Southbury Comedian Hoping to Save Babies Lives With Bridgeport Gig
Photo Credit: Lou Milano
Saving Babies’ Lives is a non-profit dedicated to improving the health and well-being of babies in Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.
The work is a real grass roots effort that is getting help from Southbury comedian Andrew Kennedy. Kennedy is headlining a stand up benefit show at The Stress Factory Comedy Club in Bridgeport on June 29th at 7:30 pm. Andrew is an old friend of the I-95 Morning Show so we invited him in to talk about the show and the organization.
Tell us the story, what is your connection to Saving Babies Lives?
"My wife Rebecca Kennedy is a NICU nurse at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport and she and her friend, fellow nurse Alexa Gunsolley were, there is a Doctor, Dr. Arvin Bundhoo who is a neonatal guy from from UCONN and he goes to St. Vincent's a few times a week and has been going there for a few years.
He's talked to them about where he is from, an island nation called Mauritius off the East coast of Africa. They've got four NICU's and they are not doing things the way they do it in the states and he's been saying maybe the next time I go visit home, why don't you guys come with me. We can maybe teach a couple of classes maybe help them out.
They went over there and it turned into this huge press thing where they're teaching like 100 nurses how to do this correctly with little babies and it did so well the Prime Minister has fully funded them to travel and to stay, 10 nurses, every three months to help save babies lives. So, we're doing this benefit because we need to go with supplies and medical equipment so that is what we're raising the money for."
The training team departs for Mauritius on August 24th.
It's also worth noting that none of the comedians are making money on this show and Vinny Brand is donating the space (The Stress Factory) for the benefit.
Andrew continued raving about this effort saying:
"10 nurses, Dr. Arvin Bundhoo who is like literally Charlie and the nurses are Charlie's Angels, he's that good, they all look up to him like ahhhh (spiritual chants), he's the man."
Andrew told us a story about the nurses laughing at him interacting with a bear on the Ring camera.
"Yesterday, a little bear showed up at our house and my wife and all the nurses are laughing at the RING camera footage because I've got my golf driver and I'm talking to the bear but I'm nervous too and the bear is not going anywhere and they've got it all on the RING."
You can listen to our entire in-studio interview with Andrew Kennedy below. We also discussed, family, love, porn and sandwiches. This conversation is really on brand for Andrew and I together.
Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast on Apple & Spotify
Check below for more information on Saving Babies Lives and the upcoming benefit:
BIG LAUGHS FOR LITTLE LIVES -COMEDY BENEFIT!
Stress Factory Comedy Club
167 State Street. Bridgeport, CT
7:30pm Show (doors open at 6pm)
Dr. Arvin Bundhoo is a Neonatologist at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Neonatology and Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut, who is from that island nation of Mauritius.
Two months ago, he traveled with two nurses from St Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport. Rebecca Kennedy (RN, BSN) and Alexa Gunsolley (RN,BSN). The hope was that with their help Dr. Bundhoo could educate and train the clinical staff there with the most up-to-date medical procedures and practices, all in an effort to bring down the mortality rate of infants there.
They were so successful that the Mauritian government has fully funded a program to fly and house 10 nurses and doctors from CT every three months.
This comedy benefit is to raise money for the purchase of medical equipment and supplies for the upcoming trip to Mauritius, which is slated for August 24th
Three national headliners will take the stage.
Andrew Kennedy (recent Newtown resident and who’s children still live here) has a Comedy Central Special, DryBar Comedy Special and comedy album available on ITunes.
Pat Oates had his third comedy album debut on Sirius/XM earlier this year.
Michael (Motts) Pellaza has been performing comedy for over 45 years and been featured on Impractical Jokers.
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