A backyard in Palm Springs' Andreas Hills neighborhood will transform into a tropical-themed fundraising party on October 24, as the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation hosts Pride in Paradise 2 to benefit two local organizations serving the Coachella Valley's LGBTQ community. The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at the home of Bob Valentine and Steve Bolton, with proceeds split between the LGBTQ Center of the Desert's food bank program and the L-Fund. Billed as a pre-Pride tropical adventure, the gathering arrives just weeks before Greater Palm Springs Pride's 40th anniversary celebration.
According to The Desert Sun, the party will feature a silent auction, raffle drawing, open bar, and hors d'oeuvres alongside a packed entertainment lineup. Headliner Debby Holiday performs as a Billboard Top 10 recording artist, joined by drag performer Billy L'Amore, jazz and cabaret singer Keisha D, the SOS Entertainers dance troupe, and the Desert Studs go-go dancers. DJ Galaxy handles the sound while John Taylor emcees the evening. Holiday has racked up 17 Billboard Top 20 dance hits since her 2004 breakout track Dive and is the daughter of songwriter Jimmy Holiday, who co-wrote Put a Little Love in Your Heart, according to Banderas News.
A Foundation Born From Grief, Now Serving Two Coasts
The Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation has brought people together through live performance for more than 30 years, per the same Desert Sun report, distributing over $5 million to more than 32 nonprofit organizations. REAF was founded by two mothers who had each lost their only sons to AIDS — Barbara Richmond and Peggy Ermet — who launched the Help Is on the Way benefit concert series in San Francisco in 1995, according to BroadwayWorld. The organization officially expanded its fundraising and grant-making operations into Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley in 2022, as noted by Desert Charities News.
REAF has provided HIV services, hunger and food insecurity programs, and support for homeless youth and underserved seniors, along with small emergency grants to individuals facing unexpected crises, the Desert Sun reports. Past beneficiaries have included Project Open Hand, Raphael House, Shanti, and Meals on Wheels. The organization's House Party series, of which Pride in Paradise 2 is a part, provides the kind of flexible funding that sustains expanding social safety net programs across the organizations it supports.
Food Bank Feeds Thousands Each Year
One beneficiary, the Center's Community Food Bank, has provided fresh produce, baked goods, proteins, pantry items, and dairy since 2008, operating every Thursday evening throughout the year to serve residents needing food assistance. Over the last 12 months, the program served more than 26,594 people, per the Desert Sun's reporting. The food bank accepts food donations Monday through Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
That mission is backed by a mix of community initiatives. The Scoop Palm Springs ice cream festival donated $21,000 and over 300 pounds of food specifically for the food bank in 2025, according to Scoop San Diego. Separately, the West Coast Produce Expo donated 3,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables directly to the food bank following its industry convention in May 2025, as reported by The Packer.
L-Fund's Grassroots Roots Now Folded Into The Center
The second beneficiary, the L-Fund, was founded by lesbians for lesbians in 2012 and empowers cisgender, transgender, and queer-identifying lesbians across the Coachella Valley, per the Desert Sun. The fund provides financial assistance during immediate crises along with support for health and wellness, arts, and education through programs including Lesbians In Need, the Health and Wellness Fund, the Debra I. Moore Grant for the Arts, and the L-Fund Education Assistance Program.
The L-Fund began modestly, with five Palm Springs lesbians originally pooling $20 each during social gatherings to help local women in financial distress, according to the Coachella Valley Independent. Earlier in 2026, the L-Fund merged with the LGBTQ Center of the Desert and now operates as a program of the Center, per the Desert Sun. The five founders — Betty Berrysmith, Barbara Carpenter, Ruth Debra, Sharon Siegel, and Kate Ullman — were named 2026 Legacy Award honorees at the Center's annual Center Stage gala, according to Gay Desert Guide.
Timed Ahead Of A Milestone Pride Season
Pride in Paradise 2 lands just ahead of Greater Palm Springs Pride's 40th anniversary, set for November 6 through 8 under the theme Be Included, as reported by KESQ. Palm Springs Pride traces back to 1986, when it began as a small commercial showcase called Sizzle organized by the Desert Business Association before evolving into a formal city-sanctioned parade and festival in 1992, according to Visit Greater Palm Springs. The anniversary weekend will also feature comedian Fortune Feimster and actor Cheyenne Jackson serving as National and Celebrity Grand Marshals for the parade, KESQ reports.
