After losing her apartment and all possessions in the Cabbagetown loft fire in April 1999, Atlanta resident and comedian Arma Benoit was left to the mercy of friends and neighbors to help rebuild her life.
Some provided her with meals and clothing. Others had couches and blankets to sleep on. But after two weeks, while still nowhere close to being able to stand on her feet, she felt as though she had already used up a majority of her resources.
“Everybody feels like, ‘Hey, I’ve already helped. I’ve already given. I’ve already done all these things,’ and you feel like a burden to continue to ask,” she said.
“Meanwhile, two weeks or even a month, you don’t have a place to live still,” she added. “It was very isolating after a few weeks because everyone moved on with their lives and I was not able to.”
Twenty-five years later, after witnessing the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on friends and fellow comics in Asheville, North Carolina, she saw a replication of what she had previously experienced.
The natural disaster caused turmoil for thousands of residents in the Southeast U.S., with many still feeling the effects of economic and property damage over two months later.
“I felt so awful for them when it happened; I just sort of kept waiting for a big fundraiser to occur in Atlanta,” she remembered. “I felt like the level of help that I saw wasn’t matching the level of devastation that I saw.”
Uncertain as to what she could do to help, she soon banded together her resources and network to develop a showcase that she hopes will raise funds and awareness, as well as perseverance and laughter.
The finished product was “A Night for Comedy for a Cause,” which will be held at The Loft at Center Stage on Dec. 14.
Created through Benoit’s newly formed nonprofit, Stand Up for Asheville, NC, the upcoming event’s main goal is to assist in raising awareness and providing direct support to comedians and service workers, many of whom, Benoit said, are often left with little to nothing to fall back on in the time of emergencies.
“I feel like service workers and gig economy workers … and people who have non-traditional income, they get hurt the worst in natural disasters and I feel like they get the slowest and the least help,” she said, noting that proceeds will go toward purchasing gas, grocery store and home improvement gift cards for those who have been affected by hurricane damage.
“Rich people and people with means, they already have the support. They already have the forms to fill out what they need,” she said. “Meanwhile people who really need them don’t even know what resources are available or [say] ‘What do I even do?’”
And when established Georgia comics found out that they could use their talents to help their out-of-state peers, Benoit found that many were more than willing to sign on and forego their usual payments.
On top of some of her favorite Asheville comedians, Atlanta heavy hitters such as Daniel Dellanno and National Roast Battle winner Shelley Gruenberg are scheduled to perform. Carter Deems, a touring comic best known for his time on MTV’s “Wild ’n Out,” will serve as the show’s headliner.
“We don’t know what else to do but tell jokes,” Benoit said. “When times are good, we tell jokes. When times are tough, we tell jokes.”
While there have been roadblocks across the way in finding sponsorships and coordinating the event, she is enthusiastic about being able to make people aware of an issue that is still prevalent to thousands, even if it may not still be on the front page of a newspaper.
She also hopes that attendees can walk away knowing that their payments can make an impact just from sitting in their seats and enjoying a night of fun.
“One person buying a $25 ticket can make a huge difference,” Benoit said. “Now we just need 200 of you to do that.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
