Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 10/17/26 – With desert mountains framing the sunset and guests gathering at the Palm Springs Air Museum, the Center Stage Gala brought the community together Friday, October 16, to celebrate and support The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.
The Hollywood Times proudly served as a media partner. Photographer Read Brown attended on our behalf, joined by Palm Springs restaurateur Liz Ostoich, capturing an evening of friendship, entertainment and generosity.
While my Women’s Week coverage in Provincetown kept me on the opposite coast, Read’s photographs brought a welcome glimpse of the celebration back home. As much as I wished I could attend, being in two places at once remains a talent I have yet to master!
Guests gathered outside against a backdrop of aircraft and mountains before moving into a room transformed by chandeliers, colorful lighting and elegant table settings. Read’s photographs capture smiling arrivals, friends gathering around dinner tables, stage presentations and raised bidding paddles.
The evening’s central honor recognized the founders of The L-Fund. The Center’s Legacy Award celebrated Betty Berrysmith, Barbara Carpenter, Ruth Debra, Sharon Siegel, Kate Ullman and the late Bobreta Franklin for their contributions to supporting lesbians and strengthening community connections.
Their legacy began with a simple act: friends pooling small donations to help other lesbians facing financial hardship. Founded in 2012, The L-Fund expanded its assistance to encompass emergency needs, health and wellness, education and the arts. In 2026, it merged with The Center to continue its work as The L-Fund at The Center.
Honoring those beginnings gave the gala’s fundraising a personal meaning. Behind the evening’s appeals were practical needs, a medical bill, a housing emergency, tuition or an opportunity to bring an artistic project to life.
The gala’s announced program included singer Marisa Corvo and an auction benefiting The Center. Its services across the valley include the Scott Hines Behavioral Health Clinic, the Community Food Bank and programming in Palm Springs and Coachella, helping people find resources, support and connection.
Among the guests, Ostoich stood out in a vibrant pink dress. Readers may remember our recent feature exploring her transition from land use attorney to restaurateur and the creativity she and her husband, Mark, bring to FARM, Tac/Quila, Clandestino and Front Porch. That story also highlighted her commitment to hospitality and giving back to the Palm Springs community.
That combination of celebration and involvement is what makes gatherings like Center Stage meaningful. The beautiful setting provides an occasion to dress up and reconnect, while the fundraising supports work that continues long after the tables are cleared.
The Hollywood Times was proud to support the evening as a media partner, and grateful to Read Brown for representing us through her photography.
Beneath the chandeliers and colorful lights, the evening’s most compelling subject was the community itself, and the people committed to caring for it.
By Valerie Milano
Photography by Read Brown
