The commendable and praiseworthy come together for a very special happy hour at Lucha Cartel, a restaurant known as the Philadexican “barra” in Old City.

The chef de cuisine at the restaurant Jesus Garcia is giving back to the organization that helped him get through one tough experience. “Last year I was beaten up by a group of men in South Philly, on 9th street and Federal, an attack that sent me straight to the hospital,” Garcia said.

He described the incident as a senseless act of violence that left him unconscious. And although his first instinct was to do nothing about it, a friend of his suggested going to Victim/Witness Services of South Philadelphia (V/WSSP).

“I had never been in a situation like this. There is lack of information for the immigrant community on how to report crime, and why is important,” Garcia said.

That is how Garcia met Esteban Calel, who has been a social worker for V/WSSP and victim advocate for 10 years. “He help me file a report with the police. They also provided me with legal services and helped me get financial aid from the state as a crime victim, to pay for the medical bill, which was considerably high,” Garcia said.

Calel’s job is, among other things, to inform the community on how important it is to report a crime. “If you don’t do the report, the police won’t have the record of what is happening.”

He said the most common cases are robberies, followed by home burglaries and homicide cases.

“The immigrant community of South Philly is victim of robberies and assaults. Criminals know immigrants carry cash, doesn’t speak English and are probably undocumented,” Calel said. “Regardless of your language or immigration status, there are free and anonymous services.”

Besides English, V/WSSP provides information in Spanish, Vietnamese and Cantonese. Last year alone the agency helped more than 200 South Philadelphia residents receive more than $550,000 in such funds for medical bills, lost earnings, counseling expenses, and the other losses victims experience.

“Sometimes victims don’t go to the hospital because they don’t have health insurance and they don’t know there are programs that can help,” Calel said. “There is a state program called Victims Compensation that can cover up to $35,000.”

Alison Sprague, executive director of V/WSSP, said “helping crime victims deal with bills, court and the stress of victimization is all part of the healing process.”

The Happy Hour benefit will be held on Monday, May 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Lucha Cartel (207 Chestnut Street). Tickets are $25 each (five for $100), will include a free buffet and cash bar and can be purchased in advance by calling (215) 551-3360 or e-mailing [email protected].