s principal fundraiser of the year which helps sustain operations and expand the ever-increasing demand for member programming. Presented by Well Fargo Bank, “THE TOPAZ GALA”is produced by the MDGLCC & GALRDON. Major event sponsors include GREY GOOSE^® Vodka, AT&T, Morgan Stanley, Regions Bank, American Airlines, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Roots & Roots, Triverden Creative, DECO Productions, & Prestige Audio Visual. Media sponsors include Miami Herald, Palette Magazine,MY93.9 and Y100.

MDGLCC is the largest not-for-profit corporation in the county for LGBTQ businesses. With membership on the rise, the Chamber's mission is to promote a unified and thriving, gay and gay-friendly, business and professional community throughout Miami-Dade County. Its goals are to promote networking within the existing gay and gay-friendly business and professional community, to promote business opportunities for Chamber members, to promote Miami as a year-round, gay and gay-friendly tourist destination, to provide resources for its members, and to provide outreach from the LGBTQ community to other organizations.

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