Leasiders plan to laugh up a storm for charity

Who doesn’t need a good LOL now and then? For Leasiders, it’s an annual affair.

Laugh out Loud in Leaside is having its fifth annual comedy night on Feb. 28 at Leaside Memorial Gardens, with proceeds from the $80-a-seat event going to a local charity.

Laugh out Loud in Leaside is a project started by local real estate agent Charlene Kalia, who says she might have discontinued it this year if not for a demonstration of “Leasiders’ giving spirits.”

“I started getting emails and phone calls from local residents saying, ‘I hope you’re doing the fundraiser again,’” Kalia said. “It really spoke volumes to me when I started getting the calls from people and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, people are counting on this.’”

All money raised will go to not-for-profit charity New Circles, which provides clothing, service referrals and skills programs to residents of Flemingdon Park, Thorncliffe Park and Victoria Village.

Kalia said the money will go specifically to assist the group in moving its headquarters from Thorncliffe Park to Bermondsey Road.

The event will feature Second City alumnus Jack Hourigan as host, with entertainment provided by Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club, as well as live music.

In previous years the money has gone toward building a second ice pad at Leaside Memorial Gardens, a goal that was realized on Oct. 5. Laugh out Loud in Leaside raised $120,000 for the project.