Merced LGBT center celebrates its reopening with October event

The Merced LGBTQ Alliance is preparing to officially reopen the doors to the community center that closed earlier this summer.

A rainbow ribbon-cutting ceremony and fundraiser event is scheduled for Oct. 3 from 4 to 8 p.m. at its 1744 G St. location.

The Merced LGBT Community Center was forced to temporarily shut down after several of its leaders moved out of the area. It operated for less than a year.

Gay Central Valley, the center’s Fresno-based parent group, reached out to the Merced community in search of a team to run the center.

A newly formed group of local community members, the Merced LGBTQ Alliance, stepped up to take over the center. It held a “soft-opening” in early September and a search for volunteers began.

Tony Moreno, co-vice president of the Merced LGBTQ Alliance, said that since the soft-opening, board members and volunteers have been working with the community to get a better sense of what is needed and wanted from the center.

Through community forums, for example, the alliance has heard suggestions about support groups and social events that residents would like to see take place at the center. One idea has been “Trans-Day” on Saturday, in which support group meetings for the transgender community would be made available, Moreno said.

His own use of the center’s resources prior to the closure is what inspired Moreno to become involved in maintaining the center.

“We’ve received a lot of support from various organizations and businesses,” Moreno said. “Everyone’s been really receptive, and we’ve also noticed an increase in visitation to the center from the community.

“People are showing up and that’s what we want,” he said.

The goal, board members have said, is to create a transparent and sustainable program, one that can keep running even if some leaders move away. One way of doing this is to involve youth leaders who have the desire to develop and grow the center’s presence.

“As we put on more events, we plan on seeing a growth in community engagement,” Moreno said.

The center is also home to We’Ced Media, a local youth journalism program.

Live music and a silent auction will be part of the Oct. 3 reopening event. For more information on the center and its latest updates, visit www.mercedlgbtcenter.org.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Merced LGBT center celebrates its reopening with October event."