Upcoming gala to benefit Good Samaritan

From formals and furs to flouncy peasant skirts -- Good Samaritan’s gala Saturday, Oct. 17, is a fashion show with not only flare -- but a cause.

Now in its 13th year, this time the gala travels to Havana Nights.

And the sounds of salsa music and perhaps the mambo, cha cha cha and the timba just might greet your dancing feet.

Doors open at the Helena Civic Center at 5:30 p.m., a VIP pre-party starts at 5 p.m., and the fashion show is at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $50 for the dinner and show, available at the Good Samaritan, 3067 N. Montana Ave., or at the door (reservations are encouraged). A VIP party is $15 extra.

It’s a night to check out Cuban daily life with your guide Jorge Quintana, whose talk is accompanied by a PowerPoint slide show.

Sip a mojito cocktail while you savor your Cuban appetizers at the VIP party and enjoy live guitar music.

The evening shows some of the best fashions gifted to Good Sam this past year, and features a few celebrity models like county commissioner Andy Hunthausen and East Helena Mayor James Schell.

Unique to this year’s theme there will be a special guest this year, a cigar roller from San Francisco demonstrating the art of Cuban cigar rolling.

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A Cuban dinner catered by Taste of the City features popular Cuban food with tropical flavors.

And Knights of Columbus will host a full bar.

You can bid on your favorite silent auction items, which include unique collectables ranging from jewelry, antiques, pictures, appliances, furniture, quilts, dishes and much more, according to executive director Theresa Ortega. "There’s 170 beautiful items."

This year’s live auction item is a Fender electric guitar autographed by country music singer Luke Bryan.

And each table is decorated with fun items to purchase, Ortega said.

Beyond the glitz and gourmet dinner that meets the eye are the people Good Sam helps.

And that’s what Ortega is passionate about.

"We helped a homeless woman find a place to live," said Ortega of one of their recent success stories. They also helped her find things at Good Sam to set up her new household. They connected her with another social service agency that helped her get job training. And yet another agency now employs her.

Good Sam is just a welcoming place where people can turn to for help -- of all kinds, said Ortega.

On a recent weekend an elderly man stopped in and told a staff person, "I just need someone to talk with."

The clerk found a male staff member who sat down with him.

After he had talked for a while, he said, "Thank you so much, that’s all I needed."

Good Sam also works with people at the prerelease center who need to hone their work skills and build a resume, Ortega said. "We work hard with people trying to rebuild their work history."

Fiscal year 2015 had 1,330 office visits, assisting individuals and families in need, wrote Ortega in an email. "Of those office visits, 1,140 children directly benefited from services."

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