Press Release: For immediate release
Press Contact:
Marilyn Fernando (she/her)
San Mateo County Pride Center Phone: 650-465-6789 Email: marilyn.fernando@sanmateopride.org
The San Mateo County Pride Center Reopens its Doors after Three Years
San Mateo, CA – March 14, 2023 – The San Mateo County Pride Center, the first of its kind in San Mateo County, is reopening its doors after closing in 2020 following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In celebration of its reopening, the Pride Center is hosting a Grand Reopening Party on Friday, March 24 from 5:30 PM -7:30 PM at 1021 S. El Camino Real in San Mateo.
This free event is open to all community members and will feature guest speakers, light bites and a live DJ. The celebration will give attendees the opportunity to meet Pride Center staff in person, make new friends, reconnect, dance, celebrate, and learn about the Pride Center and different opportunities to get involved.
The center’s Grand Reopening Party marks a significant milestone in the program’s tiered plan to resume in-person services and community space. Over the past three years, the San Mateo County Pride Center has been providing all clinical services, community events and peer support groups virtually.
“I’m incredibly proud of how we’ve virtually provided our programs and services for our clients and community, many more than doubling our reach,” says, Francisco “Frankie” Sapp (he/him), San Mateo County Pride Center Director. “In addition, we also know and appreciate the power of gathering with community. This will be a time for us to join together, celebrate our resilience, and rejoice in how beautiful we are.”
While the center’s physical doors were closed, they made improvements to the layout and equipment to ensure that the center is more accessible and to better care for the community’s health and wellbeing given current times. In addition to the center’s physical changes, the staff participated in extensive professional development trainings to ensure that they can best serve their community members.
The days and hours that the Pride Center will be open will be shared closer to the date of the reopening party. They will continue to offer services virtually to meet the accessibility needs of their clients.
The San Mateo County Pride Center is located at 1021 S. El Camino Real in San Mateo. For accessibility information about the event and the Pride Center, visit www.sanmateopride.org/events.
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Interviews and images available by request.
The San Mateo County Pride Center is operating as a program of StarVista and works in partnership with Peninsula Family Service and Outlet of Adolescent Counseling Services in collaboration with San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.
The program provides a broad range of services with three main components: 1) Clinical – individual and family counseling, peer support groups, and case management; 2) Community – event and social space, education, training, and advocacy; 3) Resource – computer lab, library, referrals, and web-based media center. Upcoming events at the San Mateo County Pride Center can be found online at: www.sanmateopride.org.