Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber Of Commerce to Honor Community Leaders at 9th Annual Gala Awards Celebration
Morgans Hotel Group, Steve Rothaus, Safe Schools South Florida and George Neary to be Honored
Saturday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m.
Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel
1601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

Tickets are $1,500 for VIP tables of 10 (valet parking included)
$95 for open seating (valet parking not included).
Tickets are available by calling (305) 673-4440
emailing mdglcc@bellsouth.net
or online at: www.gogaymiami.com.

Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber Of Commerce (MDGLCCTM) will honor corporate and individual leaders of the Miami-Dade LGBT community at its 9th Annual “Blue” Gala Awards Celebration, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 26, at the Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel, 1601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. The honorees were selected for their long-term commitment to fostering diversity, as well as for their efforts in contributing to the overall well being and quality of life in South Florida.

“As the voice of the LGBT business community, the Chamber is especially proud to have such an exemplary group to recognize this year,” said Steve Adkins, MDGLCC president. “We’re anticipating one of the largest turnouts in our nine-year history, and we envision this year’s gala to be particularly significant in view of the Chamber’s achievements in growth and influence, especially in light of the new LGBT Visitor Center we recently opened in Miami Beach.”

The 2010 Honorees:
Morgans Hotel Group: AT&T Business of the Year Award
This award is presented annually to organizations whose mission statements adhere to the highest standards in their outreach to the LGBT and allied community.
Morgans Hotel Group revolutionized the hospitality industry with the introduction of the “Boutique Hotel” concept, characterized by personalized service and home-away-from-home ambiance in a setting of timeless elegance. The Morgans Hotel Group and the Shore Club have hosted numerous fundraising events for various LGBT organizations and have worked tirelessly to support diversity and equality in the hospitality industry.
Tim Nardi, general manager for the Morgans Hotel Group and the Shore Club, will accept the award.

Steve Rothaus (The Miami Herald): Wachovia Bank (A Wells Fargo Company) Business Person of the Year Award.
This award is given annually to individuals who embrace diversity in all forms and demonstrate excellent management and leadership skills.
Reporter Steve Rothaus covers gay and lesbian issues for The Miami Herald. His daily blog, Steve Rothaus’ Gay South Florida, is one of The Herald’s most popular, read by thousands of readers each week. He is the only reporter employed by a major U.S. newspaper to exclusively cover the LGBT community. Steve helped form a South Florida chapter of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association and served on its National Board. He founded the association’s Newsroom Outreach Project traveling the country visiting newspapers, television stations and college campuses to discuss gay news coverage and workplace issues.
Steve Rothaus will accept the award.

Safe Schools South Florida (SSSF): Hilton Miami Non-Profit Organization of the Year Award
This award is given annually to those organizations which embody to the highest standards its mission statement via outreach to the LGBT and allied communities.
Safe Schools South Florida is the only organization in South Florida comprised of professional educators committed to training education professionals to recognize and intervene in harassment and bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) students and the children of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) parents. Robert Loupo is the co-founder and executive director of SSSF and has been an unflagging advocate for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and educators.
Robert Loupo will accept the award.

George Neary: Grey Goose (A Bacardi Brand) “Blue” Diamond Award
This award is given periodically and only to those individuals who embrace diversity in all forms and have dedicated themselves to the betterment of the community through their actions superior leadership skills.
When Neary was the executive director of the Miami Design Preservation League of Miami Beach, he helped establish Miami Beach as a Gay and Lesbian destination and continues to do so today as the associate vice president of cultural tourism with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. In this capacity, he travels the world to more than 20 trade shows a year promoting Miami and Miami Beach as the premier Gay & Lesbian destination.
George Neary will accept the award.

For the past several years, MDGLCC has selected a different color of the rainbow flag for its Gala theme and the theme for this year’s event is “Blue,” which represents knowledge, power, integrity and professionalism, all the qualities that this year’s honorees possess. Gala attendees are encouraged to wear “a touch of blue.”

The 9th Annual Gala Awards Celebration will feature a cocktail reception and silent auction beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 8 p.m., the awards ceremony at 9 p.m., and then a DJ and dancing.
Presenting sponsors of the “Blue” Gala include American Airlines, AT&T, Grey Goose (A Bacardi Brand), Hilton Miami Downtown, The Miami Herald and Wachovia Bank (A Wells Fargo Company). Royal Blue sponsors include GMCVB, FVR Group and Tiffany and Co. Official public relations partner for the MDGLCC is The Treister Murry Agency.

This annual event is MDLCC’s principal fundraising effort and moneys raised help sustain operations and the ever increasing demand to expand programming.

MDGLCC is the largest not-for-profit corporation in the county for gay and lesbian 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 our community to other organizations.