A Night of Laughter Built to Last
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The Western Massachusetts Training Consortium is turning comedy, connection and community support into an investment in the future.
A good laugh can change your night.
The Western Massachusetts Training Consortium hopes it can also help change the future of an entire community.
On Saturday, November 14, the Consortium will bring people together at the Springfield Marriott for Comedy & Community Impact, an evening featuring dinner, connection and performances by three standout comedians.
But behind the laughter is a serious purpose: building sustainable resources that will allow the Consortium to continue supporting individuals and families for generations to come.
More Than 50 Years of Community Impact
Since 1975, the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium has worked alongside individuals, families and communities throughout Western Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The organization does not simply develop programs for people. Its work is shaped and led by people with lived experience, giving community members a voice in the resources, relationships and support designed to serve them.
Today, the Consortium and its programs impact 27,333 individuals and families annually.
Its work reaches across some of the most important and personal areas of life, including:
Health and wellness
Disability services
Family and community support
Self-advocacy
Recovery resources
Youth development
Healing from interpersonal violence
Community inclusion and participation
Behind every one of those areas is a real person, a real family and a real story.
It may be a young person discovering their voice. A family finding support during a difficult season. A person in recovery reconnecting with the community. A survivor beginning the process of healing. Or an individual with a disability gaining greater independence and the opportunity to make meaningful choices about their own life.
That is the impact guests will help sustain when they attend Comedy & Community Impact.
Investing Beyond Today
Community needs do not remain the same. They grow, shift and become more complex.
To prepare for those changes, the Consortium has established an Endowment Fund designed to strengthen the long-term sustainability of its programs and its ability to respond to emerging community needs.
“Community needs continue to evolve, and sustainable impact requires us to think beyond what we can fund today,” said Kristel Applebee, Executive Director of the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium. “Our Endowment Fund is an investment in our community’s future, strengthening our programs, responding to emerging community needs, and continuing to partner with individuals and families in healing and growth for generations to come.”
That means purchasing a ticket is about more than reserving a seat for dinner and a show.
It is a vote of confidence in the Consortium’s next 50 years.
Serious Comedians. Meaningful Cause.
The evening will be hosted by Western Massachusetts comedian and 2026 BusinessWest Difference Maker Jess Miller.
Miller has built a reputation for doing more than making people laugh. She regularly uses comedy as a way to bring people together and support organizations doing meaningful work in the community.
She will be joined by comedians Chris Tabb and Peaches Rodriguez, creating a lineup designed to deliver a memorable night from beginning to end.
Together, they will provide the comedy.
The guests, businesses, partners and supporters in the room will help provide the impact.
It is a chance to step away from the daily routine, invite friends or colleagues, enjoy dinner and laugh together while supporting work that reaches thousands of people every year.
Connect. Laugh. Sustain.
Three simple words that capture the entire evening.
Connect with people who care about the community.
Laugh with three talented comedians.
Help sustain resources that individuals and families depend on.
Let the Laughter Travel
Leading up to the fundraiser, the event’s message will also move throughout the region aboard the Stand Out Truck®, using its three-sided digital billboards to bring the Consortium’s story directly into the communities it serves.
The truck campaign is not only designed to promote an event. It is designed to help more people understand the scale of the Consortium’s work, recognize the people behind the mission and see how one night of participation can contribute to years of continued impact.
Because sometimes the first step toward supporting an organization is simply seeing its story.
Be in the Room
Community members, businesses and organizations are encouraged to attend, invite friends, bring colleagues and expand the circle of people investing in the Consortium’s future.
Comedy & Community Impact takes place:
Saturday, November 14, 2026
6:00 p.m.
Springfield Marriott
Dinner and comedy show included
To purchase tickets, visit FunnyRaising.com and select “Western Mass Consortium Fundraiser.”
If you cannot attend but want to learn more about the Consortium and the people its programs support, visit wmtcinfo.org.
Come for the comedy.
Leave knowing your night helped build something that can last for generations.