By John Hayden
If you go out at all in Wilton Manors, especially at Eagle Wilton Manors, you’ve seen Cory David Sanders. You may not know his name, but you’ve seen him. You or someone you know has likely been touched by his work. He’s an active member of the leather community, including a stint as Mr. Eagle, but he’s an even more active member of the South Florida community at-large. The community has taken notice.
The city of Wilton Manors honored Sanders’ work with a proclamation and declared February 1, 2022, as Cory David Sanders Day in the city.
“He gives back and volunteers for a lot of things in Wilton Manors,” Mayor Scott Newton tells OutClique. “One of the great things he does is raise money for the children in our community. He’s a great asset for us here in our city.”
The proclamation reads, in part, “Cory’s passion for supporting a cause and making a difference is guided by a principle instilled by a selfless philanthropist and admitted friend that stated ‘No one can do everything, still everyone can do something. Ask yourself what can I do to make a difference? Then do it from the heart.’”
Sanders has been a member of the leather community since he walked into a leather bar in Indianapolis 30 years ago. He says he immediately felt at home and had started to find a ‘chosen family.’ Before landing in South Florida, he was in Chicago where he became a part of the community and ran for Mr. Chicago. He would have won if not for an overly loquacious answer during the Q&A portion of the pageant. Once he got here, he competed in the Mr. Ramrod Pageant before taking the title of Mr. Eagle.
With or without pageants and titles, Sanders has been giving back to his community for years. First in the fight against HIV/AIDS, which was raging when he joined the community in the early 90s. Now, he works with Mama’s Helping Hands Foundation in Wilton Manors.
“Treat people as you want to be treated,” he tells OutClique. “It’s as simple as that.”
Sanders uses his titles as a platform to increase his impact. He formed a team to support him and his work, and their efforts are tireless. Among his work is to raise money for gift cards so people in need can shop for what they need.
“We were brought up to be kind,” he says.
That kind of attitude carried through with him into adulthood. Sanders doesn’t like to talk about himself. When talking with OutClique, he kept talking about others. His team, Mama’s, Kevin (the new Mr. Eagle), and many others got praise from him. Rarely did he say the words “I” or “me.”
It’s all a reflection of his attitude that it takes a whole community to make a community whole.
“If one person does that and then thirty people do the same thing, wow, think of what we can do with that much. It’s not just money, but also time,” Newton said. Sanders offered a simple yet powerful agreement. “If we’re 100 percent together, we can accomplish anything.”
