The Foundation’s annual Comedy Night drew hundreds to this year’s laugh-in featuring two nationally-renowned comedians in a rave performance in early November.

The event, hosted at Good Times of Olean, offered the community an opportunity to laugh and dine together while making an important contribution to the ReHab Center’s mission of supporting people with disabilities.

D.J Demers, a Canada native; and his opening act and MC, Jose Barrientos, who is currently living in Los Angeles, were just as hilarious off stage as on. While the audience was enjoying  Italian cuisine, the comedians casually slipped into the venue prior to the show and inquired about the Olean area to customize their act to the audience. That effort paid off later in uproarious laughter and applause.

“When they walked on that stage, they didn’t hold back and had the crowd laughing from start to finish,” a member of the audience said.

Barrientos warmed up the crowd by satirically poking fun at growing up Mexican in America. His act continued to stir laughter without compromising its meaning with a comedic rendition of his reaction if he was ever mugged.

Following Barrientos, Demers, who is hearing impaired but dynamic and natural, kept up the comedic momentum. By making fun of his hearing aids at times, his gentle, self-deprecating humor showed just how the once America’s Got Talent contestant has succeeded against stiff competition. In the end, Demers real life teasing resonated with the crowd which knows well the ReHab Center’s work in the community. Continue reading…