San Diego LGBT Pride Official Souvenir Guide 2014 | Page 29

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

EMPRESS CANDI SAMPLES
Candi Samples was born in May 2009 when
Mario Ortega created her as a contestant in
the Miss Toucan’s Contest in Palm Springs, taking
the first runner-up title. A few months later, the
winner was stripped of her title, and Candi
was prepared to step in. The organizers of the
contest, however, decided that they would not
pass the title on to Candi.
Instead of taking this as a disappointment, Candi
went out on her own and planned her first charity
benefit, raising over $2,500 for an animal shelter.
She entered herself into the Palm Springs Gay
Pride Parade and made appearances in drag
shows and benefits around Palm Springs and
became a member of the “Glamazons” show
until moving to San Diego in 2011.
Upon arriving in town, she organized a benefit
for Being Alive, which led her to be one of the
founders of “Diving Deep for Being Alive” - raising
over $5,000 for the HIV/AIDS service agency.
She was nominated for the Nicky Award for
Outstanding Female Entertainer that year. While
Candi didn’t win the award, that nomination
put her on the map. In 2012, she was again nominated for the same Nicky Award and won. Later that
year, Candi was elected unanimously as the Imperial Court de San Diego’s solo Monarch, raising over
$80,000 in support of the many charities that The Imperial Court supports.
Her work earned her a commendation from then Majority Leader Toni Atkins and a proclamation from
then Interim 5