Senior Services at The Center: An Update on The San Diego LGBT Community Center’s Thimot and Rawnsley Fund

Dear Senior Community Members of The San Diego LGBT Community Center,

We deeply value the role our LGBTQ+ seniors play in shaping our community, and we recognize the unique challenges many face—whether it be isolation, the invisibility that comes with aging, or the compounded vulnerabilities of being transgender, living with HIV, being part of a community of color, or experiencing housing insecurity. Our commitment to you remains steadfast: ensuring that the generosity of an extraordinary $18.9 million estate gift of Maurice Thimot and M. Rust Rawnsley strengthens the services and support available to our elders. As a Board comprised of 46% seniors, this is also personal for us. 

More than any other committee, The Center’s Senior Advisory Committee has been actively engaged in this process, meeting with Board members, our CEO, Deputy CEO, COO, and Senior Services Program staff, and The Center has regularly provided updates on the Thimot and Rawnsley Fund. Advisory committees offer guidance and recommendations without having binding decision-making authority, and their insights support The Center’s Board and leadership to improve programs and services in ways that truly reflect the needs of our senior community. Your voices are being heard, and we remain committed to transparency.

We also recognize that trust is vital in community work, and it is truly important to us. That is why we want to let you know that we are currently prioritizing The Center’s financial stability while navigating today’s challenging political and economic landscape. The Center must ensure it remains strong and sustainable for all members of our community, including our seniors.

Starting in Fiscal Year 2022 through Fiscal Year 2032, The Center Board approved an allocation of $350,000 annually from the Thimot and Rawnsley Fund principal to be used toward programs and services benefiting seniors, as part of a sustainable and measured growth plan to serve seniors at The Center. In the next few years, The Center will apply any interest earned from the Thimot and Rawnsley Fund to its General Operations fund. Why General Operations? At The Center, senior services and programming is woven into everything we do, from services for those experiencing homelessness to support for our transgender community through Project TRANS. Over 35% of people who receive services from The Center are seniors. We will continue to integrate and uplift our elders across all areas of The Center’s work.

Over the last three years, The Center has been able to use this extraordinary gift to increase services and social opportunities for seniors, resulting in doubling the number of seniors served. We now have an Adult Housing Program and offer our Congregate Meal Program daily. We brought back the Red Hot Dance and the Ageless Artists Art Show, and introduced new exercise and social programs. Today, we are doing more for seniors than ever, and 50+ and Better Together is the most robust community program at The Center. 

The Center is developing future plans for the remainder of the Thimot and Rawnsley Fund’s principal and anticipates further expanding services for seniors that may include expanding the Main Center building, which would have space dedicated to LGBTQ+ senior community members and related program expansion that additional space will make possible.

We are grateful for the trust you, as well as Maurice and Rust, placed in The Center to steward their extraordinary gift, and we will continue to engage with you in thoughtful discussions about how to best use these funds to support our seniors and our entire community. Your participation and support are vital to our success. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

With respect and appreciation,

Ben Mendoza (they/them/theirs), Co-Chair
The Center’s Board of Directors

Dr. Shaun Randall Travers (he/his/him), Co-Chair
The Center’s Board of Directors