She\u2019s an emcee, a comedian and a philanthropist who has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity — and she does it all in drag! <\/p>\n
Local Drag Queen Karrissa Wade<\/a> (she\/her) has spent three decades in Jacksonville combating stigma through love and kindness while raising money for children\u2019s cancer research, autism awareness and HIV patients<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring COVID, when people were out of work, we raised money doing private shows to help people pay their bills,\u201d Wade said. \u201cI went to the food banks at Lutheran Social Services and loaded up my car four or five times a day to go around taking food to people, and we also did it for our pets.\u201d<\/p>\n Wade said she works with FUR Sisters to collect dog and cat food.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is my 30th year in Jax doing these kinds of things,\u201d Wade said, joking that, of course, she started when she was only 2 years old.<\/p>\n Wade said even the smallest kindness can mean the world to someone without you ever knowing it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have people that come in from all over the place and say, \u2018Do you remember when you said this or that to me? It changed my life. I was going through severe depression. \u2026 You literally pulled me back off the edge,\u2019\u201d Wade said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we have to remember is it\u2019s just a smile or hug or just acknowledgement of someone\u2019s life that can make all the difference in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Meet The Queen Of Community, Karrissa Wade<\/p>\n Wade said that\u2019s exactly what happened for her.<\/p>\n \u201cThe LGBTQ community literally saved my life. I was in a spiral,\u201d Wade said. \u201cThe love and community I got from Jacksonville really brought me back to a place where I can help other people.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Wade said, it\u2019s important to her to give back to the entire Jacksonville community.<\/p>\n \u201cThis community is so vibrant and so loving. Not just the LGBTQIA, but the plus as well, because everyone is part of that plus,\u201d Wade said. \u201cEveryone has a hope and a dream, and hopefully, we will be able to start doing more for those people and show we are really just one community and one love.\u201d <\/p>\n You can follow Wade on Instagram (@fl_queenofcomedy_<\/a>) or Facebook (www.facebook.com\/karrissa.wade\/<\/a>) to find out where her next performance will be.<\/p>\n