First Ever Virtual Summit Area YMCA Auction & Comedy Night Raises $255,000

SUMMIT, NJ – On Saturday, September 12, the Summit Area YMCA hosted its first virtual Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Charity Auction & Comedy night, a fundraising event to not only help fund the Y’s financial assistance program and its many important community programs, but to sustain the Y through this year’s dire financial crisis due to COVID-19. With safety in mind, the Summit Area YMCA chose to run the event as a virtual event to help prevent the spread of the virus and to expand accessibility to the public through a virtual platform.

In years past, attendees enjoyed a dynamic night of live auction and comedy in a room full of Y supporters and friends, raising their paddles to bid on exciting auction items and contributing to scholarships that provided opportunities to those in need.

This year’s virtual benefit featured Dave Goldstein as MC, Auctioneer and Comedian as well as Sherry Davey, two talented comedians returning for a second year to the Summit Area YMCA’s LOL event. Dave can best be recognized from his many appearances on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien, standup comedy on The Comedy Network, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio and more. He led the night as MC, Auctioneer and Comedian, encouraging viewers to bid on the night’s featured items and enlivening the show with a breath of levity throughout the evening.

On September 1, a Silent Auction opened to the public and allowed for more community participation to help the Y, while generous sponsorships from community businesses and partners also contributed to the Y’s fundraising efforts. Over the course of the last 2 weeks including the Silent Auction and Live Auction on September 12, the Summit Area YMCA raised $255,000, a record year that has surpassed all previous fundraising efforts for the Laugh Out Loud event.

Highlighted live auction items included a Football Training and Pizza Party for school aged children with Eli Manning, a Dinner Party with TV Culinary Star Chef Rob McCue, a customized In-Home Personal Styling Session by No. 18 Boutique, and a Soccer Clinic and Photo Opportunity with Soccer World Cup Champion Carly Lloyd. Bidders enjoyed some friendly competition and were surprised with a generous opportunity from Eli Manning who doubled his Football Training package to help the Summit Area YMCA’s fundraising.

Additionally, the Summit Area YMCA offered opportunities for guests to donate to Y scholarships that included Child Care and After School Care, Achievers Teen College and Career preparation, and the Family Packs Program.

As the night continued, a community member and LOL Committee Board member charged the community with a pledge challenge during the event and donated $10,000 while also pledging to donate $1000 for each $10,000 donation made. The pledge challenge garnered the generous support of several local families, significantly boosting the night’s fundraising efforts.



Sherry Davey, comedian, comedy writer and actress most known for her comedy on NickMom’s Night Out, NBC’s Comix Unleashed and more, wrapped up the show with her lively comedy segment as she spoke of the joys of quality family time as a result of the COVID-19 quarantine, her marriage as well as stories of her father. The evening closed with laughter and an enormous thank you to all in participation to help the Y continue to serve and strengthen the community.

The Summit Area YMCA is especially grateful for the generosity of our corporate sponsors and the dedication of the LOL Event Committee, Y Staff, Volunteers, Somerset Media Group Production Company, and talents of Dave Goldstein and Sherry Davey to make this year’s LOL event a success.

As a leading, community cause-driven organization, the Summit Area YMCA is focused on nurturing the potential of youth, promoting healthy living, and inspiring social responsibility. The Laugh Out Loud event raises funds that contribute to the Y’s ability to support the community by providing financial assistance and subsidized health and wellness programs for children and teens, and is proud to be a part of a generous, philanthropic community that cares for its neighbors.

The Summit Area YMCA is also grateful for the generous support of Laugh Out Loud sponsors, especially our Platinum Sponsor, Capital Group. Much thanks to sponsors The William Gross Charitable Foundation Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Investors Bank, Douglas Real Estate Consulting LLC, Point View Wealth Management Inc., Summit Medical Group, McKinsey & Company, USA Architects, Arthur J. Gallagher, Smythe Volvo, Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook & Cooker, P.C., Dempsey, Dempsey &Sheehan Attorney at Law, and New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Group.

To learn more about the Summit Area YMCA, visit www.thesay.org/about.

Learn more about the Summit Area YMCA’s current offerings at www.thesay.org/reopening.

To make a tax deductible donation to support the Y’s cause of strengthening the community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, please visit www.theSAY.org/give.

About the Summit Area YMCA

The Summit Area YMCA is one of area’s leading 501(C)(3) organizations. Through the generosity of our members, donors, and partners, we are able to offer financial assistance for our programs and services to those with demonstrated need.