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SAVE Dade’s “Ride the Wave of Pride”
By Nicholas Intriago

As a volunteer at SAVE Dade, I recently got the chance to volunteer at one of SAVE’s biggest fundraising events of the year, the SAVE Dade: Ride the Wave of Pride fundraiser.  This event was held at the Clevelander Hotel on June 11, 2009 and featured celebrity judges, Drag queen performers, and Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian from the E! Channel’s Keeping up with the Kardashians. The event was a celebration of the recent victories towards marriage equality in Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire and our own local victory as the Miami City commission passed the Domestic Partnership Ordinance for the city of Miami.

As you entered, the Clevelander Hotel’s outside pool area, you couldn’t help but feel the power of both the hot Miami sun and the contagious house music being played by world-renowned DJ, DJ Tracy young.  However, all of those involved and attending the event knew that we were there for a sole purpose, which was to create awareness and celebrate the strides that we are taking towards equality.

One of the most exciting events during the fundraiser was the Khloe Kardashian Look-a-Like contest hosted by our MC for the night, Miss Elaine Lancaster and the lovely Khloe Kardashian herself.  Khloe Kardashian has a hit TV show on the E! Channel and is actually in Miami to support her new store opening Dash and to film her new reality TV show with her sister Kourtney, Khloe and Kourtney Take Miami.

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The Drag queens clearly stole the show as Khloe and our guest judges asked the ladies to “work the stage” and were each asked several questions making the contest not only a look-a-like contest, but a beauty pageant.  The winner of the contest was the talented Miss Poison Ivy, which was awarded a bottle of Pink Champagne and a $1000 prize.  To our surprise, SAVE Dade also received a check from the Clevelander Hotel for $5000 to help support our organization.

I actually got the chance to spend some time with Khloe during and after the show, and besides being such a lovely and down to earth person, you could tell that she was very interested in helping out the LGBT community anyway she could.  She asked me to give her details of the Domestic Partnership Ordinance and SAVE Dade’s work and other issues concerning the LGBT community, which just proved to me her interest in SAVE and helping out our cause.  It was nice to see a person of her celebrity willing to support our community and create awareness on such a special day for us. 

It was amazing to see so much support that day from the staff, volunteers, the Clevelander Hotel and the LGBT community for our fundraiser.  The night was truly a success and was an excellent way to recognize the amazing steps that our nation is taking to provide equal rights for all.  SAVE Dade would like to thank all of those involved in the making our SAVE Dade: Ride the Wave of Pride event truly a success.