THE SHOW MUST GO ON TO SUPPORT ON OUR OWN’S
SINGLE MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN

 

As with almost every aspect of our lives these days, Media Experts’ ninth edition of Joey Elias and the Comedy All-Stars: An Evening of Hilarity for the Benefit of On Our Own (O3) will be a little different than in years past.

 

The added responsibility of respecting social distancing measures has made staging the fundraiser at Club Soda impossible. But, the show must go on – because more than ever before, the women and children at O3 need our help.

 

This year our benefit show moves to The Royalmount Drive-In on Wednesday, August 26th. Grab your tickets and drive your family in to see Joey and his roster of talented comedians put on a night of laugh-out-loud entertainment for this worthy cause. Help us continue our tradition of combining good deeds with big laughs while respecting social distancing measures, in a COVID-safe environment.

 

Joey Elias has rallied a roster of Montreal comedy all-stars including host Lawrence Corber, and local comedians Amanda McQueen, Harrison Weinreb, and Rodney Ramsey to deliver a full programme of hilarity for this truly great cause.

 

For those unfamiliar, On Our Own (O3) is a Montreal-based charitable organization dedicated to helping young, single mothers and their children achieve a better quality of life through affordable transitional housing, educational programs, and critical support services.

 

In the face of COVID-19, the majority of O3’s resident moms lost their jobs and have been single parenting for very young children, in a small apartment, all alone, 24/7. Those who were attending post-secondary education have struggled to complete courses with no respite from providing constant childcare. Moreover, the educational programs and daycare that O3 offers resident moms so they can concentrate on furthering their education, are unavailable due to social distancing measures and short staffing. Their community of support – the element that makes O3 so impactful – has been replaced with isolation.

 

“For our moms, the new reality they face is a disparaging level of financial and food insecurity that grows by the day, putting both their future and those of their children in jeopardy,“ explains Ushana Houston, Director of On Our Own. “To see the progress these women have made be threatened by societal fallout from the pandemic is heartbreaking. This is where your donations will, quite literally, change lives.”

 

Building on the success of past events, which raised $108,000 last year and $612,000 to date, 100% of the gifts from this years’ event will go directly O3, with overhead for the event covered by a benefactor. – an act that 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.

 

Although we can imagine that this pandemic has had financial impact on every individual and every organization in some way or another, none are more impacted than the families that organizations such as On Our Own are desperately trying to support. It’s in that light that we are asking that you join us by continuing to support them in any way you can.

 

“True, this pandemic has impacted us all. But it is not the great equalizer it is being heralded as,” says Mark Sherman, Founder and CEO of Media Experts. “The women and their young children at O3 represent a subset of our most vulnerable community – ones that we are asking you to join us in supporting them in any way you can.”

 

Participants can purchase their tickets for $40 at Eventbrite ($25 of which is tax deductible). Gates open at 6pm., and the laughs start at 7.

 

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ABOUT JOEY ELIAS  

For the past 25 years Joey Elias has been a mainstay of the Montreal Comedy Scene. Joey also travels across the World headlining comedy clubs, for corporate events and to multiple war zones to bring some levity to the Soldiers serving overseas. Joey has been described as Montreal as bagels, pot holes, and corrupt Mayors.

 

 

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 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
Sr. Communications Manager, Media Experts
e: elizabethm@mediaexperts.com
c: 514 220 1974