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Students raise money for Camp Heartland

University of Wisconsin students, several local bands and Chicago-based comedians participated in a fundraiser Saturday night at Luther’s Blues to raise money for the Chris Farley Foundation and Camp Heartland, local charities both created by Madisonians.

Tom Farley, a native of Madison and the brother of the late comedian Chris Farley, hosted the event, called Humopalooza. Farley said events not requiring a person to wear green and gold or red and white, like Humopalooza, are positive for the city.

“The city showcases the creative talent we have around here,” Farley said. “You don’t need to bring in huge marquee names [to create a successful event]. You can celebrate the local bands and comics.”

With an entry fee of $10, approximately 500 students listened to the music of Secondhand, The Debut and the MadHatters. Attendees also enjoyed stand-up comics from the Elevated Comedy Showcase, a group of comedians who were voted Best Showcase in Chicago by Chicago Magazine.

Humopalooza stems from Humorology, recent UW graduate and executive producer of the show Ben Mulhern said. Humorology, a musical comedy put on by six original casts from UW’s Greek system, is UW’s largest non-profit student service organization.

The six casts perform in April at Memorial Union and all proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Chris Farley Foundation, which works to prevent alcohol and drug abuse among high school and college students, and Camp Heartland, a camp in Minnesota for kids who are affected by HIV and AIDS, Mulhern added.

“Most people don’t see the whole picture,” Mulhern said. “Dancing and singing for three hours on stage — it goes a lot farther than people think.”

Tom Farley founded the Chris Farley Foundation after the death of his brother. Farley said the foundation focuses on using humor to communicate about issues students face in Madison and around the country.

“We use humor as a mechanism to deliver messages on substances abuse and broader things like responsibility and personal choices and safe choices,” Farley said.

Neil Willenson, a native of Mequon, founded Camp Heartland in 1991 when he was 20 years old and a UW senior. Willenson started Camp Heartland to create a place that would be a safe and fun place for children affected by HIV and AIDS, according to the organization’s website.

With approximately 500 attendees at the event, Farley said he was pleased with its success and emphasized how much his brother would have enjoyed Humopalooza. Chris Farley would have loved to participate in a fundraiser focusing on the importance of comedy, he added.

“There is nothing [Chris] loved more than whipping a bunch of college or high school students into a frenzy. He would have embraced the whole thing,” Farley said. “Anything that showcases the power of humor is something we like to do.”