Bellmorite hosts virtual comedy show to support Covid-19 front-line workers

Wearing his best pair of pajamas, John Larocchia, of Bellmore, sat at his computer Saturday night to begin a Zoom call from his living room. He wasn't meeting with coworkers or leading a lecture, but rather hosting a benefit comedy show, which was livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube to nearly 5,000 viewers. 

The show was organized by the Laughter Saves Lives Foundation, founded by Larocchia, a former New York City fireman, to support first responders and medical personnel on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Since the livestream, the foundation has raised more than $11,000 and counting.

Nearly 20 comics graced the virtual stage on April 11 to give audiences a much-needed laugh (see box). "The first time you do something like this, you expect a lot of glitches," Larocchia said. "You expect people to say, 'is this thing on?', or, 'can you see me?', but there was not too much of that. The comics played well off each other and the 'zoom-a-thon' was a success."

During the five-hour show, which was produced in coordination with Strong Island Television, viewers made PayPal donations on the foundation's website. The proceeds will be used to purchase N95 masks for essential workers battling through the pandemic.  

"I was a member of FDNY Haz-Mat Co. 1 for 10 years and never made an entry without the proper suit and clean equipment," Larocchia wrote in a Facebook post. "What they are doing out there with these masks is insane."

Larocchia explained that once a N95 mask is used, it should be thrown away, but because the pandemic has created a shortage, "nurses are wearing them for three to four days at a time," he said. "Some leave it on all day so they don't have to throw it out, which means they don't eat. We need to get our first responders and personnel [these] masks so less of them get sick and less of them die."

Before his career in the firehouse, Larocchia was a stand-up comedian. After 19 of his brothers died on 9/11, he started the foundation to support firefighter- and- police-based charities through the power of laughter. The foundation also sponsors the Laughter Saves Lives Comedy Tour, which provides high-quality, comedic entertainment to audiences nationwide as a way to honor the selfless acts of service members all over the country.

The foundation has already donated masks to FDNY units, Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in Oceanside, St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, St. Albans VA Medical Center and Northport VA Medical Center.

The fundraiser will remain open through the end of the week. Those interested in donating can visit www.laughtersaveslives.org.