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A $30,000 USD matching gift from longtime supporter Rob Devore has helped move forward the Vallarta Gay+ Community Center’s expansion into the former Anthropology nightclub space, providing a major boost to a renovation project that will nearly double the organization’s footprint.
The expansion, announced earlier this year, will allow the center to meet growing demand for its services by adding offices, meeting rooms, a dedicated counseling room, a conference room, a small kitchen, an additional restroom and expanded community gathering areas.
Devore pledged to match every dollar donated toward the renovation, up to $30,000 USD, inspiring additional contributions from community supporters and helping raise the funds needed to continue construction.
“The project gained remarkable momentum when longtime supporter Rob Devore offered a $30,000 USD matching gift,” Board President Matt Karimi said in a message to supporters. “His extraordinary commitment encouraged others to step forward and helped make this expansion possible.”
Karimi said the larger facility will enable the nonprofit to expand HIV prevention services, mental health counseling, support groups, educational workshops and other programs as demand continues to grow.
“As more people turn to the Community Center for HIV prevention services, mental health counseling, support groups, educational workshops and a place where they feel safe and accepted, our programs must grow with them,” Karimi said.
The expansion will occupy the former Anthropology nightclub space adjacent to the Community Center in Puerto Vallarta’s Zona Romántica. Once completed, the additional space will nearly double the center’s size and increase its capacity to serve the city’s LGBTQ+ community.
Karimi also recognized the donors whose contributions, combined with Devore’s matching gift, helped advance the renovation.
Supporters include Thomas Gehlbach and Warren Stauffer, William Vastardis, Sal Caruso, Marsha and Jim Meadows, Jonathan Nichols-Shaw, Michael Crews, David de Lusignan, Michael Ray Owens, Robert Stewart, Deborah Cole, Randy Lee and Gabriel Romero, Carl and Brentton Lowery, Matthew Wayne Miller, Gary Olsen and Michie Akin, Donald Pickens, and Lloyd Shear and Frank Uy.
“If you know any of these generous friends, please join me in thanking them,” Karimi said. “Their support is helping create a Community Center that can serve more people and strengthen our community for many years to come.”
The Vallarta Gay+ Community Center opened in 2024 and has become a hub for LGBTQ+ health, education and community services in Puerto Vallarta. The expansion comes as the organization reports increasing demand for its programs, with the additional space expected to create more opportunities for counseling, support groups, educational workshops and community events.
Construction is expected to continue over the coming months, with the center planning to share renovation updates as work progresses.
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