COMEDY FOR A CAUSE
Fundraiser will benefit Ukiah and Willits high schools
Total Bern Productions will be presenting its third annual Comedy for a Cause on April 13, at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center with all proceeds going toward Willits High School's Class of 2024 and Ukiah High School's Safe and Sober Grad Night, SCRAM.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. for drinks sold by the Greater Ukiah Business and Tourism Alliance, benefiting small local businesses, and desserts and the distribution of gift baskets and raffled items. The show begins at 8 p.m. ending at 9:30 p.m. — a non-stop, stand-up performance by one of the nation's hottest comics, Mark Lundholm.
“I learned so many defense mechanisms growing up in a dysfunctional family,” says Lundholm, “but none of them worked after I left the front porch.”
Of the new set of skills he eventually acquired, humor became key.
He went to jail, ended up homeless, burning every bridge and using up every favor on the way, and becoming his own therapist and pharmacist, as well.
In 1988, 29 years old and brand new in recovery, he was living in a halfway house in San Leandro and saw a flier at a 12step meeting for volunteers for a San Quentin variety show.
“I was the only one who auditioned as a comedian and I got the part; I was terrible but realized if I got better, I could do more; so, I got better. I work very hard at what I do; the secret to being a performer is 90 percent preparation and 10 percent presentation.”
That was 35 years ago and, since, Lundholm has performed in 15 countries and in all 50 states, multiple times; appeared on Comedy Central, Showtime, A&E, CBS, and NBC; performed his own one-man, off-Broadway show; and written a book, “Short Cuts: Better Ways to Better Days,” that will be available for sale at the event.
“I make a living talking about tough stuff in a humorous way because if we can laugh about it, we can talk about it. I'm bringing my best and newest stuff to Ukiah — a raw peeling back of some of the psychosis and insanity that people live with all day in their own heads. I deliver this in a sensitive, passionate and safe environment. The show is PG Plus (18 and over); and I won't stop for 90 minutes.”
For two previous years, Jake Bernie of Total Bern Productions hosted Comedy for a Cause at Rivino Winery with all proceeds going to the Willits High
School graduating class. This year the event will also benefit Ukiah High's SCRAM, and Bernie hopes to raise $10,000 for both schools in this bigger venue.
Proceeds for the Willits senior class will go toward all end- of-year activities, including Sober Grad Night, senior trip and senior gifts. For Ukiah High, it's all about SCRAM.
Volunteer Krista Savonen has been leading the SCRAM committee since 2018, having been passed the baton by Cheryl Graves, in charge from 1999 to 2019, who says the event goes back for at least 55 years.
“We provide a safe, nonalcoholic, fun event — keeping the Ukiah High graduating seniors safe for the whole night,” says Savonen. “They get to hang out with their friends and for many, for the last time. Some go to college, some to the military.”
Originally held at Ukiah High, for the past two years it's been at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center. Continuing in this new tradition, graduates and adult volunteers will again take over the downtown location on the night of graduation, June 7, and party until the morning of the 8th.
“They stay all night occupied with music, bingo, movies, scavenger hunts, a crafts room, cornhole, an obstacle course and food donated by local Ukiah businesses.
“It's $40 per student but we're trying to raise enough money so the graduates don't have to pay.”
She estimates that anywhere from half to three quarters of the senior class will attend the event run by 15-20 volunteer parents and community members, some of whom come and go while others stay up all night along with the kids.
The proceeds from the comedy show support the event itself and will be dispersed directly back to the kids.
“We have a cash draw at the end for those who have stayed throughout until the morning and, in the past, we've had a cash cube that blows money out and around.”
Savonen is grateful to the very supportive community that help make this event a successful one, keeping the seniors safe on their night of graduation.
Alex Bernie, a student at San Diego State majoring in international business and a '22 Ukiah High graduate, says about SCRAM, “It felt different having parents regulating us rather than teachers; it was one of the first times I felt recognized as an adult.”
Jude Rodriques, a business major at Sonoma State, also a '22 Ukiah High graduate, remembers his SCRAM in a heartfelt way.
“It was something to look forward to after graduation and we got to party and spend a large chunk of time together with everyone. In high school there're cliques but they all kind of dissolved at SCRAM. I got to talk to people who I'd never talked to or hung out with before. It was a very positive experience.”
The host, Jake “The Bern Man” Bernie, explains that doing comedy events for non-profits is a big part of what his company does. In the past, his shows have benefited The Boys & Girls Club, Ukiah High School Arts Department; Project Sanctuary; Rotary; Inland Humane Society; Wreaths Across America and The Alex Rorabaugh Center.
“We try to match and give away every year what we take in and, with the help of community sponsors, our events have been highly successful.”
Sponsors include: Ukiah Valley Conference Center; 101 Trailer and RV; One Stop Shot; Days Inn Ukiah; Vocality Community Credit Union; Granite Construction; Marvin's Garden; Craftsman Estate Jewelry; LG Electric; The Works Ukiah; Holes in the Wall; T&T Towing; Danny Mihelcic Construction; and UVAC.
Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com and at the Mendocino Book Company. General admission: $25; VIP tickets only online: $35; and VIP tables for eight only online $280. Contributions can also be sent to Total Bern Productions at 1341 Helen Ave., Ukiah, CA 95482.