A Bridgehampton nonprofit is aiming to raise funds for college and trade school scholarships with its “Comedy for a Cause” fundraiser on Saturday, June 21.
The event, hosted by the Road Forward Scholarship Fund, will run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at LTV Studios, 75 Industrial Road in Wainscott. The evening will feature all-star talent from Southampton’s Sticks and Stones Comedy Club and be emceed by New York comic Brad Zimmerman, who has opened for George Carlin and Joan Rivers. Zimmerman will also perform excerpts from his one-man show. Dinner and beverages are included with admission.
"It'll be fun. It's Comedy for a Cause, and who doesn't need a good laugh these days," said Harold Zuckerman, the group's publicity and media chair.
The Road Forward Scholarship Fund is awarding more aid than ever in 2024, Zuckerman said, with 14 students receiving a total of about $230,000 in scholarships. That includes 12 four-year scholarships worth $18,000 each, and two two-year scholarships valued at $6,000 each. Scholarships are open to both college and trade school students.
The program has grown steadily since it began in 2022, when three students received a total of $27,000. In 2023, that increased to about $100,000 awarded to six students, followed by approximately $200,000 for 11 students in 2024.
Zuckerman said the initiative started during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During COVID a group of five people got together and tried to help the community in the Sag Harbor area,” he said. “While doing that they discovered there were a lot of poor families. These kids were smart and wanted to go on to further education and they didn't have the money to do it.”
That grassroots effort led to the formation of a social justice committee, which eventually became the Road Forward Scholarship Fund, now a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
The program currently serves students from Hampton Bays to Montauk and Shelter Island in Suffolk County. Zuckerman said the organization hopes to expand, but doing so depends on additional fundraising.
Applicants must meet two criteria: they must be accepted into a school and meet federal guidelines for low income.
“What I really want to drive home is that the kids have to qualify, and it's an unfortunate qualification,” Zuckerman said. “The people that get the money are economically disadvantaged families, and that's according to the government's definition.”
The scholarship selection process involves guidance counselors and the fund’s Education Committee, chaired by Eileen Shepard. Once a scholarship is awarded, students receive continued support through a Mentoring Program led by Vivian Shapiro.
Many recipients are first-generation college applicants who often work to help support their families, according to the nonprofit’s website. Some have experienced serious hardship, including abandonment or the loss of a parent.
Zuckerman said seeing their success has been deeply meaningful.
“It’s very motivating for me because the kids are really moving on, and they're going to make something of their lives,” he said. “It’s probably the most rewarding experience of my life.”
For more information about the program, to apply for a scholarship, or to purchase tickets for the fundraiser, visit https://roadforwardscholarship.org.