Third Space Charity is hoping a unique, fall event will raise community spirits while also raising money.
They say laughter is the best medicine. Which is why, after more than 18-months of Covid pandemic-related restrictions and challenges, Third Space Charity is hosting an evening of good, old-fashioned fun designed to make people giggle, chuckle, chortle, hoot, guffaw, and well, laugh.
Laugh! takes place on November 4, 2021 at 7 pm. The lighthearted, vintage-themed, variety show-style fundraiser is in aid of a serious cause — young adult mental health.
“It’s estimated 1.2 million children and youth in Canada are affected by mental illness, yet less than 1 in 5 will receive appropriate treatment,” says executive director Karen Mason. “By age 25, approximately 20 per cent of Canadians will develop a mental illness, and given the Covid-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this mental health crisis, we know the need is now greater than ever.”
Third Space Charity helps by offering a high-level, clinically supervised practicum training program for the next generation of mental health care professionals, and by providing free, supportive care counselling services to young people from 18 to 29 as they navigate the transition from youth to adulthood.
Presented by the Payton and Dillon Budd Memorial Fund, Laugh! will include hilarious stand-up comedy by Denis Grignon (as featured on CBC Radio’s The Debaters) and local comic Paige Mathison (pictured above), an epic joke contest with the winner decided by audience votes, music by Juno-award-winning artist Darryl James (The Strumbellas and Close Kicks) and vintage trio Kitsch ‘n Sync, magic and more. There’s also an online auction featuring a variety of products, services, and original art donated by local businesses and artists, that gets underway October 24.
“Things have just been so heavy for all of us recently, and we’re really looking forward to bringing people together to let off some steam and just have a fun time with lots of laughter and silliness,” says Mason. “I’m especially excited to see what kind of entries we receive for the Best Dad Joke and Best Knock Knock Joke contest portion of the event. I know there’s no shortage of really funny people in our community, and I’m counting on them to submit some of their best joke material as part of making Laugh! even more successful.”
Tickets for the online show are $30 for a single attendee, $50 for two, and $75 for a group of three or more. To purchase tickets, and submit an entry for the joke contest, visit https://trellis.org/thirdspacecharity.
