CHICOPEE — Harmony House of Western Massachusetts, a home for the terminally ill located in Chicopee, will be the beneficiary of a “FunnyRaising Comedy Show,” presented by Jess Miller Comedy Shows.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Moose Club Family Center, 244 Fuller Rd.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person and can only be purchased at funnyraising.com.
The show is rated R for adult content and language and people must be aged 21 or older to attend.
The event is being advertised as a great evening of fun while supporting the mission of Harmony House. The FunnyRaising Comedy Shows are “Built on Laughter and Sustained by Kindness.”
The headlining comics will be Jess Miller, who has performed at Caroline’s on Broadway, Peaches Rodriguez who has performed at the Apollo Theatre in New York City and Linda Belt, who has performed on Royal Caribbean Cruises.
A cash bar will be available, and guests can bring their own dinner and snacks. Tables of eight are available to reserve with pre-payment.
Along with the comedy show, Harmony House Board of Directors President Gina Mazza said the Harmony House events team has put together some “remarkable” gift baskets for raffle prizes. There will also be a 50/50 raffle. All proceeds go directly to Harmony House of Western Massachusetts.
The Harmony House was founded by the late Ruth Willemain in 2007 with one room in donated home to make sure that people at end of life were not alone and had the care and support they need.
Its mission is to provide a loving home providing compassionate care for the terminally ill and for those on hospice care and need a place to stay. Harmony House will offer meals, laundry service, personal and spiritual care, along with companionship amongst the staff.
Mazza talked about how grateful she is for the Miller and FunnyRaising Comedy.
She said, “We feel a lot of gratitude to the Jess and FunnyRaising team for supporting our mission. Fundraisers like this upcoming comedy show allow us to raise revenue that we need to keep our home operational. There are so many good causes out there and good hearted people that deserve donations that we essentially compete with for donation dollars. In addition to the assistance with our financial status, an event like this helps us feel close to the community that we serve.”
Harmony House is primarily staffed by trained volunteers including licensed nurses, caregivers, companions, and others.
Mazza said the funds will help go a long way and will mostly help offset operational expenses that Harmony House incur every day.
She explained, “We do not receive any Medicare, Medicaid or insurance payments for the service and home that we provide our residents. We have many extraordinary volunteer caregivers as well as paid staff. So, we have regular payroll to cover as well as expenses related to serving the residents and maintaining our home. We have utility bills and food bills and routine home and yard upkeep just like every other household. Many of the grant funders do not allow for their funds to go toward operations. So, an event like this one allows us to offset expenses where we need it most.”
If interested in learning more or becoming a volunteer, readers can contact Harmony House at 413-315-9784 or by email at harmonyhousewma@gmail.com.
