LGBTQ SAVES Founder and Executive Director Sharon Herrera
CAROLINE SAVOIE | Staff Writer
CaroSavo@StoryDustSearch.com
LGBTQ SAVES hosts its Totally Rad Quinceañera in Fort Worth on Sept. 27, from 7-10 p.m. in Fort Worth, marking the organization’s 15th year of lifesaving service with this ’80s-themed celebration.
With neon colors, live entertainment, dancing and throwback music, the Quinceañera will honor both tradition and transformation: just as a quinceañera marks a milestone of growth, this event symbolizes LGBTQ SAVES’ journey from grassroots beginnings into a vital lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth and families, founder Sharon Herrera said.
……………………………
LGBTQ SAVES At A Glance
- Weekly Youth Meetings: Thursdays, 7–8:30 p.m.; safe and brave spaces for youth to connect with mentors and peers.
- Lifeline Chat & Discord: Secure platforms where youth (ages 13–24) can access resources and peer support beyond in-person meetings.
- Scholarships: Open to any career path; awarded annually to youth and volunteers active in LGBTQ SAVES programs.
- Family Dinners: Quarterly meals strengthening intergenerational support and community.
- Free Haircuts: Through salon partnerships, providing affirming gender expression support.
- QPR Training: Suicide prevention training for staff and volunteers.
- Who They Serve: LGBTQ youth ages 12–24, along with parents and educators across Fort Worth and surrounding communities.
- Ways to Support: Attend the Quinceañera, sponsor programs, donate to the scholarship fund or volunteer.
……………………………
Herrera, a U.S. Air Force veteran who founded LGBTQ SAVES and is its executive director, is the self-proclaimed “fairy gaymother of over 3,000 kids.” When she launched the nonprofit in 2010, she said, her mission was simple but urgent: to save lives.
Fifteen years later, Herrera said, the numbers reflect that impact. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, LGBTQ SAVES served 241 active youth, welcomed 32 new participants and engaged volunteers for more than 600 hours.
The organization’s reach now extends beyond Fort Worth into Mineral Wells, Weatherford, Keller and Dallas and into eight other states through virtual programming.
“We’re not going anywhere, no matter what is going on in the world,” Herrera declared. “I’d love to be out of business, but the world is in a crazier and crazier state, 15 years later. It’s been challenging, but still I rise.”
At Thursday night youth meetings, Herrera said, more than 20 young people find safe and affirming spaces with programming from self-care days to guest speakers each week. Beyond that, she added, she and her team create connections through quarterly family dinners, a prom, Pride events, even holiday traditions like a Christmas breakfast complete with Santa and the Grinch.
All of LGBTQ SAVES is free to youth and families.
Herrera said community support fuels these efforts. A recent $10,000 grant from MTV and ongoing partnerships with local institutions like the Amon Carter Museum of American Art help sustain the programming.
In addition, partnerships with inclusive salons have provided free, gender-affirming haircuts, while the scholarship fund (open to youth pursuing any career path) has awarded three $1,000 scholarships to date. Herrera said past scholarship recipients have gone on to become engineers and ASL interpreters.
The need for these services remains urgent, Herrera stressed. Since January, at least 15 families have moved out of Texas due to hostile legislation and socio-political climate.
But word continues to spread that LGBTQ SAVES is a haven in Tarrant County.
“Our mission is saving lives,” Herrera said. “During COVID, our numbers went up. And now, more than ever, youth need to know they belong.”
That commitment to transformation extends to the physical landscape of Fort Worth itself. Herrera and leaders from seven other local organizations recently purchased the city’s oldest Ku Klux Klan hall, Transform 1012, which is being repurposed as a community resource center. For LGBTQ SAVES, Herrera said, it will serve as a permanent office, complete with plans to paint a yellow brick road leading to the front door.
Funds raised at the Totally Rad Quinceañera — through ticket sales, sponsorships and a silent auction — will directly support these programs.
Herrera said the celebration will serve as both a milestone and a rallying call, highlighting how essential spaces like LGBTQ SAVES remain in a moment of escalating political and cultural attacks on queer and trans youth.
“Everything we do is about giving kids hope,” Herrera said. “When we march in Pride, when we host prom, when we share a meal — it shows them they’re not alone. That they matter. That they are loved.”