3rd Annual Metro Tampa Bay Gala

“Gala Rouge”
Historic Train Station, St. Petersburg
Saturday, November 7

Metro Wellness and Community Center has served the LGBT community in Tampa Bay for over 20 years, and recently they have celebrated many milestones, such as the opening of a permanent LGBT Welcome Center on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. All of the great things that Metro does can only happen with your support, and with that in mind, Metro employees and volunteers invite you to be a part of their annual fundraising gala.

This year the theme is “Gala Rouge,” in the style of Moulin Rouge, and organizers say it’s going to be “a true voyeur’s delight”! It will be held in an all new venue, the Historic Train Station, located at 420 22nd Street South in the Warehouse Arts District of St. Petersburg. The event will be held on Saturday, November 7, with a sponsor’s reception starting things off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the main event at 7 p.m.

“I hope you can join me and celebrate all that Metro has accomplished in the past year while supporting the many programs we provide each and every day,” Metro Wellness and Community Centers CEO Lorraine Langlois said when announcing details on the gala.

This gala will feature live entertainment by the popular group Femmes & Follies, who perform on a regular basis in Ybor City and already have quite a few fans in the Tampa Bay area. There will also be an open bar, food stations, a silent auction as well as a live auction, special guests who will get the crowd on its feet in thunderous ovation, and special honorees that Metro would like to recognize for their service to the community.

Founded in 1993, Metro Wellness and Community Centers is accomplishing more for the Tampa Bay LGBT community now than any other time during its existence. Through support from the community at events such as Gala Rouge, Metro’s locations in Tampa, St. Petersburg and New Port Richey can continue to prosper. In addition to opening up the new LGBT Welcome Center in St. Petersburg earlier this year, older adult programs and support services have been expanded, reaching a key segment of the community that is sometimes overlooked.

Metro also provides HIV services such as prevention, education, testing, medical care, nPEP and PrEP, and more. At the LGBT Welcome Center, they provide programs and services to the community such as counseling, support groups, tourism information, and a mini-coffeehouse where book clubs meet. Metro also offers psychiatric medicine management and services, primary care services, STD testing and treatment, youth services, transgender health, hormone replacement therapy, and more. Metro also operates a thrift shop/gift shop on Central Avenue, adjacent to the LGBT Welcome Center. Proceeds will specifically benefit Metro’s LGBT centers and programs as well as Metro’s new health centers.

Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased online at metrotampabay.org or by telephone at (727) 321-3854. There are also sponsorship opportunities available for people and corporations, starting at $500 and continuing on to $20,000. $500 sponsors will get two tickets to the gala, a link to your company’s website from Metro’s website, your logo displayed at the event, and sponsor recognition on Metro’s website for one year. For more information, e-mail James Keane at jamesk@metrotampabay.org.

Hotspots Media Group is proud to be a sponsor of Metro Wellness and Community Center’s Gala Rouge. Other sponsors include Mail-Meds Pharmacy, Regions Bank, Raymond James Financial, Smith & Associates Real Estate, RKC.me, CORT, The UPS Store Downtown St. Petersburg, BMR, and Quench Lounge. For more information on Gala Rouge, visit metrotampabay.org.