O’Donnell, who started the social and philanthropic group with her partner Peggy Garvin in 2007, said she feels she’s accomplished their mission to build inclusion in and around The Villages.
“Peggy and I had a vision early on that this could be a retirement community for LGBTQ+ people,” O’Donnell said. “We deserve just as much in our retirement as anyone else. To be able to build this community has truly been a joy.”
The club marked Pride Month, observed in June, with its Pride Day Event on June 2 at Belle Glade Country Club.
First celebrated in June 1970, Pride Month commemorates the contributions of members of the LGBTQ+ and coincides with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a series of liberation protests.
Vicky Mederos-Streetz, of the Village of Marsh Bend, handed out goodie bags full of rainbow beads and other Pride-themed memorabilia. Mederos-Streetz said the group wouldn’t be what it was today without the dedication of its founders.
“Wendy and Peggy were the inspiration,” she said. “They gave us the courage to be here in The Villages as we are. They planted a wonderful garden and it became flowers.”
During the event, club members clad in rainbow outfits socialized and danced for hours to live entertainment by Suzie Casta.
Having spent 10 of her 17 years entertaining in The Villages DJing for The Rainbow Friends and Family of The Villages, Casta knew how to get its members moving by playing “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga and singing “We are Family” by Sister Sledge.
“Music is for everyone,” Casta said. “This is one of the most fun groups to play for because they love to dance, sing and have a great time.”
Ralph Fera-McIlwain, of the Village of Pine Ridge, said it’s important to build a community that provides a safe and healthy support system for you.
“You need people in your life who accept you,” Fera-McIlwain said. “That’s what’s important when you age. When you are social, you live longer.”
Along with its social calendar, the organization raises money for to help those in need. The group has raised more than $240,000 since 2008 for various charities through its community service initiative, the Power of Love campaign.
For more than 15 years, members have helped provide for community needs through charitable projects and donations, from a $300 donation to the Christian Food Pantry in 2008 to a $1,500 donation to the Forward Paths Foundation in 2026.
“We plan to continue our community support,” O’Donnell said. “That is really important to this group, to help people that are in need.”
Lourdes Barhorst, of the Village of Monarch Grove, is proud of the organization she’s been a part of for the past 13 years.
Barhorst, who helps organize events for the group, said every Tuesday, Rainbow Friends and Family of The Villages hosts an event that is open to members, “just to bring the community together.”
“It’s a very open and safe community for us,” she said. “This is a place that people can come out and be themselves.”
In April, members came dressed in cowboy hats and boots for a Country Night event. Kathy Kerns, who goes by the stage name of Kitty Kerns, provided entertainment for the event. Kerns, along with Casta, are the two main entertainers for the group.
“I like to get on the dance floor with them and sing songs that they know or are familiar,” said Kerns, of the Village of Silver Lake. “With the Rainbow Club, particularly, there seems to be a line dance to every song I sing. It’s really nice to engage with them and get them to sing along because they know the words to almost everything. I’ll learn a new song if I know that it’s something they’re going to get up and dance to.”
Kerns has been singing for Rainbow Friends and Family for nearly two years.
“The biggest thing I try to do is to keep the party going,” she said. “With the Country Night, because it was themed, I did predominantly country music, but I found music that was in different tempos so that I can keep the party going. I don’t like dead air. They put me on a few of the theme nights because they know I’ll dress up and play the songs that are needed. I did that for disco and the rock night, too.”
To help raise money for future efforts, the group is hosting La Cage Cabaret from 6:30 to 8 p.m. June 29 at La Hacienda Recreation. Tickets for the event range from $32 to $26.
For more information about The Rainbow Friends and Family of The Villages and its events, visit rainbowfamilyvillagesfl.com.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
