Comedy for a Cause puts the fun in fundraiser!
Michigan Financial Companies sponsored event at Comedy Castle a roaring success!
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle in Royal Oak was full of charity and chuckles for 'Comedy for a Cause' on Tuesday, Feb. 7. The event was sponsored by Michigan Financial Companies and helped raise funds and awareness for The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit's 25th Annual Bed & Bread Club® Radiothon.
"We're proud to support The Salvation Army and its 25th annual Bed & Bread Club® Radiothon," Nick J. Valenti, President & CEO, Michigan Financial Companies.
"Comedy for a Cause is not just about getting together and sharing a laugh, it's about supporting our community - supporting those who, without the help of The Salvation Army, would likely go without food and shelter."
Comedy for a Cause brought together six of metro Detroit's funniest comedians including:
Ken Brown, Mitch Albom Show on News/Talk 760 WJR-AM
Mike Green, voted best comedian of 2011 by HOUR Detroit
Tim Rowlands, comic-magician
Kevin McPeek
Darryl Earl
Phenecia Banks
Detroit radio legend Dick Purtan, who is the "father" of the Bed & Bread Club Radiothon, kicked off the evening with a stand-up routine of his own. Garden Fresh Gourmet Founder and President Jack Aronson prepared a variety of delicious finger food and a tower or cupcakes.
All proceeds from this inaugural event go directly to The Salvation Army's 25th annual Bed & Bread Club Radiothon, which airs live from Oakland Mall on News/Talk 760 WJR-AM from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24.
"We're excited to host The Salvation Army and its supporters for this new event benefitting the Bed & Bread Program," said Mark Ridley, owner of Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle. "When the community can get together for a good cause and share a good laugh, it makes for a really great time."
Over its quarter-century, the Bed & Bread Club Radiothon has grown to become the largest single-market, single-day fundraiser in the country raising more than $25 million to provide food and shelter to those in need.
The Bed & Bread Program serves nearly 5,000 meals to the hungry each day. That's approximately 1.7 million meals every year to men, women and children that would otherwise go without. In addition, The Bed & Bread Program provides nearly 500 homeless individuals shelter each night. That's nearly 167,000 nights of shelter annually.
While other Bed & Bread Programs do exist throughout the country, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit's Bed & Bread Program is unique in that it also serves people via mobile soup kitchens. Detroit's mobile soup kitchens are The Salvation Army's only traveling Bed & Bread units.
The Bed & Bread trucks leave from The Salvation Army's Acres of Hope campus in Detroit 365 days a year to visit many designated Bed & Bread stops throughout the day.The Bed & Bread program's mobile feeding trucks also assist clients in receiving critical social services from The Salvation Army.
Founded by William and Catherine Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at www.salmich.org.