This Saturday, April 9, the SF LGBT Center will be hosting its 14th annual Soiree fundraiser, this year with the theme The Imaginarium, and organized by drag queen hostess Juanita More. The event every year raises funds to support the Center's ongoing programs that serve the city's LGBT community, which include everything from free meal nights for queer youth to financial management workshops and support groups.

As the Center's executive director Rebecca Rolfe tells SFist, "When the SF LGBT Center was first built, it reflected the needs of the community at that time. And much has changed for both our community and the city of San Francisco."

Rolfe points to the affordability crisis which, in addition to affecting a broad swath of San Franciscans, is greatly impacting the most vulnerable in the LGBT community, in particular LGBT youth who often arrive in the city homeless. "The work we do is more important today than ever before," Rolfe says. "The demand for our services grows every day. We look to help people find jobs, affordable housing, and provide support to homeless youth."

Also, the Center is undergoing a major renovation this year which will open up 10,000 square feet of new space on its third and fourth floors for use by its non-profit and community partners at below-market-rate rents, and renovated community and meeting spaces on its first and second floors.

The Center has also recently created the Violence Prevention Collaborative, which came in response to the release of SF's first ever LGBTQI Violence Prevention Needs Assessment, which was commissioned in light of some highly publicized attacks against the queer and trans communities. The Collaborative, which comprises five local nonprofits (the Center, Community United Against Violence, El/La Para TransLatinas, API Wellness Community Center, and Larkin Street Youth Services), is a one-year program funded by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. It seeks to build a stronger network of safe spaces and community-based resources for LGBTQI people who have experienced violence, and increase access to one-on-one mental health services for these people.

The Soiree, which as always will raise money to support all these free programs, happens Saturday evening at the Terra Gallery on Harrison Street, following a fundraising dinner. Says Entertainment Director Juanita More, "The Center brought me on to bring some of my event planning magic to this year's Soiree. I love planning parties and this time I get to involve some of my fabulous friends!"

She adds, "I've always been a big supporter of the Center and how important the programs are for the community, especially programs that directly focus on our queer youth and elders. And, I have seen many people take advantage of the services offered. If you have just come out and newly arrived to San Francisco, the Center is a great starting point to get to know our amazing community."

More sees the annual Soiree as a good reminder to the community of the important work happening daily at the Center. And, she promises, "At this year's event, people can look forward to a bit of the ridiculous, fun, chaos and plenty of fierceness! I've put together an awesome team of performers and showoffs that will bring life to the event in a fun, colorful and playful way."

Tickets for the 14th annual Soiree, which kicks off at 8:30 p.m. and will also feature an array of local food and drink, can be found here.