On the 18th of january was for the first time the benefit event SPARKLE with the presenting of the annual Belgian Cavaria Awards. These awards will be given to the allies of the LGBT community and who show the community in a positive way. It started at 7pm in Gent, but unfortunately yours truly could not be there sooner than 9pm. Fashionably late like always LOL…
This event was also a benefit for the holebifoon 
(A phone-line for help for all in the LGBT community), where all your questions can be answered for victims of violence and gay-bashing. They can help you by listening, giving advice or transferring you the right people like the police.. A good initiative and off course Pink In Our Lives support this and I had to be here.
I had no idea what to expect or what kind of people would be there. This was no glamour 
event like many award ceremonies. It was pretty basic and you could tell also by how the attendees were dressed. (I felt a bit overdressed, but at least we stood out in the crowd LOL) The event wanted to show the collaboration between gays, lesbians and transgenders and they succeeded. People were all having fun, talking, dancing together and supporting this great cause. They had a lot of volunteers who helped making this event go smoothly. Kudos to them all.
The openly out presenters Sven Pichal and Nathalie Delporte presented the whole evening and interviewed the winners on stage.Amnesty International Flanders won the Çavaria Campaign Award for the Write-them-Down-day, where ten thousand children were asked at school to write a letter to bring attention against homophobia and anti-gay violence. Production House deMENSEN won the Çavaria Media Award for the program ‘Het Perfecte Koppel’ presented by Marcel Vanthilt. There got broadcast the marriage proposal by lesbian couple Saar en Barbara. The Lifetime Achievement Award has been given to Patrick Reyntiens. He lives for 29 years with HIV and tried by telling about it many years at any chance he got on radio, television and schools for people to open up about this damn disease. He gave people with HIV a face. He works for Sensoa, the Flemish expertise center for sexual Health. Sorry it is in Dutch, but a well-earned Award for Patrick Reyntiens:
Sparkles had next to the award show a few performances on stage like Jaouad 
( contestant of the Voice of Flanders 2013), 
Jimmy and Koen of Belgian boy band Get Ready and Eurovision contestant from Austria Conchita Wurst
.
After that DJ’s like Kelly Pfaff and Dimitri D’Anvers 
put the place upside down and kept the crowd dancing till dawn. A great first try and initiative, so looking forward to another one next year!!! We wish all the winners congratulations and to the organization keep up the good work. It is great to see all the support and it can only get a better world, if we start to support each other in our own community first! By bringing a group from all the LGBT community together is a first start to…..;o)
Have a Pink day and SPARKLE up your life!!! Follow us at facebook and twitter.
Big kiss,
Lesley
P.s.: Thanx to all the sponsors and support from among others Zizo Magazine, Sphinx , Holidaypride, The Vlaamse Opera and for some pictures made by Tjappintoe.