Blake began making his mark on the Dallas dance scene after first volunteering for Purple Party Weekend in 2005. Initially, his interest in Purple Foundation was generally to make friends and have fun. After touring AIDS Services of Dallas, the beneficiary for Purple Foundation, it soon became clear that fun was merely a side benefit compared to the importance of saving and improving the lives of people in need. Since then, Blake has been steadfastly committed to doing everything he can to contribute to Purple Foundation's growth and success. What started out as transporting DJs and running errands turned into almost a decade of service to his community. By 2009 he moved his way up to chairman of the board and now he remains executive director overseeing a dozen board members and nearly a hundred volunteers. He helped the organization grow from a regional dance event to one of the largest all-volunteer dance benefits in the country.
Doing all this in a city like Dallas, Texas, was no minor undertaking for Blake and his dedicated team, but each year they manage to break attendance records and donate larger checks to their local beneficiaries. For work, Blake is an interior designer, residential contractor, and works alongside his mom at their family flooring company.
You can even find Blake's mom working the door to all of his events and next year she plans to join the Purple Foundation associate board! If all that wasn't enough to keep Blake busy, he and his boyfriend, Mark, produce a few dance events each year with their events partner Jim DiMarino. You can find out more about Purple Foundation at www.dallaspurpleparty.org and Blake's own events at www.blakemarkevents.com.
