1/18/2008 12:06:00 PM
Charity is laughing all the way to the bank
Just For Laughs comedy show raises $18,000 to help needy children
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Sirkka Huish
Sub-Editor
The comedians at Just For Laughs may have made you laugh - but it is the children of Nepal who have the biggest smiles on their faces.
The five shows at the Fairmont Southampton last weekend raised a staggering total of $18,000 to help needy children.
Organisers called this year's event a "roaring success" as it was a great night's entertainment all in the name of charity.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people of all ages laughed their way through the international comedy shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They were entertained by comics Bruce Barritt, Alonzo Bodden, Ed Byrne, Gerry Dee, Wendy Liebman and Greg Morton.
And although they may not have known it at the time, the ticket proceeds went to local charity, The ISIS Foundation, through the work of the Kathmandu Kids Club.
Organiser and 'chief chuckler' Richard Simon handed over the $18,000 to club officials after Saturday's final show.
Mr. Simon said he was "thrilled" with the support from Bermuda's residents. He said: "Thanks to them, we sold out four shows and are able to increase our donation to The ISIS Foundation/Kathmandu Kids Club from $12,000 to $18,000."
Members of the Kathmandu Kids Club also helped out at the five shows by acting as volunteers.
Kathmandu Kids Club chairman Kim Carter said: "The Kathmandu Kids Club is again extremely grateful for the generosity of Mr. Simon and Just For Laughs Bermuda. Our team of volunteers was delighted to be part of another successful show and we would like to congratulate Richard Simon and his crew on a fantastic event."This money will make an incredible difference to the children The ISIS Foundation supports in Nepal.
"When you consider that a pair of shoes costs less than $6 and a school uniform costs $21, you can have some idea of how far $18,000 will go. The comedians on stage in Bermuda certainly made us laugh - but the kids in Nepal will have even bigger smiles as a result."
The ISIS Foundation's mission is to make a positive difference to the lives of children in the developing world, primarily through health and educational programmes in Uganda and Nepal.
The Foundation has multiple projects in Nepal ranging from running ten children's homes for more than 130 children who have escaped the war in the mountains and are now living in Kathmandu, providing free healthcare for street people, to providing solar power, clean drinking water and pit latrines for hundreds of families living in villages 10,000 feet up in the Himalayas.
Want to know more?
To learn more about the Kathmandu Kids Club and The ISIS Foundation, log onto www.kathmandukidsclub.com or www.isis.bm
For information on Just For Laughs visit www.comedyevent.bm
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