Tickets still available for Samaritan Inn gala Saturday

A handful of tickets are still available for The Samaritan Inn's sixth annual gala this Saturday.

The gala, which will take place at 6 p.m. at the Marriott at Legacy Town Center, 7121 Bishop Road, Plano, will boast more than 300 silent auction items, raffle, a seated dinner and hosted bar.

"We're ready as we'll ever be; everybody is excited about it," Executive Director Lynn Sipiora said.

The annual fundraiser for Collin County's homeless shelter also features a few changes from previous years, such as a new venue. Hosted by WFAA Channel 8 reporter Steve Stoler and sponsored by Capital One Financial Corporation, the gala will also feature the event's first keynote speaker, CBS broadcaster and former PGA golfer David Feherty.

In the past, the nonprofit held its gala in October at Embassy Suites/Frisco Convention Center. The changes have been a way to keep the event fresh in an effort to improve its success with every coming year, Sipiora said. The Samaritan Inn raised more than $100,000 at the 2011 gala, a number Sipiora hopes supporters can surpass this time around.

The gala is the inn's biggest source of revenue and is used to help fund its $2 million annual budget.

"It's gotten a little better every year; we're always trying to improve and to raise more money," she said. "It's great fun [for a] great cause."

Last year, more than 700 people called the Samaritan Inn home. Approximately 90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to shelter, food, clothing, counseling and life-skill classes. The mission of the program is to help people return to independence within the community, and more than 72 percent of its population succeeds, according to the inn.

This year's theme centers on the children who are served by the inn. With a third of its population consisting of children under the age of 12, the inn gives them the basics and hopes to provide more assistance when it comes to paying for extracurricular activities, tutors, camps, field trips and other opportunities.

"Homeless children have a lot of issues. They're typically behind in school, are socially isolated and they tend to get teased on the school bus," Sipiora said. "We're really trying to highlight these children, who are the most innocent victims of poverty. We just want to enhance their lives as much as possible."

McKinney resident and gala chair Mary Ann Richardson has volunteered at the Samaritan Inn for the past three years and has used her expertise in the event planning business to ensure the décor for the gala is top-notch. This is the first time she has overseen the entire production, but the retired Delta flight attendant said she gladly embraced it as a full-time job and that the responsibility has "been a journey."

With features like a martini luge, ice sculptures, high-end consignment items straight from New York and a "Life of an Astronaut" trip to Cape Canaveral, Fla., up for grabs at the auction, Richardson said Saturday's event is sure to please.

True to theme, guests will also receive warm greetings with thank-you notes handwritten by the children of the Samaritan Inn.

"This is such an important event. It's our biggest money-maker and we've got a really great team together," Richardson said. "Everyone worked so hard and has done such an amazing job. We pulled it all together and I believe this is going to be our most successful gala."

Tickets are $200 each and tables of 10 are $2,500. Table hosts will also enjoy a private reception with Feherty. For tickets and information, call 972-542-5302 or visit thesamaritaninn.org.

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

 Plano Apartments
 Plano Attorneys
 Plano Auto Dealers
 Plano Auto Parts
 Plano Auto Repair
 Plano Beauty Salons
 Plano Car Rental
 Plano Dentists
 Plano Doctors
 Plano Flowers
 Plano Hotels
 Plano Insurance
 Plano Loans
 Plano Mortgages
 Plano Movers
 Plano Pizza
 Plano Realtors
 Plano Restaurants
 Plano Storage
 Plano Tax Preparation
 Plano Travel
 Featured
 More...