Robert Belushi’s special thank you to Angels at Risk was stunning and brilliant and far more impressive than we ever could have imagined. I think, along with many others who were there in the audience, that his improvisational show with his partner Jon Barinholtz was an example of comedy at its best and in its most vulnerable and authentic form.
It was funny. It was on topic. It was full of heart. It was genius.
Robert’s show was a celebration for our third annual Angels at Risk fund raising event. Besides his performance and his show, he also included a brief mention of his story. He painted a picture, created a snapshot, and told a testimony of truth, his truth about his life with drug and alcohol use from a very young age to the day of the event, April 14th 2013. When he spoke to all of us personally in the audience in his funny, as a matter a fact way about his story and memories he reflected, educated, and informed us about the importance of early prevention education in his life’s journey.
The philosophy of Angels at Risk of being motivated by love, always giving back, and never giving up was at the center of Robert’s day.
“What I do with Jon (Barinholtz) on stage has a lot to do with what I started to learn early in my exposure to Angels at Risk--we hope that if we approach each other's ideas with positivity, faith, and an open heart that we can make amazing discoveries together, that we would not be able to make individually. Hopefully, in our case, you laugh..." Robert Belushi
They say that laughter is life’s greatest healer. It brings joy to people’s hearts, it comforts people’s minds, it soothes people’s souls, and most of the time it gives everybody a reason to find the best part of their life in the middle of all of the challenging times. Laughter also creates a memory of hope that never seems to leave our lives. Probably some of the most admired people on the planet are the comedians that move crowds in laughter to the point of tears. When they use their power as a way of being of service and a means of giving back, that’s when who they are really becomes magical and maybe that’s the trump card called true genius.
He touched on his story, then he made us laugh and that together created a memory of hope for all of us and that is a monumental movement.
Angels at Risk gives a special thank you to Robert Belushi.
“I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful. ” Bob Hope
By Susie Spain, Founder
