COMICS4CHRIST
AT THE COMICS4CHRIST EVENT, (l-r) organizer Anthony Begonia, youth and music director of the Santa Monica Corps; comedians Bone and Gilbert Esquivel; and Captain Brian West. |
BY COLLEEN FERGUSON –
Laughs were on the program when The Salvation Army’s Santa Monica Corps hosted Comics4Christ L.A., a live theater-style performance by professional comedians. The comics played to an appreciative audience of more than 700 people gathered in Congress Hall at the Los Angeles Central Corps, including Salvation Army employees, family members, clients of Army programs and the general public.
The show was free, with a voluntary offering collected at the close of the program to benefit the Comics4Christ L.A. scholarship program and the Santa Monica Corps participation in YouthQuake 6.02. Among those attending were Salvation Army program participants who were provided with transportation to the show from facilities including The Haven, Santa Monica and Anaheim Adult Rehabilitation Centers, and Bell Shelter.
The event was coordinated by Anthony Begonia, music and youth director at the Santa Monica Corps, with the help of Corps Officers Captains Brian and Iva West, Volunteer Services Coordinator Arthur Spencer, Los Angeles Central Corps Officer Captain Pedro Delgado and Music Director Manuel Gaytan, and staff members of both corps.
Comics4Christ, spearheaded by the comedian, Bone, features today’s top Christian comics who are committed to bringing outstanding, clean comedy to the entertainment world. The comics who performed at The Salvation Army event have professional credits that include major comedy venues such as The Laugh Factory and The Comedy Club, Black Entertainment Television, E!, and Que Loco.