(Supplied)

By Alessia Proietti

Special guest: Ron Josol

Second annual “Laughter Saves Lives” comedy fundraiser returns to Red Deer this June

May 7, 2023 | 8:00 AM

The local Booze Budz comedy group is returning with their second annual “Laughter Saves Lives” show in Red Deer this June and they’re bringing a special guest.

A fundraiser for the Team Alex Suicide Prevention Society, the group, made up of stand-up comedians Robert Crane, Papa Larry and Niek Theelen, will be hosting the show on June 9 at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Centre (4214 58 St).

Team Alex aims to eliminate suicide by improving mental health supports and awareness among youth in sports, offering trainings for coaches, parents and players. Its founder, Brian Ennis, created the Society following the death of his son Alex by suicide in 2019.

“With Team Alex, it helps suicide awareness and helping sports teams and coaches to educate them,” said Crane. “Instead of ‘suck it up princess, move on’, it’s ‘ok, you know what, let’s talk about this’.”

Crane says the theme of the show is to “build community through laughter and awareness”.

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“You can have a tough day, you can have a tough week and some people say, ‘just have a good cry, just let it out’. Well that helps in a way but you don’t really feel good after that,” he said.

“Now you have that little bit of a headache going on; you don’t have the endorphins. But if you watch either classic comedy, or even comedy that you enjoyed at one point in time, after a good laugh, there’s just not a comparison. You’re not forgetting your problems or putting them down and hiding them, you’re just laughing the problems away.”

This year’s headliner will be Ron Josol, a Canadian-Filipino actor and stand-up comedian who has been featured in shows like MuchMusic’s Video on Trial and has just returned from a comedy tour across Asia.

While the group raised roughly $1,050 during their inaugural year, Crane says he hopes, after covering costs, to fundraise double that amount with this year’s show. He also says their goal is to sell out the Memorial Centre, which has 704 seats.

READ: Local comedy groups raises over $1,000 for Team Alex Suicide Prevention Society

“I just want people to leave with the fact that they laughed at a show, the fact that we’ve lightened their week, their month,” he said.

“Everybody is stressed,” he continued, “we’re working so hard for nothing nowadays almost and if we can give at least some relief to that and bring some laughter and some joy and to be able to really help with those people that are struggling, then that helps us.”

“Just have a good time, have a good life and just not care.”

Tickets for the show can be purchased on Showpass.

(Supplied)