2007 Corporate Support Letters 2007.cdr

COMEDY
COURAGE
Canada’s Largest Comedy Benefit Concert in Support of Mental Health
“Helping Our Mental Health Community
Help Themselves Through Laughter, Comedy and Courage”
CORPORATE PLEDGE & SUPPORT LETTERS — 2007
Global
BC
®
B E N E FI T S YS T E M S
Coast Capital Savings Credit Union
Head Office
15117 101 Avenue - Fourth Floor
Surrey, BC V3R 8P7
T 604.517.7400 F 604.517.7405
www.coastcapitalsavings.com
November 8, 2006
To potential Comedy Courage sponsors:
Coast Capital Savings first sponsored Comedy Courage in its inception in 2003. Since then our relationship has
grown immensely. Today, we're very proud to be the presenting sponsor of the 2007 gala dinner and showcase.
Comedy Courage founder Darcy James Goral's passion is to give people with mental health diagnosis and issues
the opportunity to prove what they can do, and Coast Capital Savings is pleased to champion them in this
undertaking.
According to Health Canada, twenty percent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness during their
lifetime. One million Canadians live with a severe or persistent mental illness. It affects people of all ages,
educational and income levels, and cultures, as well as their family and friends. Unfortunately, there is still a
stigma attached to mental illnesses that presents a serious barrier not only to diagnosis and treatment, but also to
acceptance in the community. Comedy Courage helps remove this stigma by providing a safe and supportive
environment for those with mental health issues to build confidence, self-esteem, and social skills. In turn, they
help educate the public and provide positive role models to others.
We challenge others in the community to support this great cause. It's not just about writing a cheque, but about
organizations that help make our local communities a better place to live and work.
It is truly a pleasure to support Comedy Courage and we wish them the best of luck with the 4th Annual Laughing
and Giving from the Heart gala dinner and showcase.
Sincerely,
Lloyd Craig
President & CEO
Global Television
Network
A CanWest Company
November 04, 2006
Mr. Darcy James Goral
Founder, Comedy Courage
Suite 19 - 8638, 159 Street
Surrey, British Columbia V4N 5P7
7850 Enterprise Street
Burnaby BC V5A 1V7
Tel 604-421-9494
Fax 604-421-9466
Global
Dear Darcy,
BC
®
As we approach 2007, it is a pleasure to continue our support for Comedy
Courage's Laughing and Giving from the Heart Showcase & Gala.
All the good work the comedy course does for the participants, and all the monies
raised to support mental health, make this an extremely valuable asset for the
community.
Your energy, positive outlook, and tireless efforts always make the annual Gala a
fabulous success and I'm sure this coming year will be bigger and better than ever!
I wish you the best in approaching companies and organizations to contribute to this
most worthwhile charitable event providing an uplifting and enjoyable focus for
mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
For those who may be considering coming to the Gala all I can say is there is a good
chance you may laugh and cry, and laugh again! Every year, we've had some
touching moments, and occasionally not intended - some sidesplitting hilarity!
I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to be part of your team and help MC
one of the best nights of the year.
Thanks again for all your creativity, positive approach, and hard work.
Time to begin “Laughing and Giving from the Heart!”
John L. Daly
Senior Reporter
BCTV News on Global
604-612-4453 (mobile)
604-422-6528 (office)
[email protected]
JOHN L. DALY
Trademark of CanWest Global Communications Corp. ®Used under license by CanWest Television Network Inc.
Windsor Squire • Suite 246, 1959 — 152nd Street • White Rock, BCV4A 9E3
Phone 604 536-8887 • Toll Free 1-800-667-0797 • Fax Main 604-536-1552 • Fax Admin 604-538-9895
B E N E FI T S YS T E M S
Innovative Employee Benefits Management Systems
November 1, 2006
Mr. Darcy James Goral
Founder, Comedy Courage
#19-8638, 159 Street,
Surrey, British Columbia V4N 5P7
Dear Darcy,
I am writing to express our deepest appreciation to you for involving so many of us at
WestPro in the 3rd Annual Laughing and Giving from the Heart. It was an evening that I
know we will remember for a long time. You continue to amaze us all with the energy and
commitment you bring to this worthy project.
For those of our staff that helped out, I want you to know that many described it as a real
privilege to get to know you and work alongside of you. Like many organizations we are
regularly canvassed for contributions to various good and worthy community endeavours and
where possible we do participate. It is rare to find someone like you who so clearly and
deeply respects and honours the people you are supporting – your friends. You have, with
our introduction to Comedy Courage, blessed our team and their family members through their
experiencing, first hand, the Gala Dinner and Showcase this past May. It is an evening like
no other – every person there was filled with a new sense of understanding, and the warmth
that comes with the connection and sense of family that you delivered to everyone there.
Your dedication, contagious enthusiasm and wonderful sense of humour are inspiring. As a
lesson in team-building and commitment it just doesn’t come much better. Our folks were
able to have fun, to laugh and, in a few cases, to cry – all the while being doubly blessed in
knowing that they were making a tangible and enduring contribution to a cause they now
understood. That is truly an enduring value that everyone takes away from a night with
Comedy Courage.
I can imagine the sense of purpose and mission that empowers you in your work on these
Galas. The design and production of promotional materials is first class and your marketing
focus in rallying a community of support, lining up corporate sponsors along with the wide
array of silent auction items is exceptional. The presence and involvement of top flight media
people is the measure of your success on the public relations side of Comedy Courage.
I am personally very proud to know you and our firm is honoured to participate alongside you
and your friends Darcy. Be assured that for 2007 we will reserve our fun and blessing well in
advance of the gala date.
Yours very truly,
Howard Kettner
Founder and President
www.westprobenefits.co m
26-4th Street, New Westminster, British Columbia
V3L 5M4
Tel: 604-525-2260 Fax: 604-525-2190 Email: [email protected] Website: lafflines.com
Mr. Darcy James Goral
Founder, Comedy Courage
#19-8638, 159 Street,
Surrey, British Columbia V4N 5P7
Novemeber 01, 2006
Dear Darcy and potential 2007 sponsors
It was a great pleasure to be part of Comedy Courage as a sponsor and to lend our club as a venue
for teaching the “3rd Generation of Courageous Comics” for 2006.
I was introduced to Darcy through renown comic Patrick Maliha and we first met in February
2006 at the first Comedy Courage class. I immediately took a liking to Darcy and his cause of
helping others with mental health diagnoses and issues by his vision that humour heals.
Through the power of laughter I witnessed these very courageous comics take to stage on May 17,
2006 Gala dinner & Showcase. I was truly moved in my heart. I now have a new awareness just
what talented people these were because each one of them have a mental health diagnoses and
they proved that night just what they could do when given an opportunity.
I applaud Darcy for his foresight to treat all his friends in the mental health community with
compassion and dignity.
Darcy also approached me for the use of our club in KIND to show the full feature documentary
“Comedy Courage,” produced by Ami Catriona. My answer in a heartbeat was a resounding yes!
The night proved to be a fantastic success and a great awareness to Comedy Courage’s mission
and quest. It was also wonderful to see so many sponsors come together again for an evening of
awareness and sharing stories.
For those of you who are thinking of becoming a sponsor to such a worthy cause in our province
and communites I can only say you will not be disappointed and realize it really is:
“Laughing and Giving from the Heart.”
I believe in this program whole heartedly and I am offering the use of Lafflines Comedy Club
once again.... as the 2007 venue for teaching the “4th Generation of Courageous Comics.” I
would like to add that I am honoured to now be on the Comedy Courage advisory board as a
volunteer and sponsor.
Sincerely yours,
Barry Buckland
President
October 02, 2006
Dear Comedy Courage Advisory Board,
I regret that I could not be at the first Comedy Courage Advisory Board meeting on October 17, 2006 as I
will be on holiday.
Darcy James came into see me knowing that I was going on holiday and just knowing Darcy it did not
surprise me that he came in to visit me and explain his passion and vision for the Comedy Courage
proposed 2006-2007 sponsored endeavour. He stated he would like to partner with Mind Foundation of BC
and the Schizophrenia Society of BC.
Darcy went on to explain why he had such a passion. He told me of his own personal experiences with
psychosis and he explained to me that Schizophrenia is so miss understood and has the biggest mental
health stigma in society that he has ever experienced. He continued stating that Bi-Polar is sort of trendy
and I found it interesting how he explained that. In his words “Saxon it is sort of cool to have bi-polar, look
at people like Margo Kitter, Patty Duke and even local radio celebrity Rafe Mair they have it and there is
great awareness there. Saxon celebs that have Schizophrenia or a psychotic experience don't talk about it.
People think it is split personality and Saxon I have been called Phsyco.”
I know Darcy James well since 2003 and I have to agree with him that his passion for the Mind Foundation
and the Schizophrenia Society of BC needs to be Staples as a company and Comedy Courage’s 2006-2007
endeavour so we can create a better awareness in this area of mental health wellness.
Darcy and the Comedy Courage Advisory Board have my full support from Staples Store #93 in Langley,
British Columbia for his passion for next years endeavour to spread awareness on this. In fact we sent him
back to his office with colour toner today so he can continue awareness for mental health.
I look forward to seeing you all at the next Comedy Courage Advisory Board meeting. Please keep me
posted as to the dates.
Regards,
Saxon Wong
General Manager
Staples Business Depot – Langley Location Store 93
200-20055 Willowbrook Drive, Langley, BC V2Y 2T5 — Phone: (604) 514-2160 Fax: (604) 530-5274
http://www.staples.ca