In the eyes of Crystal Bourland, a comedy show is a perfect fundraiser for a mental health organization.
Bourland, the Executive Director of Juneau’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), has high hopes for Saturday’s Comedy for a Cause event, the organization’s annual fundraiser. At the event, people from the community share stories, with an emphasis on humor.
“A lot of what we do is storytelling and sharing our experiences and that brings insight and mutual understanding to a group,” Bourland said, “and to have a night of just fun storytelling, it fits in nicely with our mission and what we do as an organization.”
The show will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. A handful of people from around Juneau will tell their stories, with storyteller Tom Cosgrove serving as the Master of Ceremonies.
This is the fourth year for Comedy for a Cause, and the second year with an emphasis on local performers. The first two years featured comedians from out of town, but the costs of bringing them up and housing them were eating into the profits from the fundraiser. Now, not only is NAMI Juneau able to benefit more from the show, but the audience tends to be more engaged when friends and neighbors are the ones at the microphone.
NAMI Juneau board member Paula Gonzales Rohrbacher will be performing for the second year in a row, and said last year’s production was a major hit.
“I’m hoping that our reputation from last year will affect people’s desire to come this year,” Rohrbacher said, “because it was the most successful fundraiser we’d had, and it was a tremendous amount of fun. People were just howling, rolling in the aisles.”
Rohrbacher told a story last year about a trip to Skagway she took 30 years ago when she was mistaken for “a sturdy little boy.” Without giving too much away, Rohrbacher teased her story this year as an experience she had while spray-tanning.
Rohrbacher, an employee at the Front Street Community Health Center, has dealt with generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, and says NAMI is a valuable resource in part because of its focus on peer-to-peer programs. Those who have personal experience with mental illness are the leaders of many of the programs, being able to better relate to people in the programs.
NAMI Juneau is launching a new peer-to-peer program starting in May that will meet twice a month and provide support for those dealing with mental illness. There’s also a support group for families of those with mental illness, Bourland said, and the programs are free.
Money raised at Saturday’s event is going to these programs, and Bourland said much of the money goes to training peer-to-peer instructors for the classes and programs, as well as materials and marketing for the programs.
“The money goes a long way,” Bourland said. “We’re mostly volunteer-led. I’m the only full-time staff at NAMI Juneau. So the money is local. It doesn’t go to our national office. It’s sticking in Juneau for our programs and services.”
Tickets to Saturday’s event are $15 in advance for general seating, and $25 in advance for seating at tables. Those prices bump up to $20 and $30, respectively, at the door. Tickets are available at the NAMI Juneau website, Hearthside Books and the JAHC.
Other than making money from ticket sales, NAMI Juneau makes money from a silent auction. The auction will include a number of tourism-related prizes, such as whale-watching passes. The Happy Camper food truck will have food for sale, and wine and beer will also be available.
Alaskan Brewing Company is supplying the beer, and all of the proceeds from beer sales are going to NAMI Juneau. Alaskan has been a supporter of NAMI Juneau for quite some time, raising around $12,000 for the organization in 2016. Bourland expressed a great deal of gratitude for the organization’s sponsors, such as title sponsor Southeast Radiology Consultants.
Debbie Fagnant, the President of the NAMI Juneau Board, was also very appreciative for what local organizations have done to support the cause. Getting local interaction has helped grow the popularity of the programs and has helped bring more engaged crowds to the Comedy for a Cause event, and Fagnant sees the event itself as therapeutic.
“It’s really fun,” Fagnant said. “We believe that humor is healthy.”
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com or at 523-2271
Pete Griffin performs at the 2016 Comedy for a Cause fundraiser. The annual show raises money for NAMI Juneau to put together classes and programs supporting those in Juneau struggling with mental illness. (Photo courtesy of NAMI Juneau)
