About Us

In the summer of 2002 a couple of comedians were making their way back
from a gig when the topic turned to Andrew’s father-in-law Garry who had
been diagnosed with cancer. Garry was a terminal patient at The Cross Cancer
Institute and had spoken quite highly of the treatment he was receiving there.
Andrew was very close to his father-in-law and wanted to do something for The
Cross that would honor Garry’s memory. By the time the comedians reached
Edmonton, plans for the first benefit were underway.

Having never organized a benefit Andrew was unaware that benefits need a
name. A writer at the Edmonton Sun ran a story titled “Laughing At Cancer”
and that became the name of the first benefit. The first benefit was organized
in less than a month and was attended primarily by friends and family on a
Sunday in August of 2002 following Garry's death. In February of 2003 a second
benefit was held that raised $30,100. After that, plans began to make this an
annual event.

In the third year, a new name was chosen and a new philosophy adopted. The
benefit became the Laughing For Cancer Benefit and the philosophy was
simple: the benefit would be a fun event that would be worth the price of
admission. The committee would accept all donations large or small but would
never allow itself to be compromised by conditions. In other words, the benefit
would never act as a retailer for anyone; all donations and sponsorships had to
be free and clear of conditions. Each year the benefit would dedicate the
money raised to a friend or relative of one of the organizers or supporters of
the benefit. The benefit organizers themselves would never profit from the
benefit. The 2004 benefit raised $53,000.

In the spring of 2004 Andrew’s sister Liz was diagnosed with cancer and
passed away just a few months later. Now on a mission, Andrew expanded the
benefit to include an event in Calgary 3 nights before the Edmonton benefit
and in 2005 Laughing For Cancer raised a combined total of $93,075. Although
happy with the results, the committee felt that the benefit was really an
Edmonton event and in 2006 the committee focused all their efforts on a single
Edmonton night with a goal of beating the 2005 total. That year they presented
the Alberta Cancer Foundation with a cheque for $100,001.

Exhausted from years of organizing the benefit in the spring of 2006 Andrew
called a meeting of all the major sponsors of the benefit and announced his
retirement. The supporters were having no part of that and formed “The
Friends of the Benefit” committee to assist Andrew in organizing future benefis
and plans for 2007 began with Andrew still at the helm supported by dozens of
local businesses and a goal of reaching $1,000,000. In 2007 and 2008 the LFC
Benefit raised an astonishing $279,011 and $175,279.

Andrew is now $254,000 away from that goal.