Friends of Mount Washington Host Night of Comedy For A Good Cause

The Friends of Mount Washington School organization is hoping to chip away at the Los Angeles Unified School District's deficit, one laugh at a time. 

The non-profit, community based organization is hosting a Night of Comedy on Friday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m. The even will take place at the Los Angeles River Center on 570 W. Ave. 26 in Cypress Park. 

The fundraiser will help subsidize programs at the school that are currently on the chopping block as LAUSD attempts to close a $408 million deficit for the coming year, said Pilar Buelna, president of the Mount Washington Elementary School PTA.

“Every year the budget gets worse,” Buelna said. “We have been having fund-raising events for six years and this year we decided to have a comedy night because the budget is a joke.” 

The comedians performing will donate their time. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.fomws.org.

The tenative lineup for Friday night includes comics Bill Dwyer and Patrick Keane, both of whom have been featured in their Comedy Central specials.

There will also be food available at the show and a silent auction.

Community members can also make direct donations by joining a sponsorship list where they can sponsor a specific educational program at the school. For example, donors can sponsor a field trip or after school program, Buelna said.

Buelna said the Friends of Mount Washington School organization hopes to raise between $25,000 and 30,000 this year.

 “The school is a pivotal part of the community,” Buelna said. “(This event) is a win win both for the school and the community.”

The organization has been hosting the yearly fund-raising social for six years. The organization raised $6,000 the first year and 20,000 last year, she said. 

Like many others schools, Mount Washington has had a number of programs cut. For example, after school programs will not be funded next year. Also the visual arts and orchestra programs will only be funded half of the year.

Additionally, three teachers may lose their jobs, the school’s librarian will only work three hours instead of full time and an office clerk may have to work part time. If the student population drops below 300, the job of Mount Washington's principal, Elizabeth Valentino, will be reduced to half-time from full-time, Buelna said.

“This is a real problem,” she said. “The parents have to unite and look for ways to supplement these programs. The programs that we used to take for granted are no longer there. We need subsidize all these programs.”