FAU Will Host a One-night Comedy Event Benefiting Israeli-based Save a Child’s Heart
By Charles Maxwell
Boca Raton, FL – Students at FAU hope to make audiences laugh later this month – while also making life-saving differences for children on the other side of the world.
On Thursday, February 22nd, at 7 PM, Florida Atlantic University’s Hillel Center will host “Two Acts One Night.” The student-led fundraiser will benefit Save a Child’s Heart – a nonprofit organization based out of Tel Aviv, Israel, with a mission to give children around the world life-saving heart surgery free of charge to their families.
The event will be centered around a stand-up comedy show by FAU senior and internet sensation Emmanual Carre, along with a mind-reading act by Yuval Teren.
In the Summer of 2023, Carre joined FAU senior Joseph Guzzi and sophomore Ty Ewonaitis on a week-long educational trip to Israel with the Maccabee Task Force – an organization bringing student leaders from across college campuses on geopolitical tours through Israel.
Throughout their journey, the students were immersed in a unique culture while experiencing the breathtaking views of Israel – and found a meaningful purpose for their travels.
“We went to Save a Child’s Heart on the very last day of our trip in Tel Aviv,” said Guzzi, who plans on pursuing his Master’s degree at Georgetown Business School following graduation. “For the majority of us, it was the most fulfilling part of our trip.”
The students were introduced to some of the organization’s staff, who explained how the non-profit flies children with heart conditions from around the globe to Tel Aviv for their life-changing surgeries. After the staff’s presentation, Guzzi, Ewonaitis and the other students on the trip were allowed to play with the children staying at their facilities.
“It was a great experience to interact with the children, and get to see how happy they are despite their condition,” said Ewonaitis, who aspires to work on Capitol Hill after her graduation. “Most of them didn’t speak English [because] they’re all from different places around the world… but we were able to communicate with them through laughter.”
“We were about to leave, and this one kid ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug and crawled into my lap,” said Ewonaitis. “It was hard not to tear up a little bit… It was so hard to leave those kids.”
When the director of FAU’s Hillel Center presented the idea of a fundraiser to Ewonaitis on her trip to Israel, she was eager to organize the event. “Ty was the one who sat us all down and came up with the idea,” said Guzzi. With the hopes of presenting a feel-good fundraiser, the group decided that a comedy show would be perfect.
While Ewonaitis couldn’t stay with the children at Save a Child’s Heart in Tel Aviv, the fundraiser will ensure the children know she is always with them in spirit.
The fundraiser is for audiences 18 and older. More information about the event can be found at the FAU Hillel Center’s instagram. You can purchase tickets and donate to the cause here.
