Annual “No Laughing Matter” Comedy Night Gala Raises $620,000

THE SIXTH ANNUAL “NO LAUGHING MATTER” FUNDRAISER RAISES MORE THAN $620,000 FOR PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR RESEARCH AT WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE

An all-star comedy line-up donated time and talent to the laugh-out-loud fundraiser on October 10, helping raise research funding for rare and inoperable brain tumors at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Hope and inspiration filled the room on Friday, October 10 at the New York Athletic Club during the annual “No Laughing Matter” comedy night fundraiser to benefit the Children’s Brain Tumor Project (CBTP) at Weill Cornell Medicine. In six years, the event has raised $4,250,000 to benefit the groundbreaking research of Dr. Mark Souweidane and Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield, co-founders of the CBTP.

“We rely on this event not only to continue our current research but also to expand our efforts, accelerating the path to discovering cures and bringing them to the clinic. We are deeply grateful to the board of directors at the Children’s Brain Tumor Project Foundation, our dinner chair, Tara Lipton, the performers, honorees, sponsors, and the dedicated volunteer staff who helped make this event a remarkable success.” said Dr. Mark Souweidane.

Liz  Laugh Love Award Recipients Jonathan and Brittany Cogan

The annual “Liz Laugh Love” award was introduced in 2019 to remember Elizabeth Minter, a young patient with an incurable brain tumor who personally laid the foundation for the creation of the Children’s Brain Tumor Project by raising awareness, sharing her story, and fundraising for the discovery of treatment options for rare pediatric brain tumors.

At this year’s event, the “Liz Laugh Love” award was presented to Jonathan and Brittany Cogan for their commitment to supporting the growth of the precision medicine program for pediatric brain tumors at Weill Cornell Medicine. The Cogan family proudly supports this research through the Ellie Ruby Foundation, the inspirational nonprofit organization they founded in honor of their daughter Ellie, who battled a brain tumor when she was an infant and who was one of the very first patients to benefit from the program.

The Lineup

An all-star comedy lineup proved that sometimes laughter truly is the best medicine. Hosted by Brooke Baldwin, the event featured stand-up comedians Regina Decicco, Jordan Carlos, Mark Jigarian, and Eric D’Alessandro. One of Dr. Souweidane’s own patients, stand-up comedian Anthony Greco, delivered an especially hilarious set, sharing his ‘Tumor Humor’ that’s become a hit at comedy clubs across New York City. The evening closed with an immersive performance by Josh ‘The Foodie Magician,’ who captivated the audience with his incredible mentalism.

The comedy night fundraiser has become the largest annual fundraiser for the Children’s Brain Tumor Project, and we look forward to hosting another fantastic lineup in 2025. Save the date for Thursday, October 9th!!

IF YOU WERE UNABLE TO ATTEND, PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION.

Sponsors

Special thanks to our gift bag sponsors, Dr. Brandt, Goldwell, BeeRX, Lafco, Biore, COLOR WOW, Shinery, Ethique, Rescue MD, the Hair Edit, and Burts Bees.