A Night for Goodness Sake

A support group for the Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center will hold its eighth-annual gala early next month, offering food, beverages, live music, auctions and networking opportunities through the always-festive fundraiser.

“A Night for Goodness Sake,” will begin at 6 p.m., March 2 at the home of state Rep. Gordon Dove and his wife Mona, 105 Glen Oaks Drive.

“Every penny that we raise goes toward buying new equipment for the charity hospital,” said Mona Christen, fundraising chairperson for the Chabert Medical Center Foundation.

The foundation has raised more than $500,000 through the gala over the past seven years. Aside from the $100 entry fee, money is collected through live and silent auctions and sponsorships. The hospital support group raised about $100,000 last year.

The event is open invitation, and tickets can be purchased at the door.

Billy Stark and Friends n Lawrence Breaux and Mark Duplantis n will perform live music, and six local chefs, including Sammy Castalano, will be on hand to prepare crab and corn soup, fried seafood, and raw oyster shooters among other servings.

Past auction offerings include a ride on a Russian jet, trips to Hawaii and San Francisco and a brand new washing machine and dryer set, Christen said.

This year, the foundation says it hopes to purchase a new bone scanner for the hospital.

“You don’t know if that $100 is going to go toward some equipment that may save 20 lives this year or next year,” Christen said. “You’d be surprised.”