COMEDY NIGHT 2018 (4th Annual Swing Into Spring Event)

February 17th, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4^th ANNUAL SWING INTO SPRING EVENT
COMEDY NIGHT!
Saturday, April 21^st, 2018
to benefit Spring Reins of Life 501c3

New Jersey – January 31, 2018 — This winter has been so cold we are all ready to welcome Spring 2018! Join us with a fun time of COMEDY, DINNER & DESSERT!  On Saturday, April 21^st from 530pm-10pm (ish) at The Flemington Elks Lodge there will be an evening of food, drink and funnymen at the 4^th Annual Swing Into Spring event which benefits central NJ nonprofit Spring Reins of Life.  Headliner this year is Dustin Chafin, featured is Bill Chiang along with Marc Kaye, Mark Riccadonna, Buddy Harris and Mike DiAlto (MC: Darren Ventre)!  Ticket includes sampling buffet, dessert and hours of fun with a full service cash bar all night.  There will be lots of prizes and lucky chances for you to win while supporting the cause of helping veteran & youth trauma survivors in New Jersey to find trust and personalized coping skills from a special Herd of horses. For detailed information on the performers – see bio listings below.

The Three Bridges based nonprofit, Spring Reins of Life (SRoL) will utilize the funding raised at Comedy Night to provide EAP (Equine Assisted Psychotherapy) group therapy sessions for moderate to severe trauma survivors, namely:  at-risk/high-risk youth teens, PTSD veterans and bereaved children by way of the horse.   SRoL has found that the majority of trauma survivors either does not want, or simply cannot “talk about it” and so utilizing an un-mounted EAP approach can go a long way to establishing trust, finding personal coping skills and present moment without saying anything! Tickets are $35.00 with the option to add additional donation. If you cannot attend please consider making a tax deductible donation for any amount at: www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-swing-into-spring-comedy-night-tickets-42976726546

SRoL provides EAP services under the EAGALA Model certified program and since there is no riding involved it is not necessary to have any prior horse experience to achieve results – in fact most of SRoL clients have never been in contact with a horse before. The horses provide immediate ‘present moment’, a space of peace, a natural environment to build trust, and due to their size / power coping and resiliency skills which create pathways for more of the same. Sir Winston Churchill may have said it best in the quote “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”.

 

ABOUT Dustin Chafin (Headliner) Since Chafin first grasped the microphone, he has been very busy. He has been featured in the New York Underground Comedy Festival and Hosted The Bill Hicks Tribute Show at the Laugh Factory. Dustin has been featured in the Chicago and Las Vegas comedy festivals where he won “Best of Fest.” Chafin headlines regularly at premiere NYC venues such as Caroline’s on Broadway, Comic Strip Live, Broadway Comedy Club, Dangerfields and Standup NY. He is the creator of “Uncensored Comedy,” a critically acclaimed show that runs weekends in New York City and nationally on tour becoming the staple of the award-winning Greenwich Village Comedy Club.  Chafin has toured with the USO to perform in Korea, Japan, Africa and Iraq. He has been a staff writer for the Sci-Fi Channel, and contributing writer for many television shows. Dustin is a regular on Sirius and XM Satellite Radio—he has been featured on Jim Breuer Unleashed, Court TV Radio, Blue Collar Radio, Howard Stern radio, Howard Demand, Insight Channel and Raw Dog. He was also featured on ABC’s special coverage of the New York Comedy Festival.  Dustin brought down the house on Showtime’s White Boyz in the Hood. Dustin has also been a writer, producer for United Stations Radio and iHeart radio. He will be playing himself in an upcoming episode of Crashing on HBO new series created by Judd Apatow. “Stop Telling People That” his new album released on Comedy Records is available on iTunes. www.DustinChafin.com

ABOUT Bill Chiang (Feature) An immigrant with a traditional Asian background, stand-up comedy is probably the last thing people would have predicted for Bill.  In fact, even he doesn’t believe it. Out of curiosity, he tried one night in 2005 and since then, he has quickly become regular in clubs across the East Coast. Bill’s source for comedy comes from the absurdity and silliness of everyday life.  Unique views on sex, TV and stories about growing up as an Asian immigrant in NYC makes him a crowd favorite in clubs and benefits.  Bill is a comedy competition winner in NYC, has been featured on Comcast On-Demand and has played in historic comedy venues such as the New York Comedy Club, The Comic Strip, Catch a Rising Star and the Comedy Cabaret in Philadelphia.

ABOUT Mark Riccadonna (Feature) Mark Riccadonna grew up an artsy jock outside of Youngstown, Ohio. At age 17 (like a bad independent movie), Mark moved to NYC in search of himself and happiness. He pursued Theatre at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, joining “The Company” after graduation. Soon after, Mark stumbled upon Stand-Up Comedy and found success as a storyteller, performing throughout New York City, and ‘on the road’. Mark currently also performs for Armed Forces Entertainment and has entertained U.S. and U.N. Troops worldwide, performing in six continents while working with his childhood heroes. Outside of comedy, Mark is an accomplished actor and writer. Most recently Mark has a lead role in the feature film “Days of Power” and is writing for Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update.  Whether he is working with The Amoralists Theatre Company (In the acclaimed hit “Happy in the Poor House”), Angry Shih Tzu Productions or on tour with Stand-Up, Mark continues to climb the ranks. He is a gifted storyteller, with a charisma that makes you feel like you’ve known him forever, unique delivery, signature voice (featured in many commercials) and likability; you will see why he is a favorite at clubs and theatres everywhere.  www.MarkRiccadonna.com

ABOUT Marc Kaye (Opener) Marc Kaye has been a regular on the comedy circuit spinning tales of growing up differently, navigating fatherhood, divorce, strange looks while traveling and even stranger thoughts when not distracted! Marc has performed in clubs from CT through Washington, DC on the East Coast and nationally, as well, often finding that there are no real regional differences that can’t be overcome when it comes to humor.  An avid writer and musician, Marc has also developed several scripts, three web series, authored numerous articles and written for Fortune 100 companies.  https://www.facebook.com/marc.kaye.5

ABOUT Buddy Harris (Opener) After being inspired by his 6yr old daughter to get off his butt and chase his dreams, Buddy Harris jumped head first into the comedy circuit. Performing up and down the coast, Buddy bases his comedy on life experiences. Being a divorced, father of 3 daughters, he has plenty of experiences to talk about. http://facebook.com/buddy.harris.comedy

ABOUT Mike DiAlto (Opener) Mike DiAlto is a comedian who has been preforming all over the U.S. for the last 7 years. Originally from Staten Island, NY Mike and his family moved to New Hope, PA in the late 90’s giving him a wit that is both city grown and country bound. He’s made many stops from bar shows in L.A. to fire houses in New Jersey to some of the biggest clubs in NYC and on the east coast. His wild style on stage keeps every show fun and captivating. Mike also he has a long running monthly show at the legendary rock club John and Peters in New Hope, PA. www.facebook.com/mikedialto

MC: Darren Ventre!

 

 

 

ABOUT Spring Reins of Life, 501c3
Spring Reins of Life (Horses, Humans & Healing) is a 501c3 nonprofit public charity offering Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) to trauma survivors in New Jersey, NYC and Eastern PA. Spring Reins of Life (SRoL) was founded in 2012 and is dedicated to serving PTSD veterans & their families, at-risk/high- risk youth and children in bereavement.  In 2014 SRoL became the first and still currently the only program in New Jersey to earn the “Military Services Provider Certificate”.  SRoL’s clients include: Lyons VA Hospital, Lakewood Vet Center, Bonnie Brae, Misunderstood Youth Development Center, New City Kids, Hunterdon Youth Services, NJJJC, NJTS and Good Grief Princeton.  EAP services are offered under the EAGALA Model adhering to code of ethics and HIPAA compliancy. SRoL is a volunteer run organization allowing the majority of all funding to be spent on programming costs and providing as many groups offerings as possible. Public/private funding is both necessary and greatly appreciated; all donations are fully tax deductible. Have skills? Offer to volunteer!  www.SpringReinsofLife.org

Continued from above:

The EAGALA Model has seen a massive growth rate of over 400% in the last 3 years.  EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) has certified programs in all 50 United States and over 50 countries offering an acute intervention based and solution focused therapeutic model for an extremely wide array of mental health issues. SRoL is proudly a certified EAGALA program since 2012 serving 1000’s of trauma survivors, additionally SRoL is one of 17 programs in the USA to earn “Military Service Provider” certification (first in NJ since 2014).

In 2010 RAND Report posted that 22+ veterans commit suicide everyday – this number was based on 30% of states reporting and this was 5 years ago. New Jersey has a high population of veterans from OIF, OEF and Vietnam – we need to see an intervention that will save lives, today not tomorrow. SRoL’s Operation Horse is designed specifically for combat veterans who are struggling with PTSD, here is a short video that illustrates why horses Veterans-Operation Horse by UpWorthy SRoL currently works with Lyons VA Hospital’s PTSD Units on a regular ongoing basis and is in constant need of funding for this population.

On The numbers of inner city teens that are in trouble with the law and involved in gang violence is at an all-time high, yet we see positive behavior changes while in the EAP arena in as little as one group session. The tactics that work on the street will not work with a 1000 pound horse, so other (more positive) skills are developed to be successful. Horses do not care if you if you are a dropout or can spell, they care about the truth of who you are being.  Young children who have suffered a loss close to them are grieving just as much as the older family members but without the vocabulary and life experience to draw upon, expressing their feelings can be difficult and frustrating. SRoL recently began an alliance with Good Grief Princeton called Pony Pals and we are ready to go once we raise just under $9,000 to cover these costs in 2018.

EAP has seen a growing trend for people who are suffering from mental / emotional issues – the horses provide a way to explore their feelings and emotions with honest, nonjudgmental feedback and reactions that allow the participant to decide if the outcome was favorable or not. If you are curious to learn more about this form of therapy contact Spring Reins of Life at info@springreinsoflife.org.  Annually on the first Sunday in June there is an Open House/Demo where the public can come and meet the Herd and see what EAP is about. This year’s Open House is on Sunday, June 3^rd from 12-3pm. “The elusive answers to life’s most difficult and complex challenges come to the surface from within by accepting guidance from…a Horse!”         

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Posted in News & Events, SROL Events, SROL Fundraisers

Tags: Comedy Night, EAGALA, Horses, New Jersey, PTSD, Spring Reins of Life, Spring Reins of Life Fundraiser, Standup Comedy NJ, Teens, Veterans