Changing the world, one laugh at a time
In a matter of seconds, life can change forever.
On December 4th, 2015, Dan Golinsky was struck by a visually impaired motorist while walking the Golinsky family’s dog, Levi, with wife Myrna. Dan sustained a major traumatic brain injury (TBI) upon being hit, and fell into a coma as a result. Dan fought a valiant fight for eleven months in a coma/ minimally conscious state before passing away on November 12, 2016. His life was cut drastically short, leaving behind a loving wife, two doting children, Evan and Marlee and countless close family and friends all shocked by this tragic event.
Dan’s son Evan, fourteen at the time, recognized a need to honor his dad, as Dan always preached positivity and determination to his kids and everyone around him. Having spoken with many doctors through Dan’s hospitalization, Evan discovered a severe lack of attention and funding for the issue of traumatic brain injury, which impacts millions of people every year yet does not receive the attention deserves. This motivated him to find a means to bring awareness and funding to this cause while honoring his father’s legacy and passions. Being that Dan was a diehard lover of stand-up comedy, this gave Evan an idea.
Thus, the Golinsky Comedy Club was born.
Working with the Brain Trauma Foundation, Evan established The Golinsky Fund. This charitable fund targets improving the guidelines put out by the Brain Trauma Foundation used in treating patients with traumatic brain injuries. The funds raised through this initiative go directly toward funding research into traumatic brain injuries and effective treatment methods, with the hope that patients like Dan Golinsky will have a higher survival rate.
Starting in 2017, Evan Golinsky partnered up with their synagogue, Temple Beth Am of Miami, Florida, to organize the first Golinsky Comedy Club. Through hard work and planning, the first event was held on December 17th, 2017 and featured locally and nationally recognized comedians, including Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry. The first show was a hit, with the community coming together to raise almost $30,000 for The Golinsky Fund at the Brain Trauma Foundation.
Given the success of the first event, Evan recognized the power in what he had created, and aimed to make this event an annual occurrence. To date, there has been a Golinsky Comedy Club every year since 2017, with over $100,000 raised for charity. The likes of Gilbert Gottfried, Patton Oswalt and Justin Long have contributed to the Comedy Club and helped raise these necessary funds.
With Evan attending college at the University of Pennsylvania, the torch was passed onto two very special people who added their individuality to the Comedy Club.
Marlee Golinsky, Evan’s younger sister, has been an integral part of the development of the Golinsky Comedy Club from the beginning. Being Dan and Myrna’s child, Marlee was deeply impacted by the passing of her father and has sought means to memorialize him in the way that he would have wanted. She proudly represents the Golinsky Comedy Club and the causes it supports.
Cooper Menachem, longtime family friend of the Golinsky’s, represents all that the Comedy Club stands for. The Comedy Club is honored to have someone as committed as Cooper join forces to help raise awareness and funding for these worthy causes. His passion for charity has expanded the Comedy Club’s reach and launched it to new heights, inspired by the story of Dan and his own grandfather, Neal, who passed away at a young age.
Marlee and Cooper expanded the Golinsky Comedy Club in 2020 through the inclusion of funding for Achieve Miami, a Miami-based nonprofit benefitting underserved youth through mentorship, counseling and success-driven experiences. Marlee and Cooper have begun raising funds for Achieve Miami, creating a scholarship for underserved teens in honor of the Golinsky and Menachem families.