The Toluca Lake Garden Club (TLGC) put the “fun” in fundraising with its February 12 comedy event at the Garry Marshall Theatre, “Laughs for Love of Our Community.” Neighbors and friends gathered for refreshments before being treated to a live game show played by audience contestants, hosted by Jonathan Mangum of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Let’s Make a Deal.
The event was chaired by TLGC member Kari Negri, who shares that the inspiration came from fellow member Leah Mangum. “My friends Leah and Jonathan Mangum are amazing people with generous hearts and a love of community,” she says. “They offered to do a game/improv show, and my job was to figure out how to combine their talents and engage the community with it.” Adding the cocktail hour before the show, with food provided by Hungry Crowd, enhanced the social element, “giving us all time to catch up with each other and also get to know new people by sitting around the big table in the middle.” The evening also included a Valentine’s gift boutique featuring The Rouge Cosmetics and Cocoa + Cream, as well as prizes furnished by the Toluca Lake Tennis and Fitness Club and Red Maple, and flowers from Forget Me Not Florist. Nearly all TLGC members contributed their time and talents to help make the event a success, with Negri giving a special shout-out to Kelly Gilmore’s record-keeping and organizational skills.
The centerpiece of the evening, of course, was the comedy. “The show used people from our community and engaged the entire audience because we knew everyone who went up there, which made it really fun to watch,” Negri notes. “I received multiple emails and calls about how much fun it was and congratulating us on a great community event. People really enjoyed themselves, and we are so grateful to Jonathan for contributing his valuable time.”
Drawing about 85 guests, the event raised approximately $6,500 that will be invested back into the community, benefiting the Toluca Lake Elementary School garden, the TLGC’s annual scholarship for Cal State Northridge students and neighborhood beautification projects.