HFC\u2019s \u201cFriendsgiving\u201d is part brain games, part comedic genius, and all heart. Guests were welcomed through an industrial greenhouse, and were invited to play carnival games and enjoy various gourmet food trucks, eventually settling in for an incredible lineup of performances. Comedians Tig Notaro and Kumail Nanjiani took care of the hilarity, while Asi Wind mystified guests with mind-bending magic. An intimate musical performance by Hayley Williams rounded off the show, leaving guests with a teaser of her upcoming, first-ever, solo tour. The event raised $1.3 million through a silent auction that followed the performances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Kumail NanjianiCredit: Photo by Jerod Harris\/Getty Images for Hilarity for Charity<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been to this venue before, and it was just a very cool venue,\u201d Seth told Los Angeles on the neon pink carpet. \u201cWe\u2019ve kind of found that a combination event like this works best where you can walk around, hang out, get food, and then there\u2019s a show. It\u2019s not all about the show. If you\u2019re not somebody who likes shows, we got something for you too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m worried that we\u2019ll have people that won\u2019t show up, but you know what, it looks pretty good!\u201d Lauren said, smiling, as she eyed the turnout against the rain.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what, fuck those people\u201d, Seth said, laughing, gesturing towards the potential no-shows.<\/p>\n
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Credit: Photo by Jerod Harris\/Getty Images for Hilarity for Charity<\/p>\n
Using comedy to talk about Alzheimer\u2019s is the spark of light in an often long, dark road for caregivers. For the Rogens, it\u2019s the organic path \u2013 It\u2019s where they come from.<\/p>\n
Scroll to continue reading<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s sort of coincidental that that is our resource,\u201d Seth explained. \u201cWe come from comedy, we met through comedy, a lot of our friends are involved in comedy\u2014 so it became the thing we were able to use to draw a crowd. And it is also nice that it\u2019s relieving. It counterbalances the extreme sadness associated with dementia in general.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren, whose mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s at 55, views it as a reflection of how living with this actually feels. \u201cMy life has been filled with highs and lows. Life isn\u2019t just funny. It\u2019s not just sad. It\u2019s all of it,\u201d she said. \u201cDoing an event like this about something heavy and dark shows that there has to be balance. When you get too stuck on one side, that\u2019s not really the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
That balance is at the core of HFC\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you\u2019ll laugh at it,\u201d Lauren said, turning to Seth, \u201cI\u2019ll say it, which is our tagline, that \u2018There\u2019s light in darkness.\u2019\u201d Cue Seth\u2019s iconic laugh.<\/p>\n
If the comedy offered release, Hayley Williams brought the emotion in the gentlest way.<\/p>\n
Williams is no stranger to using her voice for good. Shining a light on caregivers and people currently navigating dementia with loved ones, Hayley took the stage for an intimate set, and tethered the night\u2019s cause with her own experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Hayley WilliamsCredit: Photo by Jerod Harris\/Getty Images for Hilarity for Charity<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so honored to join Seth, Lauren, and this amazing community for Friendsgiving,\u201d Williams said in a statement to HFC. \u201cHFC\u2019s commitment to educating people about Alzheimer\u2019s and supporting caregivers is so important. My mom\u2019s father died of this disease. He was a beautiful, artistic, and gentle soul. It feels very personal to me to be able to use my voice tonight to support HFC\u2019s passion and efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n
HFC is committed to helping ease the burden that caring for someone living with dementia can put a caregiver.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the thing that I hope to dispel about Alzheimer\u2019s is the reality of how hard it is,\u201d Lauren said. \u201cThere are many people who are lucky enough to have not been touched by it, and that\u2019s amazing\u2014but I hope they understand how dark it can get, how long it can last, and what it is like for a caregiver. When we don\u2019t understand those things, we don\u2019t strive for change and we don\u2019t work toward making things better.\u201d<\/p>\n
That urgency is what inspired their documentary about her family\u2019s experience. \u201cI think that with understanding comes learning and comes change. That\u2019s why we made our documentary, because we wanted people to see this is what it is. And this is why we need to change.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re fortunate enough not to be dealing with dementia in your own family, odds are someone you know is. HFC provides amazing tools and resources to caregivers. If you\u2019re looking to help on a personal level, Lauren advises skipping vague gestures.<\/p>\n
So, what can you do?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to say, \u2018What can I do?,\u2019 because that\u2019s really open-ended,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I think it\u2019s: \u2018Hey, I\u2019m running to the store, do you need anything?\u2019 \u2018Hey, I\u2019d like to come over and keep you company.\u2019 \u2018Hey, can I come over and sit with your loved one so you can take a break?\u2019 \u2018Hey, I heard about this support group. Here\u2019s the information. I signed you up; all you have to do is go here at this time and this day.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t do everything,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can\u2019t say to your friend, \u2018I can cure this disease.\u2019 But what I can do is send you a playlist of happy songs to put on when you\u2019re caring for your loved one. What I can do is get you groceries because you can\u2019t get to the store. It\u2019s those types of things that really lighten the load.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seth summed it up by adding, \u201cPeople sometimes look for a big thing that\u2019ll fix it all, but doing a bunch of little things is probably that [big thing].\u201d<\/p>\n
HFC is equally committed to the prevention of this disease, as it currently has no cure. Their research demonstrates five \u201cBrain Health Habits\u201d: eating right, moving your body, sleeping well, managing stress, and keeping your brain engaged through learning and curiosity, which keeps your mind adaptable, resistant, and resilient.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If one is curious how the Rogens keep their minds sharp, consider the following.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both learned pottery,\u201d Lauren said. \u201cWe\u2019re very active in it. We learned how to make glaze, which is certainly something challenging our brains. I do a little Duolingo and that kind of stuff. I think as writers, we\u2019re constantly cataloging new things, learning new things, writing, researching\u2026\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned to play the piano recently for a role,\u201d Seth shared. \u201cLuckily as an actor, they\u2019re always teaching me new things, and I have to learn a new thing very often. It\u2019s actually, thank God, very invigorating in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hosts imparted a few words about what to take away from the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust to have a good time, honestly,\u201d Seth said. \u201cTo learn a little bit as well. I think an event like this is mostly to just kind of have fun. A lot of people here have dementia in their lives in some ways, so some relief from that\u2014I think that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to provide as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over a decade later, the Rogens continue to inspire the next generation of Alzheimer\u2019s advocates and champion caregivers, and Hilarity for Charity\u2019s research and education continue to motivate the younger generation to take preventative action. To learn how you can make an impact, visit www.wearehfc.org<\/a> and @wearehfc<\/strong> on socials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a rare rainy evening in DTLA, Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen\u2019s nonprofit, Hilarity For Charity (HFC),…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":390864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[10263,1582,276,151517,185998,185999,2961,224,5337,186000,46854],"class_list":{"0":"post-390863","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-alzheimers-disease","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-hayley-williams","12":"tag-hilarity-for-charity","13":"tag-kumail-najiani","14":"tag-la","15":"tag-los-angeles","16":"tag-losangeles","17":"tag-seth-rogan","18":"tag-tig-notaro"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115578714939123369","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}