Star-studded Night of Comedy Raises $87,000 to Help End Homelessness
From STAFF REPORTS
5:17 pm | October 21, 2015
On October 15, 2015, Union Station Homeless Services’ 16th annual An Evening for the Station brought comedy lovers and community members together for an incredible night of laughter and entertainment to demonstrate that Homelessness is No Laughing Matter!
Union Station brought a fun twist to its long-running event with its first-ever comedy show! ArcLight Cinemas Pasadena filled with more than 400 guests for a stellar show of comedians from Netflix, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, and more!
Event producer and comedian Ed Salazar opened the evening and presented a hilarious line-up featuring Kumail Nanjiani (The Meltdown, Silicon Valley), Jonah Ray (Nerdist, The Meltdown), Baron Vaughn (Grace and Frankie), Matt Peters (Orange is the New Black), Susan Burke (Smashed), and Jay Larson (Best Bars in America).
The audience heard Horacio give a moving testimonial about his experience at Union Station. Horacio, who worked as activist and well-esteemed UC lecturer, lost his housing due to health complications and mounting stress. After living on the streets of LA for almost two years, Union Station helped Horacio rebuild his life. “When you’re homeless, you need a tough spirit to survive,” said Horacio. “Sometimes, you survive with the help of others. I will forever be thankful of the life-changing work of Union Station and its amazing staff!” Today, he has housing and is currently looking for full-time work.
The event raised $87,000 in support of Union Station Homeless Services, the San Gabriel Valley’s largest and most comprehensive social service agency assisting homeless adults and families.
Corporate sponsors included Comedy Central, Norton Rose Fulbright, Westport Construction, Kauffman Wealth Services, Goldstar, Noor!
Visit https://goo.gl/vT5AHk and #USHSComedy for event photos and more!
About Union Station Homeless Services
Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is committed to helping homeless men, women and children rebuild their lives. Union Station Homeless Services is part of a premier group of human services agencies in Los Angeles County that are leading the way to ending homelessness in our community. Headquartered in Pasadena, the agency is the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. Every person deserves a life of dignity and a safe place to call home. With over 40 years of experience, Union Station proudly offers nine programs throughout the San Gabriel Valley; with services including street outreach, intake, care coordination, meals, shelter, housing, employment, benefits enrollment, and referrals to medical and mental health services. www.unionstationhs.org
On Oct. 15, 2015, Union Station Homeless Services will host its 16th annual event entitled An Evening for the Station at the Arclight Pasadena in California. Throughout this incredible night supporters of the organization, whose mission is “to help men, women and children rebuild their lives, and end homelessness,” will enjoy performances from some of the top names in stand-up comedy including Ron Funches, Matt Braunger and “The Meltdown” co-hosts Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani.
Along with the main show, Homelessness Is No Laughing Matter, VIPs and event sponsors will also enjoy a special hors d’oeuvres and cocktail reception. All proceeds from the event will benefit Union Station Homeless Services and its great programs. Along with the above mentioned acts, “Orange is the New Black” co-star Matt Peters will also be performing.
Funches has been keeping busy lately with his hit NBC series, “Undateable,” the second season of which premieres on Oct. 9. Straying from last season’s pre-recorded methods, “Undateable” season two will feature all live episodes, a technique that will surely lead to lots of laughs from the series’ talented cast which includes Chris D’Elia, Brent Morin and Bridgit Mendler. Funches also regularly performs live stand-up across the country.
Along with co-hosting “The Meltdown,” Ray and Nanjiani are both popular podcast hosts. Ray co-hosts “The Nerdist Podcast” with Chris Hardwick and Nanjiani hosts the “X-Files Files.” He also co-stars on the hilarious HBO comedy, “Silicon Valley.” Braunger is a “MADtv” alum and his latest comedy special “Matt Braunger: Big Dumb Animal” premiered on Comedy Central earlier this year.
Union Station Homeless Services was formed in 1973 and it is now associated with a premier group of human services agencies in Los Angeles County that are collectively working to end homelessness. It is the largest social service agency assisting homeless and low-income families in San Gabriel Valley. Some of the programs offered by Union Station Homeless Services include housing dormitories, family solutions and employment services.
Head over to unionstationhs.org to learn more about this great non-profit organization and click here to pick-up tickets to the Homelessness Is No Laughing Matter event on Oct. 15. Keep reading AXS for more comedy news, reviews and tour announcements.
Ron Funches Tour Dates
Oct. 8-10 Improv Comedy Club – Atlanta, GA
Oct. 17 Improv – Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 29 Zanies Comedy Club – Chicago, IL
Dec. 30 Zanies Comedy Club – St. Charles, IL
Dec. 31 Zanies Comedy Club – Rosemont, IL
Pasadena, CA – For its 16th annual An Evening for the Station, Union Station Homeless Services is hosting an incredible comedy night to demonstrate that Homelessness is No Laughing Matter!
An Evening for the Station: Homelessness is No Laughing Matter will be held at ArcLight Cinemas, Pasadena, Thursday, October 15 at 6:30 pm. The event, which will be attended by over 400 community, business and civic leaders, will feature a hilarious line-up with top comedic talent from HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, and more!
All funds raised will benefit Union Station Homeless Services, the San Gabriel Valley’s largest and most comprehensive social service agency assisting homeless adults and families.
Featured Comedians:
Jonah and Kumail(Comedy Central’s The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail): Based on the popular live show, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail features comedy icons and up-and-comers performing in the back of a comic book shop. Jonah Ray is an actor, writer and comedian also known for being one of the co-hosts of The Nerdist Podcast and television show. Kumail Nanjiani has guest-starred in various comedy shows like Portlandia, and more recently is a regular on HBO’s Silicon Valley.
Matt Braunger(MADtv, Live at Gotham): Matt was recently a series regular on MADtv, his television credits also include The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Live at Gotham. Matt has performed at a variety of prestigious comedy festivals and was recently featured in Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch.”
Matt Peters(Showtime’s WEEDS, Netflix’s Orange is the New Black): Matt has been seen on Showtime’s WEEDS, G4TV’s Attack of the Show, and most notably, he has a recurring role on the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated Netflix series, Orange is the New Black. Additionally, he hosts the popular bi-weekly comedy show, BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! that takes place at the infamous R Bar in Los Angeles.
Ron Funches(TBS’s Conan, NBC’s Undateable): Ron has a recurring role on Disney’s Crash and Bernstein, Comedy Central’s Kroll Show and a starring role in NBC’s Undateable. He performs stand up all over the United States impressing audiences everywhere. Most recently, Ron was named one of the “Best New Comedians” by Esquire Magazine.
Nikki Glaser(Comedy Central’s @Midnight, MTV’s Nikki & Sara LIVE): Nikki is a comedian, writer, and host whose television appearances have included The Tonight Show, CONAN, and Last Comic Standing. She was the co-host of the MTV late night talk show, Nikki & Sara LIVE. Nikki can currently be seen as a regular contestant on Comedy Central’s @Midnight and will guest star on the upcoming season of Inside Amy Schumer.
Cameron Esposito(Put Your Hands Together, Chelsea Lately): Cameron is a fast rising Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor and writer who has been called “the future of comedy” by none other than Jay Leno. Cameron hosts Put Your Hands Together, has a biweekly column on The AV Club, and has appeared on Late Late with Craig Ferguson, @Midnight, CONAN, and as a regular on Chelsea Lately and TakePartLive among others.
Baron Vaughn(NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Netflix’s Grace and Frankie): Baron is a comedian who has performed on Conan, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and has had numerous appearances on Comedy Central, most recently in the form of his own “Half Hour” comedy special. Baron has performed in comedy festivals nationwide, TV shows and films and was a series regular on USA’s Fairly Legal (2010-2012). Catch him on the upcoming Netflix Original Series Grace and Frankie starting in May 2015.
Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at www.unionstationhs.org or (626) 250-4559. Event sponsorship begins at $500. To become an event or publicity sponsor, call (626) 240-4558.
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ABOUT UNION STATION HOMELESS SERVICES
Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is committed to helping homeless men, women and children rebuild their lives. Union Station Homeless Services is part of a premier group of human services agencies in Los Angeles County that are leading the way to ending homelessness in our community. Headquartered in Pasadena, we are the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. We believe every person deserves a life of dignity and a safe place to call home. With over 40 years of experience, we proudly offer a full continuum of nine programs throughout the San Gabriel Valley; services include street outreach, intake/assessment, care coordination and navigation, meals, shelter, housing, employment development, benefits enrollment, and referrals to medical and mental health services.