Laughter is good for everything

CHERYL "THE SOCCER MOM" ANDERSON

What: “Stand Up For Kids”

Who: Leadership El Dorado Class 6, El Dorado County’s Chamber of Commerce

Where: Placerville Shakespeare Club, 2940 Bedford Ave., Placerville

When: Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $35 tickets can be purchased at the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce in Placerville, Shingle Springs/Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce in Cameron Park and the California Welcome Center in El Dorado Hills. Tickets are available at the door.

Information: El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, 530-621-5885; Shingle Springs/Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce, 530-677-8000; or California Welcome Center, 916-358-3700

“Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

“With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health,” according to helpguide.org.

Laughter will also help raise money for five local nonprofits that benefit children.

The Leadership El Dorado Class 6 of the El Dorado County’s Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring “Stand Up For Kids,” a comedy showcase benefit that will feature the four comics. The evening of laughter is Saturday, March 2 at the Placerville Shakespeare Club, 2940 Bedford Ave. in Placerville.

Headlining the line-up is Cheryl “The Soccer Mom” Anderson with Anderi Bailey, Dave Nunez and Lance Woods.

Lourdes Edralin, director of marketing and community relations for Marshall Medical Center, is part of the Leadership El Dorado Class 6 and is part of the organizing team for “Stand Up For Kids.”

“It’s something new and fresh,” Edralin said. “We just liked the idea to do a comedy showcase.”

The class also had a good resource for putting on a comedy show.

Joe Jeffrey, a member of the Leadership El Dorado Class 6, is the uncle of Laniea Dominguez, a comedianne and producer of Comedy for Causes.

A call to Dominguez set the wheels in motion for Comedy For Causes to book the four comics.

Anderson, 52, a Folsom resident, has been doing stand-up comedy since 2006.

She has performed at many venues in California, the United States and Japan and has appeared on Nickeloden’s “NickMom Night Out” and Nick-at-Nite’s “Search for the Funniest Mom in America.”

Anderson has competed in the Bay Area Black Comedy Competition, San Francisco International Comedy Competition, World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas, She Devil Comedy Festival in New York and the Sacramento Comedy Festival, where she was voted audience favorite.

“I do a lot of urban shows,” Anderson said.

She plans on doing a family oriented set about herself, her husband Mike and their two adult daughters, Dani, 26 ,and Nicole, 18.

“I talk about my husband and our kids growing up,” Anderson said.

Her “Soccer Mom” moniker came about because most comedians and announcers at open mics and comedy clubs around Northern California couldn’t remember her name. They just referred to her as ”The Soccer Mom.”

Anderson, an engineer, started her stage career by accident. While attending an engineer workshop in 2005, she said each engineer had to speak in front of the gathering.

“That’s when I got my first laugh. I said to myself ‘I want to do this again.’ I started going to open mics at comedy spots around Sacramento and Northern California. It’s kind of addicting. I’ve never had so much fun. The kids are grown up, so I can travel out of the house more frequently,” Anderson said.

Not just funny on stage, Anderson has written a book, “It’s A Jungle Out There and a Zoo in Here.”

More comedians

The other comedians scheduled to perform at “Stand Up For Kids” are Anderi Bailey, Dave Nunez and Lance Woods.

Bailey describes himself as a “clean comedian” who can provide laughter at churches, birthday parties for all ages and at clubs.

Bailey has opened for Charlie Murphy, D.L. Hughley and Earthquake. He has preformed at the Legendary Apollo Theater, Laughs Unlimited and Tommy T’s.

Nunez works as a comedian, writer and producer. He has headlined and featured at major venues in Hollywood and Las Vegas. He has opened for Chris D’Elia, “Reno 911′s” Carlos Alazraqui, “The Hangover’s” Bryan Callen, Brandon T. Jackson, Melissa Villaseñor, Greg Fitzsimmons, Sam Tripoli and Melinda Hill, and has toured with Rick Martinez.

Nunez has produced several independent short films and is shopping original documentaries, a book, and screenplays ready for TV and major motion pictures.

Woods is new to the comic scene, but has performed stand-up comedy at a variety of Northern California venues including churches, where he showcases gospel comedy.

The causes

The showcase will benefit: Ag in the Classroom, Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Dorado County, CASA El Dorado (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Hands4Hope and PARTY (Preventing Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma to Youth).

To help add to the coffers, Edralin noted that a silent auction and raffle will take place. Beer and wine will be available for sale.

In addition, Edralin said that the Leadership El Dorado Class 6 has teamed up with many restaurants on Main Street in Placerville so that comedy goers can dine before the show.

People who dine at Hey Day Café, The Independent and Bricks restaurants should mention they are attending the comedy benefit and the restaurant will donate 10 percent of the bill toward “Stand Up For Kids.”

“It’s another way to help businesses in the area, get people into the restaurants and give back,” Edralin said.

Tickets for “Stand Up For Kids” are $35 per person.

To purchase tickets or for more information contact the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, 542 Main St. in Placerville, 530-621-5885; the Shingle Springs/Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce, 3300 Coach Lane in Cameron Park, 530-677-8000; or the California Welcome Center, El Dorado Hills, 2085 Vine St., Ste. 105, El Dorado Hills, 916-358-3700. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Showtime is 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

Contact Mike Bush at 530-344-5079 or mbush@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @MBushMtDemo on Twitter.