(Photo from The Center Orlando’s Instagram page)
ORLANDO | The LGBT+ Center Orlando announced the recipients of it 11th annual Diversity Awards in a press release Feb. 17.
“This year marks the 11th anniversary of The Center giving awards to our community and we’re always excited to honor local champions, trailblazers and impact makers, especially in a time that feels like our rights are being challenged every day”, said Dr. George Wallace, The Center Orlando’s CEO.
Receiving The Center Orlando’s Champion of Equality award will be Nancy Alvarez, an award-winning journalist in Central Florida for more than 20 years. Alvarez, who stepped away from the news business last year to work in the nonprofit arena, returned to journalism at the start of this year as a news anchor for WESH 2.
The Center Orlando will give out two Trailblazer awards: One to Rebecca Desir, founder and executive director of Black Health Commission, a nonprofit that creates opportunities to learn about health inequities and designs spaces to have open and honest conversations about issues that directly impact the Black community; and the other will be given to Jen Cousins, co-founder of Florida Freedom to Read Project, a group that combats book banning in the state.
Other awards being presented include the LGBT+ Ally award, which will be presented to Orlando Counseling and Therapy Group’s Adam Miller; the Emerging Leader award, which will be awarded to Neil Rios Laverde, the philanthropic relationship manager for Central Florida Foundation; and the LGBT+ Center Lifetime Achievement award, which will go to past executive director of The Center Orlando and former owner and president of GayDayS, Chris Alexander-Manley.
On the business side, Turner Construction will be given the Corporate Partner award, Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sanwicheria will receive the Small Business Partner award and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation will be awarded the Non-Profit Partner award.
The award recipients will be recognized during The Center Orlando’s Diversity Awards luncheon in the Oscar Wilde Ballroom at the Sheraton North in Maitland on July 28 starting at 12:30 p.m. The event will be a plated lunch with a cash bar available.
During the event, The Center Orlando will also present this year’s recipients of the Singhaus Scholarship for the Performing Arts and The Center’s own scholarship. The scholarships will be awarded to three Central Florida students from Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties.
Tickets to the 11th annual Diversity Awards luncheon are $75 each and are available to purchase from The Center Orlando’s Eventbrite page.
