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Date: 8/7/2023
HOLYOKE – After a year with no youth football in Holyoke, parents and organizers alike have taken on the charge of reworking a new foundation from the ground up and in those efforts, are hosting Funny for Football: a comedy fundraiser to benefit Holyoke Youth Football.
The fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 12 at Fiesta Café in Holyoke. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Performers will feature some of the top local comedians in the region and money raised will go to benefit Holyoke Youth Football.
Holyoke Youth Football board member Brittany Rodriguez told Reminder Publishing after a one-year hiatus, many new parents have stepped up to rework the foundation of the youth sports organization.
“We’re a program that, unfortunately, is used to getting bashed and a bad rap. We’ve been underfunded for a long time but we’re rebuilding everything from the ground up,” Rodriguez said. “We’re coming back better than ever. We’re trying to build work ethic, morals, building character, rebuilding a sense of community all through the city’s youth and that’s what we really want to do.”
Rodriguez explained last season was canceled due to lack of a full working board and partially due to funding. This year more community members have stepped up and the majority of the newest board is made up of all new members.
When exploring fundraising opportunities to start the rebuild, Rodriguez said the board came across Funny for Funds which is a group of comedians based out of Rhode Island who put on shows to help local New England groups fundraise. According to its website, Funny for Funds has raised almost $10 million during its run. All profits from the event will go toward Holyoke Youth Football.
“We’re trying to rebuild, and I think this will be a really fun way to get people involved,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez added funds raised will go toward new equipment like helmets and shoulder pads, and a storage trailer following damages to the current one.
The fundraiser will also feature raffles and different auctions to go along with the restaurant and comedy. Rodriguez said sponsors are still being accepted and anyone who donates over $100 will be considered a sponsor and have their name put out through Holyoke Youth Football, social media and will be featured on a banner ad showing they were a sponsor of the event.
“The more we have the more kids we’ll be able to help, the more equipment we’ll be able to replace and all of that,” Rodriguez said.
For tickets, more information on becoming a sponsor of the event, or looking to donate visit https://www.funny4funds.com/events/funny-for-football-a-comedy-fundraiser-to-benefit-holyoke-youth-football/1131.
Rodriguez added Holyoke Youth Football is always looking for volunteers for events throughout the season.
Rodriguez has gotten involved with Holyoke Youth Football as her son is playing in his first year of youth football after not being able to a year ago.
“For me it was just really important to become involved so that he could play because he wanted to. That was kind of my driving force was to be able to rebuild this football community for Holyoke’s community so our kids who want to play can play,” Rodriguez said. “Especially since COVID and just the way our world is now with electronics it’s really important to get these kids out and moving and building that community and again, not only in terms of electronics versus being outside like the old school days but also just again, building that community, building relationships, building sportsmanship, all of that is so important. Football used to be so big in Holyoke and unfortunately it just got away from that so we’re trying to make that community building back up again.”