Kicking fakeness to the curb

For a third year, Denver drag queen Sushi Loren will host Kickin’ for a Cause, a kickball tournament benefiting the Howard Dental Center. Months of planning and securing sponsors and participants will culminate Aug. 28 at City Park. This year, Loren — also known as Richard Chan — is hoping to raise $9,000 with 220 participants.

How did you decide to start a kick ball tournament?
It’s pretty lame. As kickball started becoming more popular I thought “why not turn it into a fundraiser?” I just had this idea: here’s a fun sport everyone loves to play and everyone knows how to play from childhood. You pretty much kick a ball and run bases. Why not turn it into a fundraising event?

Why Howard Dental?
I tried donating to Susan G. Komen. Apparently, they’re too big for such a small donation. I asked around and I heard about Howard Dental. It just took off from there.

What does Howard Dental do?
Their mission is to provide comprehensive oral health care to people living with HIV/AIDS – men, women and children who live below the poverty level.

Why do you think its important for us as a community to give back?
Gays can be very superficial individuals. I feel like the things that “matter” are fake. I felt it was time to highlight something we can all feel good contributing to, to pull away from the fakeness we all have inside of us, to focus on doing something good for someone else. Donating to a great cause and meeting new people are, to me, two of the most fantastic things you can do. We’re all there for one cause. We’re not there to find out who’s better or who looks prettier.

What’s the day of the event like for you?
Chaotic. I’m up at 6 a.m. and go until 8 p.m. Registration happens between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. The games go all the way to 5:30 p.m. and then we’re having an after-party at X Bar. But by the end of the day, everyone is pretty drunk and has a good time.

How many participants did you have last year?
I’m really proud about this. The first year we did this we had 80 participants and raised $1,200. Last year, we had 180
participants and raised $6,000.

What do you hope participants gain from this event? What’s in it for them?
A sense of good.

How does the fundraising work?
You sign up. Build a team. Pick a name and a color. Then you come out and play.

There’s no bugging your friends for donations?
Nope. One flat rate to play. You just show up.

How many do you need on a team?
10 minimum. 15 max.

If you don’t have a full team?
I encourage people to contact me if they don’t have a team. I’ll place them on a team. You will meet some of the most amazing people just coming out. Everyone is just being themselves. Kick ball requires no athletic ability. You pretty much just kick a ball and run for Jesus.