Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/16/26 – The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert welcomed more than 400 supporters to its annual Ocotillo Club gathering, held at the beautiful Hidden Estates home once associated with Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.
Board Chair Don Zuidema welcomed the evening’s 426 registered guests, the largest turnout in the event’s history. By comparison, the first Ocotillo Club gathering in 2014 attracted just 29 attendees, demonstrating the extraordinary growth of both the club and the community supporting the Center’s work.
Zuidema thanked the Ocotillo Club’s sustaining donors, whose annual contributions help make the Center’s many programs and services possible. He also recognized the Center’s board of directors, dedicated staff members and volunteers, along with Palm Springs City Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein and newly appointed Palm Springs Police Chief Kyle Stjerne.
Special appreciation was extended to Ron Willison of Natural Retreats for helping secure the spectacular location and to the gracious homeowners for opening their home to the Center for a second year.
A heartfelt thank-you also went to Willie Rhine, Albert Gonzalez and the entire team at Eight4Nine Restaurant & Lounge for helping make the evening so welcoming and festive. Guests enjoyed delicious, passed appetizers and a beautifully presented hosted bar throughout the gathering. Tito’s Handmade Vodka was also recognized for its continued generosity and support of the Center and the local LGBTQ+ community.
Guests also appreciated the complimentary valet parking, with gratuities graciously declined, allowing everyone to arrive, relax and enjoy the evening from the moment they stepped onto the property.
Center CEO Mike Thompson, making his first major outing following knee-replacement surgery, spoke warmly, and humorously, about his recovery before sharing the extraordinary impact made possible by the Center’s donors.
During the past fiscal year, community members accessed the Center’s programs, services and resources 106,116 times, representing a 24 percent increase over the previous year’s approximately 85,000 visits. Demand continues to grow, with participation already up 31 percent during the first two months of the new fiscal year, typically the Center’s slowest period.
Thompson also discussed the dramatic growth of the Center’s Community Food Bank. Two years ago, it served approximately 175 households each week. Today, that number has increased to more than 600 households weekly, with additional demand anticipated as changes to federal SNAP benefits take effect.
The Center continues to expand its reach across the Coachella Valley through its behavioral health clinic, Community Food Bank, The L-Fund at the Center and programs offered through the Center Coachella. Much of that work reaches surrounding eastern valley communities where access to transportation, food and healthcare can be especially challenging.
Whether supporting an LGBTQ+ middle school student seeking connection, Spanish-speaking parents learning how to support their newly out child, a transgender young person navigating an increasingly difficult political climate, a family experiencing food insecurity or a senior grieving the loss of a longtime spouse, the Center strives to make certain that no one has to face life’s challenges alone.
“Our job is not only to create the doors, but to hold them wide open,” Thompson told the crowd.
On a personal note, it was wonderful to see so many old friends and to meet so many new ones. The gathering was more than a lovely evening in a historic Palm Springs setting, it was a celebration of friendship, generosity, belonging and the strength that comes from standing together.
Through the continuing commitment of its Ocotillo Club members and community partners, the Center can ensure that LGBTQ+ people throughout the Coachella Valley always have a welcoming door, vital resources and a caring community ready to embrace them.
By Valerie Milano, The Hollywood Times (Photos: THT)
