The University of Wisconsin philanthropic organization Humorology raised a record $508,000 for the Canopy Center through their fundraising event this weekend.
Humorology is an annual musical show that runs all year to raise money for a new beneficiary local to the Madison area. Since 1947, Humorology has raised $2 million dollars in donations for a variety of local Madison organizations.
This year, the beneficiary was the Canopy Center, a child abuse treatment and prevention agency in Dane County. The organization has grown in the past 40 years to serve over 500 people annually through a variety of programs, according to their website.
The center works closely with Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization devoted to providing abused and neglected children a safe and loving home.
Philanthropy Director of the Humorology winning cast Nate Henden said it was special to see how all the money they raised was going to be translated into helping the Canopy Center.
“The best moment over the last two years has been seeing that final check presented to the foundation,” Henden said. “To see how much it means to those members of the foundation, like there’s nothing that beats that.”
Henden’s cast — which was composed of Greek organizations Phi Gamma Delta, Delta Gamma and Gamma Phi Beta — won the 2022-2023 competition between casts with a total donation of over $102,000, Henden said.
The winner of Humorology is decided after the final show. Judges decide which three casts have the best productions. Factors include the script, the costumes, the dance breaks, the cast’s energy and more. From there, whichever cast raised the most money wins the trophy.
Humorology runs all year, with this year’s final shows April 27-29, according to their website. Production of Humorology begins in the summer when directors are chosen and join groups together to write scripts that are all based on a theme. This year the theme was “No Turning Back.”
Madison, Sun Prairie School District students participate in Moving Lives of Kids Mural
Humorology directors consist of four to five members of every affiliated Greek organization at UW. Each Greek organization is paired with two to three other Greek organizations which will be their cast for the year.
Once school begins, the nine casts work on singing, dancing, acting and most importantly, raising money for the Canopy Center.
Fundraising efforts include Bingo boards for cast members to post online, partnerships with local Madison businesses like Taggs, Chipotle, Sushi Express, Poke Plus, Churchkey, Kollege Klub and more, according to a Playbill handed out at Humorology performances.
UW senior and one of Humorology’s Executive Directors Sam Lodge said this experience has been truly unforgettable.
“I had the privilege of witnessing the immense effort and hard work put in by all of the casts and directors,” Lodge said. “Seeing everyone come together to raise over $508K for the Canopy Center was truly remarkable… It was a joy to be a part of such a fantastic cause, and I know I will never forget this experience.”
How Wisconsin plans to combat the mental health crisis in ‘The Year of Mental Health’
Lodge said Humorology sends outreach emails every year to philanthropic organizations in Wisconsin that focus on helping children and consider many different charities before choosing their benefactor for the year.
In the past few years, Humorology has raised $441,000 for the Respite Center at Rise Wisconsin, $400,000 for the Badger Childhood Cancer Network, $185,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County and more for many other local charities.
