On August 26th, Media Experts, Joey Elias, and his roster of funny friends turned a night of laugh-out-loud entertainment into critical fundraising to support some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

The added responsibility of respecting social distancing measures meant that this ninth edition of Joey Elias and the Comedy All-Stars: An Evening of Hilarity for the Benefit of On Our Own (O3), moved to the Royalmount Drive-In. The event brought the media, advertising, and ad tech worlds, and Montrealers together to raise essential funding for O3. This year’s collective effort raised $ 105,357 bringing the grand total of donations raised to date for this non-profit to over $ 717,957 The funds raised will help  O3 to continue to positively impact the lives of young mothers and fathers and their children in Montreal – particularly now, as they face more food and financial insecurities brought on by the rippling effects of the pandemic.

The lineup of entertainers included many of Montreal’s brightest comedy all-stars joining Joey onstage: the evening’s host Lawrence Corber, Amanda McQueen, Harrison Weinreb, and Rodney Ramsey, entertained 500 attendees from the safety of their cars and beach chairs.

With Media Expert’s founder footing the bill for event logistics, and the comedians donating their time and talent, 100% of the funds raised from the comedy benefit evening go to funding Montreal-based On Our Own. This act will allow O3 to provide residents with adequate food security so their families will not live meal to meal; increase qualified daycare staffing to provide moms with respite while respecting newly mandated childcare social distancing norms of 2-3 children per group; and develop new social and educational programming that address the unique needs of this very vulnerable population. This includes building a more robust digital literacy program and structured Pre-K educational programmes that support the transition to online learning for both parents and their children.

“To say it’s been a difficult year for our families would be an understatement, but the support we’ve seen from the generous donors of this event truly put me at a loss for words,” explains Ushana Houston, Director of On Our Own. “This year’s fundraiser means we can increase our output of educational programming and childcare so no family falls further behind, allowing them to continue on their personal path to breaking the cycle of poverty.”

“I like to believe that tough times bring out the best in people, and the support we’ve seen from the advertising community and people of Montreal further solidifies that belief,” explained Mark Sherman, Founder and CEO of Media Experts. “This ongoing fundraiser is a direct reflection of Media Experts’  culture of care, and a legacy I am proud to continue as it represents the single largest infusion of funds that O3 receives annually.”

To learn more or make a donation, visit the event website and watch this video:

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 ABOUT ON OUR OWN (O3)
Since 2005, On Our Own has worked within the community to provide quality housing to young, low income, underserved families. In tandem, this empowers parents to take on present and future challenges successfully, be they financial, personal or with respect to their parenting skills.

O3 assists families in planning for their future by offering them work, training, and educational opportunities, workshops to develop life skills and programs to support and strengthen the bond between parent and child. O3’s goals include providing parents with the necessary tools to increase family stability, decrease isolation, exclusion and homelessness, and grant access to preventative services to break the cycle of poverty. O3 helps young parents take charge of their life – one child, and one family, at a time. Learn more at o3onourown.com.

ABOUT MEDIA EXPERTS
Founded in 1981, Media Experts is a leading Canadian media agency that delivers messaging for major Canadian brands across all media channels. We are data-driven and powered by discovery. Our approach revolves around designing effective, hard-working media strategies that drive brand engagement and deliver outstanding business results. With three offices across the country and 180 employees, we are a truly Canadian media agency, and proud to be part of the IPG Mediabrands network.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON  OUR OWN, PLEASE CONTACT:
Ushana Houston

Director, On Our Own (O3)
e: director@o3onourown.com
t: 514 369 0757
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE EVENT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Elizabeth McPhedran
e: elizabeth.mcphedran@gmail.com
c: 514 220 1974