Wing-A-Thon Hosted By Some of Savannah’s Funniest People

Whenever you are around folks from Front Porch Improv or Savannah for Morons, you are going to have a wing-ding of a good time, and on Saturday, July 27, you get to watch some of these comedians compete to see who can eat the most wings.

Daniel Gilbert, co-founder of Savannah for Morons says, “We’re gonna make it super duper fun! John (Brennan) will host it like a wrestling match, and we’re all gonna be super competitive. So excited for it!” Brennan is Gilbert’s partner-in-comedy as two of the co-owners of Front Porch Improv.

The competition begins at high noon at Over Yonder at Moodright’s (2424 Abercorn St., Savannah), and the public is invited to come and cheer on their favorite comic carnivore.

Organizers of the Wing-A-Thon hope to raise $20,000 for the Front Porch A.C.T.S. (Adolescents & Children Transforming Savannah) program which is funded through Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council, a local nonprofit that strives to improve health outcomes in our community.

Front Porch A.C.T.S. is based on the Trauma Drama intervention model designed by Dr. Joseph Spinazzola, which is a program designed to heal childhood trauma through improvisation and theater.

Bess Ratsimbaharison, a facilitator with the Front Porch A.C.T.S. program says, “You can totally see a transformation from week one to week eight throughout this program because we build trust and build up to some of the harder topics that we cover in the end.” Credit: Front Porch Improv Facebook page

Bess Ratsimbaharison, a facilitator with the Front Porch A.C.T.S. program says, “I have been a part of nonprofits for a while and I have done a lot of fundraisers. I wanted to find something that we could do with the community, partner with some place that we all love, something that would feel accessible that a lot of people would want to do. So I thought, ‘we could all come together and eat some wings, it could feel like a big party.’ I was really hoping to be able to do it at Over Yonder, and without hesitation Chris Moody was like, ‘sounds great.’ A lot of people are excited about it.”

Gilbert says, “We started A.C.T.S. after COVID. There is a mental health crisis with kids, adolescents, and youth these days. In Georgia, suicide is the number two leading cause of death for kids. We have heard so many times from people that we run programs with at the schools that these kids lost two years, a central time where their brains and social skills are developing.”

“We got some grant money to start A.C.T.S. from the city,” says Gilbert. “As we have gotten a little further away from COVID, we’ve gotten less grant money because people are redistributing for other programs. So that is why we are doing a fundraiser.”

Gilbert explains, “We’ve heard that these types of programs (like A.C.T.S.) often exist for four or five years and then they kind of sunset. We just don’t want that to happen, we love this program, we have seen amazing results with the kids that we work with, our goal is to keep the program going.”

Ratsimbaharison says, “We have anywhere from 10 to 12 kids in a class.” Programs last from eight to 10 weeks, and the facilitators see the students weekly. “The program uses improv principles, acting, and scene work to help them work through emotional regulation and conflict resolution. It’s really about giving the students and teenagers the mental tools that they don’t necessarily have access to.”

Front Porch A.C.T.S. (Adolescents & Children Transforming Savannah) program is funded through Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council Credit: Front Porch Improv

“Right now we are working with the city of Savannah at the Liberty City Neighborhood Community Center”, says Ratsimbaharison. “There is a program of teenagers who have been court-involved and they are doing the program throughout the summer. We go in once a week and do our program with them, they are all around 16 to 19 years old.”

“You can totally see a transformation from week one to week eight throughout this program because we build trust and build up to some of the harder topics that we cover in the end. It has been really rewarding and hard. I can see how necessary it is; there are so many kids in Savannah who just don’t have these resources and don’t have these conversations anywhere else,” concludes Ratsimbaharison.

Daniel Gilbert says, “We have heard so many times from people that we run programs with at the schools that these kids lost two years, a central time where their brains and social skills are developing.” Credit: Front Porch Improv

Gilbert says, “One of the reasons this is an awesome idea is because it is a sliding scale. People can pledge $1 to $5 a wing, a lot of people are planning to eat 20 wings, so pledging $5 per wing is 100 bucks, and $1 per wing is 20 bucks; so that’s easy for someone to be like, ‘oh yeah, I’ll give you 20 bucks.”

So far, 15 carnivore comedians have volunteered to eat wings, and slots are still available for others to participate. Anyone can join the competition, you don’t have to be “funnyman” (or woman) to participate.

Front Porch A.C.T.S. is funded through Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council which is a nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible. If you want to pledge and donate to Front Porch A.C.T.S., please contact Bess Ratsimbaharison by email at bess@frontporchimprov.com.

Date: Saturday, July 27, 2024
Time: 12 noon – 1:30 p.m.
Location: Over Yonder at Moodright’s – 2424 Abercorn St. in Savannah

More about Front Porch A.C.T.S.

Improv theater offers a unique set of benefits for youth affected by adversity and trauma. By engaging in improvisational activities, young people can develop essential life skills such as creativity, communication, and problem-solving. Improv also provides a safe space for youth to express themselves, build confidence, and develop emotional regulation skills. This is especially important for youth who have experienced abuse, neglect, and violence, as it can help them process and manage their emotions in a healthy and constructive way.

Front Porch A.C.T.S. uses improvisation to help hundreds of children and adolescents in our community. The program is designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing it to be implemented in a variety of settings, from schools to community centers and youth shelters. Through Front Porch A.C.T.S., youth can develop the skills and confidence they need to process and heal from traumatic experiences and to thrive, even in the face of adversity. By providing a safe and supportive environment, Front Porch A.C.T.S. helps youth build resilience and heal, one improv scene at a time.