A comedy show with an open bar and dinner returns to Newport, Kentucky this week for its 13th year, all in the name of raising money for kids battling cancer. “Laughter is the Best Medicine” takes place Friday, September 11, at the Newport Syndicate, pairing stand-up comedy, dinner, and an open bar to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
The event was profiled by Cincy Lifestyle, the WCPO lifestyle show hosted by Michelle Hopkins that covers community organizations, businesses, and happenings around Greater Cincinnati. The show, which also features Mariah Ellis, highlighted the fundraiser as it returns for its 13th year at the historic Newport venue.
A Decade of Growth for a Local Cause
The fundraiser’s local impact is measured in its cumulative giving: It generated approximately $600,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through 2024, according to the Northern Kentucky Tribune. The event began in 2013, after local Window World franchise owner John Oslica expanded the company’s operation into Northern Kentucky in 2009, the Tribune reported.
Tickets run $150 per person and include an open bar, a dinner buffet, and a live stand-up show, the outlet reports. Organizers have deliberately built the night around comedy rather than a traditional charity golf outing.
Tied to a National Fundraising Network
The Newport event is part of Window World Cares, the company foundation established in 2008. The foundation has raised more than $17 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital over 16 years, according to the Northern Kentucky Tribune. The local fundraiser is one part of that broader effort.
Why the Money Matters
The stakes behind the comedy and cocktails are significant. Families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food, according to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, with ALSAC raising 80% of the funds necessary to operate St. Jude.
St. Jude also conducts research and provides clinical treatments, as reported by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
A Venue With Its Own Backstory
This year's gathering unfolds inside the Newport Syndicate at 18 E. 5th St., a venue that provides the setting for a night built around laughs with a purpose.
The Event’s Wider Context
Window World Cares has documented the partnership’s early scale as well. In a 2012 account, Window World Cares said its relationship with St. Jude had generated more than $2.5 million in donations since 2008, including one full day of operating costs valued at $1.7 million, according to Window World Cares. The fundraiser also takes place within a broader visitor-focused redevelopment area. Campbell County describes Riverfront Commons as a planned $50 million, 11-mile uninterrupted walkway, bikeway and pathway along the Ohio River from Covington to Fort Thomas. The county also describes Newport on the Levee as a 360,000-square-foot mixed-use entertainment district acquired for more than $100 million, with plans for another $100 million in investment.
