Intermountain Donor Services is teaming up with Wiseguys Comedy Club in Ogden and Ogden Peak Communications to host a free comedy night on October 28th. The event, “The Wiseguys Guide to Organ Donation,” will feature local comedians, including Craig Bielik.
“There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about organ donation. We have been working with Wiseguys Comedy Club and a great group of comedians to find ways to use humor to get people to think about some of the issues and clear up the common misconceptions,” Dixie Madsen, the public education and public relations coordinator for Intermountain Donor Services, said.
“Many people don’t want to think about dying or organ donation, so getting people to have that conversation with their families can be difficult. If we can make the topic a little light hearted and get people to laugh a little, they are more open to talking about donation,” Madsen said.
According to yesutah.org, over 800 Utahns are on the waiting list for a life saving organ transplant. There are 2.9 million Utah Residents, and 1.5 million of those residents are registered donors. Of the 15,000 annual deaths, only 130 are eligible to be donors. Each year, 100 Utahns donate organs.
Communications 3892 is a Weber State University course in which students run a public relations firm called Ogden Peak Communications. The class is divided into teams, and each team takes on a client to work with for the semester. This semester, one of the teams is representing Intermountain Donor Services.
“We would really love to see Weber State University students attend this event. It is a great opportunity for people to come out and learn a little bit about organ donation while enjoying an entertaining evening. It’s rare to be able to mix education and entertainment the way that this comedy night will,” said Sarah Jackson, the account executive overseeing the team working with Intermountain Donor Services.
“You can address organ donation by handing out flyers or showing people the heart wrenching stories, but through comedy, you are able to address a heavy topic through an avenue that makes people laugh. I think it’s a great way to spend an hour or two,” said Kyle Froerer, vice president of student programming and member of Ogden Peak Communications.
Wiseguys Comedy Club in Ogden has been open since 2003 and has worked with Intermountain Donor Services in the past. Keith Stubbs, comedian and owner of Wiseguys Comedy Club, said that being involved in charities is just “the right thing to do.” He stated that getting information to people through comedy can be highly effective.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the event begins at 7 p.m. The event is free to the public. Wiseguys Comedy Club is located at 269 Historic 25th Street in Ogden. For more information, visit the Yes Utah Organ Donor Registry Facebook page.
