Tickets for the biennial Heart and Soul Gala benefitting St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital will go on sale beginning Nov. 1. The beloved black-tie event with dinner, dancing to the music of the Emerald Empire Band, and live and silent auctions will be held Feb. 11, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds Lake Oconee.

Tickets are $300 each. Starting Nov. 1, they will be available for purchase at https://goodsamaritan.ticket.qtego.net/tickets/list while supplies last. Seating is limited and the event has always sold out, so those who want to attend are urged to buy their tickets early. Sponsors receive tickets based on their level of sponsorship. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, ranging from $1,500 to $50,000; please visit https://goodsamaritan.home.qtego.net to become a sponsor.

“We are so excited to bring the Gala back after having to put it on pause this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Becky Smith, Chair of the St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Foundation Board. “The community's support for our Gala and our hospital is far beyond the norm for rural hospitals in Georgia and across the nation. That support makes it possible for our local hospital to offer services, physicians, staff and technology that are rarely found in communities our size."

Since becoming part of St. Mary’s Health Care System in 2012, Good Samaritan Hospital has been honored with numerous awards for excellence, including the 2022 American Heart/Stroke Association’s Silver-plus Award for stroke care. Other recognitions include being designated as Georgia’s first remote treatment stroke center in 2013, Georgia’s Small Hospital of the Year 2014, and Coverdell Champion Hospital of the Year for stroke care, very small hospital category, in 2016 and 2017.

The Gala is a transformative event for the hospital. For example, the 2020 Gala – held just before the pandemic struck – raised nearly $300,000 for Good Sam’s Capital Campaign. The campaign raised more than $3 million to expand the hospital and enhance cardiac, stroke and imaging services, including the purchase of a 640-slice CT system and a 16-channel MRI system. Thanks in part to the Gala’s support, the CT scanner was installed in 2021 and the MRI system will be completed this year.

"These technologies and services are a demonstration that continuous fundraising is essential to keeping up with medical advances,” said Smith.  “Our community’s support helps ensure that our community hospital can deliver the sophisticated, high-quality care we need right here, close to home, today and for years to come.” 

Proceeds from the 2023 Gala will go towards Good Sam’s work to address key health challenges identified by the hospital’s recent Community Health Needs Assessment.

“In comparison with our broader state’s population, Good Samaritan’s service area has higher levels of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease,” said Foundation Regional Director Aaron James. “Our goal is to educate, treat and serve this specific area of need through a proactive approach.”

"The Gala is a tremendous fundraiser, but it's also a lot of fun," added Gala committee chair Sherri Kerstetter. "We will have a fabulous dance band, dinner will be amazing, and people will just love our auction items. It's going to be a great evening."

For more information about the Gala, please contact Aaron James at 706.389.3926 or email him at [email protected]. For more information about St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital, please visit www.stmaryshealthcaresystem.org.