Panthers to Honor SunServe's Work with LBGTQ+ Teens on Pride Night

SUNRISE, Fla. - In the spirit of the NHL's "Hockey is for Everyone" campaign, the Florida Panthers are proud to be welcoming SunServe as a community champion during their annual Pride Night celebration on Friday, Feb. 1, when the Nashville Predators visit BB&T Center.

Founded in 2002, SunServe was the first agency to specifically focus in on the social service needs of the LGBTQ+ community of South Florida. Since then, they've been advocating for marginalized youth, families, adults and seniors, reaching an estimated 5,000 people per year through their programs.
"There was a massive need, especially around helping people with HIV and mental health counseling," said Steve Schauder, SunServe's director of development. "It was just this traumatic event in the LBGTQ+ community, and there was a dire need for mental health counseling for people without insurance that couldn't pay for it. That need for counseling was really the basis for SunServe."
Schauder said that one of the biggest demographics that SunServe has become a resource for is teens because "those are the critical moments in their life when their identity is forming." With counseling, vulnerable youths like 19-year-old Graden Brown are given access to the critical support they need.
"I was different from other kids throughout my childhood," Brown said. "A lot of my thoughts were 'Who am I?' and 'Why and am I different from my peers?' I didn't realize until my pre-teen years that I was transgender. That explained a lot that was going on in my childhood, like why people would treat me differently and why I had lot of issues with social connections and with my peers."
Brown has been with SunServe for two years after being referred to the organization by his therapist.
"I had no clue that the LBGTQ+ organization existed like this," said Brown, who plans to start college in the fall. "To my amazement and shock, I was like, 'Wow! OK.' I went to SunServe and immediately felt like this was the place for me. It was a very welcoming environment. They helped me an unbelievable amount… Without them I wouldn't be the person I am right now standing in front of you."
Brown, who has been undergoing testosterones treatment for 10 months, said SunServe also helped him with his medical transition, a development he happily describes as the "best thing ever in my life."
"It's great to be around people that understand me," Brown said. "It's never really an issue because they pretty much understand who I am and where I came from. We're all pretty much the same."
As part of the Florida Panthers Foundation's Community Champions Grant Program, presented by Moss Construction and the Moss Foundation, SunServe will be receiving a donation of $20,000 to expand their Youth Education Awareness and Healing Program, which provides life coaching and counseling to teens.
With that donation, the organization will be able to provide those resources to an additional 20 teens in the area, while also being able to expand their staff in order to reach approximately 250 other local teens through their continued work with the Broward County Public School System.
"Sports teams like the Florida Panthers, they're role models for everybody," Schauder said of the donation. "Everyone looks up to these athletes. When teams like the panthers send the message that LBGTQ+ teens are part of our family, it sends a real important message to everybody."
Brown said he will attend the game to accept the donation check with SunServe.
"I'm always excited to tell my story," Brown said. "The more you know, the better."