Upcoming Fall harvest Gala and Auction

Danielle Switalski

The sun is still beating down on Sanders County, but fall is right around the corner and so is the upcoming Sanders County Coalition for Families’ Fall Harvest Gala.

The Fall Harvest Gala is the annual fundraising event for the nonprofit organization dedicated to providing assistance to adult and child victims of domestic violence, sexual assault crimes and stalking.

As part of Domestic Violence Awareness month, the Gala is “the big push,” of the year as the Coalition for Families Executive Director Tootie Welker calls it and raises money that the Coalition for Families will use all year in helping domestic violence victims. “This is the big thing every year, but it’s well worth it, and we get good support from the community,” said Welker.

The gala is set for Saturday October 3 at the Lakeside Resort in Trout Creek and will have a live and silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine tasting and entertainment by Jack Gladstone who is a Native ‘PoetSinger’ and lecturer from the Blackfeet Indian Nation and is known as Montana’s troubadour.  Welker said they have never had as popular of an entertainer at the Gala in past years, but they wanted the entertainment to be “a gift back to the supporters.”

“When we do hold an event like this we like to highlight Montana and buy locally and support our local communities,” said Welker as to why they chose Gladstone as the entertainment this year.

This is the first time the gala is being held on the West end of town, with hopes that it will bring in supporters from Trout Creek and Heron.  The Coalition is expecting between 80 and 100 people to show up for the Gala.  Although the Coalition for Families hosts the Gala every year as their main source of funding, last year raising $6,500, Welker says it is even more important this year.

“We are at a more critical time than ever and this is our main source of money so it is a very important event,” said Welker.

She explained that there has been a huge spike in domestic violence since the recession hit and although the economy does not cause domestic violence, it increases the magnitude of the violence.  The Coalition serves approximately two to three percent of the population of Sanders County each year, between five to six percent if children are included in the figures.

Welker said the auction is typically the biggest part of the gala where money is raised with a variety of items donated and auctioned off including hotel stays, various package deals and hockey tickets.  However, Welker said it has been harder to get donations this year because many of the little business that donate items have been also suffering because of the economy.

“Businesses are having to look at the bottom line more closely because of the economy so things are harder to come by,” said Welker.

A list of items to be auctioned off will be out to view in the coming weeks.