When my long-time friend, Vincent J.Russo of the Russo Law Group sent me an invitation to a virtual fund raiser benefitting the Theresa Foundation, I thought it would be fun especially in quarantine.
Comedy Night
On Friday evening, Derrick Tennant and his younger sister, Julie Tennant were the comics. They weren’t the “typical” comics. They both faced challenges in their lives and have turned “lemons into lemonade”as the saying goes.
Derrick, a talented man who lost access to one side of his body after having an aneurysm and brain surgery, talked candidly about his abilities. Instead of dwelling on his disability, he poked fun of it, and focused on the bright side of life.
When his sister, Julie, who has down syndrome, was introduced later in his act, she talked about her extra chromosome. The stories that they both told were funny, honest and raw. You couldn’t help but love them both!
To top off the evening, Popcorn for the People sent all the attendees kettle corn that was made and distributed by people with autism. My bag of popcorn was made by Audria. (It tasted delicious by the way!)
The money raised from this event went toward the Theresa Foundation.
Little background on the Theresa Foundation
Vincent and Susan Russo’s daughter, Theresa Alessandra, was born with microcephalas and cerebral palsy, which caused her to be disabled and robbed her of her life. She passed away at age 5. The Theresa Foundation was established shortly after her passing as a way to honor her memory and give back to children with special needs.
The Foundation fosters each child’s unique abilities by providing programs focusing on art, music, dance, drama, and recreation.
This foundation has done so much for children with special needs in our community. I felt proud to be at Comedy Night and I look forward to supporting more of their fund raisers. It’s a wonderful charity and if you are interested in giving back, please visit, http://www.theresafoundation.org/.
