SunServe’s fifth annual gala will transport guests to 1950s Havana this weekend, with Tropicana-inspired glamour, singers, dancers, and a sold-out crowd of 400. But behind the spectacle is a more urgent reality: after losing roughly $350,000 in support, the LGBTQ nonprofit is counting on one of its biggest nights of the year to help close the gap.

This year’s SHINE Gala, themed “A Night at the Tropicana,” marks a milestone for the organization — and a turning point. 

“It’s a little anniversary,” said CEO Tony Lima. “Every year we try to take people to a different moment in time, to a famed location.”  

Past galas have drawn inspiration from the Cotton Club and Studio 54. This year leans into 1950s Havana, complete with a full-scale Tropicana-style revue. 

The event has been sold out since January. 

But while the party is polished, the financial backdrop is anything but. 

Over the past year, SunServe has lost approximately $350,000 in funding, tied largely to a pullback in corporate support and broader shifts around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. 

“We’ve had to get creative,” Lima said. 

That shift has forced SunServe to rethink its long-term strategy — turning more toward community-driven fundraising, independent foundations, and events like the gala. 

In previous years, the gala served primarily as a vehicle to support their Florida AIDS Walk fundraising goals. But SunServe has already met its threshold ahead of the event that took place last weekend. What’s new this year is that the gala proceeds will be bolstered by a dollar-for-dollar match from the Salah Foundation. 

That foundation is a private grantmaking organization that selectively supports nonprofits focused on strengthening communities and promoting self-sufficiency. They especially focus on  vulnerable populations like youth, seniors, and the economically disadvantaged. 

For gala co-chair Chris Caputo, the numbers tell the story. 

“Year after year, this gala has delivered, raising between $200,000 and $240,000 annually,” he said. “These are funds that simply would not have existed otherwise.” 

With this year’s event, the gala is expected to surpass $1 million raised over five years. 

“That’s an extraordinary legacy — and a testament to what’s possible when leadership and community align,” Caputo said. 

For fellow co-chair Terry Behal, the impact is even more personal. 

“We need to depend on events like this more than ever, because we can’t count on the funding we’ve gotten in the past,” she said. 

Behal recalled a case that really touched her involving a senior facing homelessness after losing housing — with no money for food and no place to go with his dog. After being connected to SunServe, the individual received housing support, groceries, transportation, and access to care. 

“I’ve seen people give just a little, and it changes someone’s life,” Behal said. “Strong communities take care of each other.” 

That sense of community is at the core of SunServe’s mission, which spans mental health services, housing support, youth and family programs, and senior care. The organization reaches roughly 4,000 people each year. 

This year’s gala will also honor the legacy of founder Dr. James Lopresti, who recently died and who helped establish SunServe 25 years ago with a commitment to providing care regardless of a person’s ability to pay. The organization will rename its downtown campus in his honor. 

And on Saturday night, amid the music, cocktails, and vintage Havana glamour, that mission will be front and center — not just as something to celebrate, but something to sustain.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.