Help Charity Sade Launch Coping Through Comedy

My Story:

I am Charity Sadé, the founder and lead facilitator of Coping Through Comedy.

CTC is a project that I dreamed about while battling breast breast cancer in 2013, at the age of 27. I turned to humor to cope with my diagnosis, and eventually began performing stand-up comedy! Coping Through Comedy finally came to life in 2018 with the overwhelming help and support of the Washington, D.C. cancer community.  

When facing cancer, or any challenging life experience, laughter can lead to healing. It is also how we connect with others. I often find that people, myself included, want to be able to relate their own senses of humor to other people in ways that don't feel alienating. Writing about these experiences, whether they are shared or kept private, can be a powerful processing tool and promotes wellness.

Coping Through Comedy has been fortunate enough to hold multiple stand-up comedy and improv workshops with cancer patients/survivors, caregivers, and healthcare providers; through the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation and Smith Center for Healing and the Arts.

The various workshops provided through CTC create a safe space to write, talk, and laugh about these experiences in a way that can draw someone in, and make them feel good, while still allowing them to tell their unvarnished truth.

However, CTC is still in the start-up stages,  and needs lots of additional help launching into the full nonprofit I dream it can be! It is important to me that I continue to provide these workshops, at an affordable/accessible cost, within the cancer community and to anyone healing physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Workshops/Classes Offered:

Stand-Up & Comedic Storytelling: Students learn how to prepare, polish and perform a five-minute comedic storytelling piece or stand-up comedy set during this 6 week class. The class works on joke/story structure, comedy writing, and performance skills. The attendees also get the opportunity to “workout” their material during each session, with guided feedback from the instructors and their peers. At the end of the course there is a comedy showcase featuring members of the class!

Comedy Writing: The intention of the workshop is to provide a safe and creative environment for people to be able to express themselves, and find the humor in their experiences
This workshop will provide a space to respond to comedy writing prompts(working individually or as a group), share work, and participate in discussion surrounding the writing process. 

Improv: This program is designed for young adult brain tumor survivors, and will work through a specially designed improv curriculum to learn, and build upon, the skills needed for social and emotional development. In this 6 session course, young adult brain tumor survivors are given an interactive opportunity to learn improv and apply those skills.

How Funds Will Be Used:

Obtaining 501c-3 status(legal fees, tax prep etc)
Scholarships/lowered costs for participants
Class/Workshop/Performance Space
Additional Facilitators
Conferences/Continuing Education: I am attending & presenting my comedy writing workshop & sitting on a panel at  Cancer Con , in Seattle, WA in April of 2020. I'm also attending the YSC conference in LA in March.
Website/Branding(business cards etc) Development
Miscellaneous Costs

Testimonials From Participants: 

"Charity did an amazing job helping us find the funny in our experiences, and being really open to the not funny moments too. That combination was incredible!!!  I now feel comfortable being the whole me!" ~ CTC participant
 
"I have to admit when I realized what I signed up for I was a bit terrified, but it turned out to be a powerful tool for processing my experiences alongside others." ~ CTC participant

"When facing cancer, laughter can be the best medicine and lead to strong healing, and this workshop series helped me to fine tune my comedic abilities. " ~ CTC participant

"I grew deep connections with my fellow mutants while learning a fun new set of skills that have direct application to my life with cancer." ~ CTC participant 


Thank you for taking the time to read my story. No donation is too small, and I am truly appreciative of your generosity.

~Charity