(Asheville, NC) June 10, 2009 – Hardhat Comedy, Volvo Rents’ charitable program of bringing relief by means of donations to the needy of cities and towns in the United States and Canada, announces the current calendar of events for 2009. The Hardhat Comedy© Tour is scheduled to stop in Tampa, FL, Atlanta, GA, Ferndale, WA, Denver, CO, Albany, NY and Bryan/College Station, TX. The events will be held on July 8, July 14, July 17, July 22, September 19 and October 2, 2009 respectively.
Additional Tour dates are scheduled to be held in Charlotte and Raleigh, NC as well as East Edmonton, Alberta and Shreveport, LA later in the year. The dates for these events have not been released.
“We could not be more pleased with the local response to this important charitable relief program,” stated Barry Natwick, President and CEO of Volvo Rents. “Some 20 cities across the country will have benefitted from our brand of ‘comic relief’ via the Hardhat Comedy Show by the end of this year.”
In addition to the cities mentioned earlier, the company is in the early planning stage for events to be held in Rochester, NY, Jessup, MD, and Houston, TX. Boston, MA and Birmingham, AL may also host an event before year-end.
“People’s need for comic relief can be a means of providing meaningful material relief to those in need”, says Nick Mavrick of Volvo Rents’ Marketing and Communications department. “Hardhat Comedy was conceived as a way both to give back to the local communities which we serve and to promote Volvo’s caring attitude.” The company has launched their charitable campaigns under the designation “Operation More Care.”
Volvo Rents organizes and sponsors comedians who provide the entertainment at the events. The primary audience has been those associated with the construction industry, but all members of the local community are welcomed to attend. Carmen “The Construction Comic” Ciricillo, Jerry Carroll, Julie Scoggins, Ed Fox, Larry Weaver, Matt Kazam and other comics have participated in the events.
Hardhat Comedy Shows are typically organized around charitable giving. To gain admission, attendees must bring donated items to support a charitable organization. The comedy show in Asheville, NC raised more than one ton of non-perishable food items for Manna Food Bank, a local foundation providing meals for those in need. Attendees of the Sarasota, FL Hardhat Comedy Show also brought cans of food and related items for admission, in support of All Faiths Food Bank. Prior comedy shows were held in New York City and King of Prussia, PA.
For more information or to register to attend, browse to www.hardhatcomedy.com/about.html or www.volvorents.com/hardhatcomedy.
Note to media: A DVD of the first Hardhat Comedy Show, held in Asheville, NC November 17, 2008 is available upon request by the media; contact Nick Mavrick to ask for a copy.