The LGBT+ Center of Orlando will open second location in Kissimmee on August 15

Kissimmee will get its first LGBTQ support center this summer.

The LGBT+ Center of Kissimmee at 21 W. Monument Ave. will hold a grand opening ceremony on August 15 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Staff, volunteers and elected officials are expected to take part in the ribbon cutting ceremony. Complementary drinks will be provided, as well as food from Tako Cheena.

George Wallace, executive director of the LGBT+ Center of Orlando, told Orlando Weekly that he wanted to build a place that's welcoming and friendly, whether guests are looking to seek resources, health screenings or use a computer lab. He said that as many as 30 percent people coming to the Center in Orlando for free HIV and hepatitis C screenings are from Kissimmee, which shows there's a clear demand for a more local center.

The 40-year-old Center's new location will be sustained by the organization's $75,000 fundraising goal, which Wallace said will go towards opening and staffing in Kissimmee.

The Center also won a $25,000 grant in May from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a Los Angeles-based global nonprofit, and a $26,148 grant in April from the Contigo Fund, an initiative of the Our Fund Foundation following the Pulse massacre in June 2016.

Last month, Terry DeCarlo resigned as communications director for the Center.