CD of Celebrity laughter to help worthy cause

For years, Saturday Night Live's Tim Kazurinsky; Frank Sinatra's opening act comedian, Tom Dreesen; nationally syndicated radio host, Mancow Muller; and Late Show with David Letterman regular, Bob Sarlatte, have been making people laugh. So, Hey U.G.L.Y., a nonprofit organization that develops self-esteem building tools for teens, wanted to make the funnymen laugh … laugh for their good cause that is. They asked celebrities to donate their laughter for a fundraising CD of contagious laughter called "Laugh It Off" Vol. 2.

Why did the charity choose laughter? "We know the healing powers of laughter and how it can improve health and relieve stress," said Betty Hoeffner the nonprofit's president and head laugh enthusiast. "Many teens are under tremendous stress and we wanted the CD to be a tool to help them. When we saw other charities securing celebrities to donate things like purses, shoes and even bras, we thought celebrities donating their laughter would be a perfect fit. The CD is a big fundraiser for us and with the help of these comedians we hope to raise awareness for our cause and the funds we need to continue developing self-esteem building programs for teens."

The $12.00 "Laugh It Off" Vol. 2 CD is available online at www.HeyUGLY.org. Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Rick Erwin, the 60-minute CD also includes the laughter of: Jimmy Neutron voice talent, Debi Derryberry; Emmy-award winning actor/comedian Ben Hollis; JBTV host, Jerry Bryant; and commercial voice talent, Richard Schoen.

These funny guys make us laugh and their talents have far-reaching effects. Hey U.G.L.Y.'s CD has far reaching effects too. Their first "Laugh It Off" CD has lightened the spirits of teens, business executives, people at senior care centers, hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, etc., all over the world. One woman wrote Hey U.G.L.Y. that her brother, who has cancer, listens to the CD three times a day and loves it. Another said the CD enabled her to laugh for the first time after having dealt with a sudden death in her family.

Hey U.G.L.Y. Inc., NFP is a 501 (C) 3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower teens with self-esteem building tools, to help them counter challenges such as eating disorders, bullying, violence, substance abuse and suicide. U.G.L.Y is an acronym that stands for: Unique Gifted Lovable You. The organization's website, www.heyugly.org, lists celebrity quotes about self-esteem and body image and features self-esteem building articles, contests and exercises. Hey U.G.L.Y. is the creator of the in-school curriculum called "eM-POWER" which is available to junior high and high schools across the country.A