MIKE MARINO
"Out of My Mother's Basement"
APRIL 5, 2025
THE JOAN ROTONDI HOPE &
EMPOWERMENT FOUNDATION
PRESENTS
AN EVENING WITH MIKE MARINO
full house
"Out of My Mother's Basement"
APRIL 5, 2025
SATURDAY @ 7:30PM
Doors Open at 6:30pm
1330 London Rd., Sarnia, ON 519-542-9311
a letter to our friends that were part of our first annual comedy night
Dear Friends,
The Joan Rotondi Hope & Empowerment Foundation wants to take a moment to thank all of you who joined us for our First Annual Comedy Night featuring Mike Marino. Your support, your energy, and your continued friendship with our family made it a night to remember.
We’re happy to share that the evening was a full success — we had a packed house, and the atmosphere was amazing. Mike had everyone laughing, and we’re incredibly grateful that he came all the way from New Jersey to Sarnia to be with us. It means a lot that he carved out time to support JRHEF, especially with his busy schedule and fresh off a performance at Carnegie Hall in December. If you’d like to keep up with Mike, be sure to follow him on his website and podcast at Mike Marino Live, and on Instagram @mikemarino.
Don’t forget — his new movie “Silent Partners” comes out in theatres on May 13, 2025.
Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors
* The DMI Professional Building
* David Brown
We’re so grateful for your support — it helped us make this night possible.
A Big Win and Big Thanks
Since this was our first comedy night, we didn’t go in with a fundraising goal — but thanks to you, we raised an incredible $20,075. That’s an amazing start, and it gives us something to build on for next year.
We also want to recognize a few people who helped make this event a success:
* Silvana Cservik, President of the Dante Club, and her team — thank you for all your support
* Brian Keelan, our MC for the night — you kept everything running smoothly and made everyone feel at home
* And all of the volunteers who helped set up, check people in, and kept everything organized — we appreciate you more than you know
We were also touched that so many people asked about getting involved. If you’re interested in volunteering or helping out in any way at future events, just visit jrhef.org and fill out the volunteer form. We’d love to have you join us.
A Special Shoutout
We’d like to congratulate Leslie Gordon, who won our door prize: a beautiful, one-of-a-kind blanket handcrafted by Cathy from "A Frayed Knot". This special item was generously donated by Kathy Kaloczi in honour of her sister, Julianne Higdon. Thank you, Kathy and Cathy, for adding such a meaningful touch to the evening.
What’s Next: Honouring Joan’s Passions
As we continue to build The Joan Rotondi Hope & Empowerment Foundation, we’ll be creating events that reflect what Joan loved most in life. If you knew her, you know she loved:
* Listening to live music and going to concerts
* Seeing live stand-up comedy, especially when we’d visit cities like Montreal, Toronto, New York, or LA
* Watching professional tennis
* The arts — and of course, fast cars
So that’s what you can expect from JRHEF: fundraising events centered around music, the arts, tennis, motorsports — and plenty of laughter. We’re also excited to announce that we’ll be part of the 2025 Cannonball Run in October, and we’ll be hosting more events tied to F1 Racing too.
Stay Connected
At JRHEF, our events are inspired by the things Joan loved — comedy, music, tennis, the arts, and more — but our mission goes deeper. We’re committed to supporting programs and initiatives that create hope, opportunity, and empowerment in the lives of others. To learn more about the causes we support and how we’re making a difference, we invite you to visit jrhef.org, join our mailing list, and stay connected with us as we grow.
Thanks again to everyone who came out and helped make this night so special. We’re already looking forward to doing it again next year — and we hope to see you there.
With much appreciation and gratitude,
The Family of The Joan Rotondi Hope & Empowerment Foundation
ABOUT MIKE MARINO
Mike Marino – affectionately known to millions of his fans worldwide as New Jersey’s Bad Boy – might as well be the element Carbon with his versatility. He’s a comedian, an actor, a philanthropist, basically everything except a husband and father (at least that we know of) who’s shared the stage and screen with names, somehow, even more household than his own.
Mike entered this mortal realm in New Jersey where he grew up with his Italian family that he mines for material in his stand-up bits. He was a born thespian, so he entered the entertainment industry at an early age and even attended prestigious acting schools like the Herbert Berghof Studio and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts just to make sure their teaching were up to snuff. The Clio Awards recognized Mike’s god given gift with a best actor nomination for one of the countless iconic television commercials he starred in. But Mike’s not only been in advertisements, he’s been in movies and shows ranging from Criticsized to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to his very own web series Make America Italian Again, which you can ingest for free on his illustrious YouTube channel aptly named Mike Marino Live.
While his acting may be phenomenal, Mike’s stand up is where he really took the world by storm. Even after first hitting the stage over two decades ago, Mike’s still able to send audiences to hospitals with split sides and
busted guts when he tells tales of mafioso presidents, his Italian roots, and whatever else happens to be on his mind. Whether he is hosting an awards show, in a stadium, or at a corporate event, Mike delivers the laughs like Dominos does pizza. Enough so that he was inducted into the New Jersey Comedy Hall of Fame and received the USO Bob Hope Comedy Award for his many military performances.
If you’re in diapers or about to be back in them and want to laugh, you best be following New Jersey’s Bad Boy by listening to his podcast Live From My Mother’s Basement, seeing his stand up, or watching his YouTube channel to meet his quirky characters of Cousin Mooney, Uncle Tommy, Cousin Michelle, and G.I. Giovanni. Mike Marino’s made millions laugh over the years and he’s excited to make you laugh too.
Disclaimer: This fundraiser is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Mike Marino, his management, or any associated entities. Mike Marino and "Out of My Mother's Basement" Tour are trademarks of their respective owners. All references are for identification purposes only. Proceeds from this event support The JRHEF and their Mission.