GONZALES — The Hispanic Heritage of Gonzales has been denied any financial help from the City of Gonzales and the president of the organization is blaming it all on politics. Plus, their annual Cancer Gala may now have to be cancelled.
It all came out at the council meeting in Gonzales on Sept. 22, 2025.
“It is our hope that we can partner with the City of Gonzales and continue what we have always wanted – to build a bridge between our cultures and continue assisting the surrounding areas of Ascension Parish,” said Samara Welch, the treasurer of the Hispanic Heritage of Gonzales.
Instead, she and the group’s president, Maria Truett, were hit with numerous questions and ultimately denied any funding.
It’s why Truett is now speaking out, directly pointing the finger at politics costing them a very important gala for cancer survivors and impacting their fundraising efforts to give to those in need.
Annual Cancer Gala
The organization is getting ready for its annual cancer gala, and has been planning to host it at the Pace Center, where it was held last year. President Maria Truett said during last year’s event, Gonzales Mayor Tim Riley promised the group could use the Pace Center again.
Welch, remembers Truett telling her, “‘The mayor is saying that he’s going to partner up with us and give us the Pace Center.'” So the Hispanic Heritage Festival thought they would get to use the Pace Center based on that conversation.
Throughout the year, the group hosts fundraising events for the gala, namely the festival in Jambalaya Park. But this year, that festival didn’t happen.
“Because of the current administration, and with deportations and things like that, we didn’t want to expose our local residents or anyone who travels,” Welch said.
“We don’t have any money. So we were asking the city, since they said they wanted to be more involved, and with the mayor promising Maria that we would get the Pace Center for the gala this year, we didn’t worry about it,” Welch said. “But when we went in a meeting Monday, it was a different story.”
The Cancer Gala is hosted by the Hispanic Heritage of Gonzales annually, but this year is now in jeopardy.
Denied funding at council meeting
Under the impression that Mayor Riley was going to provide the Pace Center for the Cancer Gala, Truett says she applied for a Community Partnership grant, requesting $5,000 to be able to pay for the Pace Center so they could host the third annual gala on November 8th.
“It’s an opportunity for the residents of Ascension Parish and surrounding areas to learn about the 200 types of cancers with its challenges and treatments. The gala is an opportunity to educate guests on a silent killer,” Welch told the Gonzales council at Monday’s meeting.
Councilman Kirk Boudreaux responded saying Mary Bird Perkins provides free screening for anyone and they were coming to Gonzales in late October.
Truett’s response to that was that their gala isn’t just a test. “We have survivors and everyone comes to get together for a community coming together. It’s not just a test.”
Councilwoman Terri Lambert asked if they had the gala last year and who paid for the building last year.
Welch responded that the non-profit group itself paid for it but that they held fundraisers to raise money in order to pay for it, adding they rely solely on donations.
Lambert also pointed out that the City of Gonzales could not simply give the group use of the building because in order for that to happen, the group needed to meet three requirements per the “Cabela’s Test,” and their request did not meet those.
A vote to give them the $5,000 grant received two yay’s and two nay’s and then Councilman Tyler Turner said he doesn’t know if it’s legal that they’re going to give $5,000 to the organization only for them to turn it around and pay for the building. It’s why he proposed a substitute motion for the city attorney to review the application and table the matter till the next council meeting on Oct. 13, but his motion did not get a second, meaning the item died.
Truett said she’s always been proud to be a part of Gonzales, but now she’s starting to see things changing and she doesn’t know why. That’s when she told the council the mayor had mentioned use of the building last year during campaign season.
Truett told UWK that she owns a decorating business and she’s provided decorations for city events and never asked for any payment, but when now they need help, she’s been denied.
The entire gala is a fundraiser with the money raised then used to assist families who are in financial distress, given to survivors to use with their treatments and their day to day activities. Last year the group helped two families who were experiencing financial woes after cancer diagnoses.
“We really raise money for people that are in need,” Welch said. “For the mayor to not be able to have the authority that he thought he had was, it was a shock to us. He should have never promised us that building if he didn’t have the say.”
UWK reached out to Mayor Riley for his side of the story but Chief of Staff Wade Petite responded on his behalf saying he did not have a side because the motion went before the council for a vote.
UWK also reached out to Councilwoman Lambert, who did deny any grant dollars to other organizations who were also on Monday’s agenda requesting financial help.
“I was elected to protect our taxpayers first and will continue to stand for clear stewardship of the public purse to ensure every taxpayer dollar serves the people as intended.”
What’s next
Truett and Welch said the group won’t be able to host this year’s gala which was planned for November 8, because they don’t have the money. “We will be holding other events to make up for the money that we could have made at the gala,” Welch said. “So we can still assist families that are in need.”
“I just feel frustrated, underestimated, like we had no value. We’ve been living here and helping and working with the community for years, and I never asked for money for anything,” Truett said. “Everything that they need me to do, I used to do it. Every time they have something that I could help and be there, I’m there.”
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