FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2010
Media Contact:
Erica Vanstone
(215) 620-5613
ejvanstone@gmail.com
Soul Joel Productions Hosts Comedy Night for Gift of Life Family House
Comedy Central Vet Reese Waters Headlines in Cherry Hill Lineup to Memorialize Organ Donor
Cherry Hill, NJ—For some, “laughter is the best medicine” may simply be an old adage. But for local comedy promoter Joel Richardson, it’s also the way he chooses to help others heal. This Saturday, September 18th, Richardson, whose company Soul Joel Productions books and promotes comedy throughout the region, is hosting a comedy show to honor a local organ donor and friend, Dave “Rusty” Govito, and the Gift of Life Family House.
After enlisting in the Marines in 1994, Rusty decided to stay in San Diego, CA permanently. But in February 2003, Rusty was assaulted while coming to the aid of a female security officer. Three days later he died and became a hero for the second time by becoming an organ donor.
“Donation helped us move on,” says Ryan Govito, Rusty’s younger brother and lifelong friend to Richardson. “We had lost Rusty. But because he had told my mother that he wanted to be an organ donor, we were able to make the decision for him to donate. Rusty was gone but he was able to help others live and this helped us go on.” For Govito and his family, the path to go on lay in sharing Rusty’s story and encouraging organ donation. But for Richardson and his Soul Joel Productions, that way is through sharing the gift of laughter.
“Our family and Rusty’s family have always been so close,” says Richardson. “So it seemed like the right thing to do to put on a benefit show. And the Family House is such an amazing cause.” The comedy show will benefit Gift of Life Family House. Opening in late Fall 2010, the Family House seeks to ease the burdens of families whose loved ones are undergoing organ transplants in the Philadelphia region, by providing resources for them, such as meals, lodging and transportation.
“When Rusty died, we called the Comfort Inn home for a week,” says Govito. “We were in California, away from anything or anyone familiar. The hospital staff was great in helping us find a place to stay. But we were so tired that we almost did not care when we needed to. This exhaustion is the same for the families of those waiting for a life saving organ. The Family House will help ”
“It’s a really great show: Reese Waters is the headliner, with Kendra Cunningham, who’s been on Law & Order,” says Richardson. “Plus hosted by one of the best in the business Maddog Mattern!!!. “ The show begins at 8PM, Saturday September 18th at the Cherry Hill Holiday Inn.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online or by phone: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/123554 or 908.296.6278. Tickets are also available at the door.
“But besides being entertainment,” says Richardson, “I just want to honor a family that’s really close to me. This is how I know to do it.”
To learn more about the Gift of Life Family House, please call (215) 557-8090 or visit our website at
www.giftoflifefamilyhouse.org.
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