Comedian Louie Anderson will headline the second annual anniversary celebration to benefit Make Your Date, a regional program fighting preterm birth in Detroit. The event will be held May 7 at the Fillmore in Detroit. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will serve as honorary chairman of the gala fundraiser.
“Stand Up For Make Your Date” begins at 6:30 p.m. and includes cocktails, dinner and a performance by Anderson. Proceeds from the event benefit Make Your Date, launched by the city of Detroit in 2014. The Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University, the city’s leading health systems and other key partners designed the initiative to help expectant mothers deliver healthy full-term babies.
Now staring in the new FX comedy series “Baskets,” Anderson has been named one of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time by Comedy Central. He is one of the world’s most versatile and successful comedians, loved by television audiences who never missed him on the hit show “Family Feud” or his numerous appearances on late-night chat shows. He is adored by standing-room-only crowds in Las Vegas and respected by readers of his best-selling books.
The master of stand-up comedy has guest-starred in sitcoms like “Grace Under Fire” and the dramas “Touched by an Angel” and “Chicago Hope,” and created memorable roles in comedies like “Coming to America,” opposite Eddie Murphy, and the classic “Ferris Bueller's Day Off.”
“I am very honored to be able to contribute to Detroit’s future – I am hopeful that we can all make a difference in the lives of the children in this City, starting with Make Your Date,” Anderson said.
In 1995, Anderson created the Saturday morning animated series “Life with Louie,” based on his childhood, for which he won three Humanitas Prizes for writing on a children’s animated series and two Emmy Awards. His best-selling books include “Dear Dad - Letters from an Adult Child” and “Good-bye Jumbo...Hello Cruel World.” His most recent book is “The F Word: How to Survive Your Family.”
“We are very fortunate to have Louie Anderson supporting Make Your Date for the second year in a row,” Duggan said. “With Louie’s support we can bring greater awareness to the risks of preterm birth so we can help expectant mothers carry their babies to full term.”
In Detroit, 18 percent of babies are born prematurely, nearly 6 percent higher than the state average. Studies show that low birth weight accounts for almost 50 percent of the city’s infant mortality rate, which is twice the national average. Make Your Date implements evidence-based strategies to combat this high rate through education, collaboration and partnerships with health care systems, universities, insurance companies and established programs in the Detroit area. The program provides a consistent approach among local health care providers in how they deliver support and care to expectant mothers. The Make Your Date Program Sponsorship Partners include: Diamond Sponsor: the Detroit Medical Center; Platinum Sponsors: Meridian Health Plan, DMC Foundation, Wayne State University; Silver Sponsor: March of Dimes, along with numerous 2nd Annual Stand Up for Make Your Date event sponsors.
Tickets for the celebration are $250 per person or $500 per person for a meet and greet, VIP reception and photographs. The cost includes cocktails, dinner and a show. For more information and to reserve tickets, go to https://makeyourdate.org/ or contact info@makeyourdate.org or call 313-577-1000.
WHO: Louie Anderson and Mayor Duggan Standing Up for Make Your Date (Detroit’s plan to reduce preterm birth).
WHAT: A celebration and fundraiser. Make Your Date is Detroit’s plan to reduce preterm birth by implementing evidence-based strategies.
WHERE: The Fillmore, Detroit.
WHEN: Saturday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m.
HOW: For more information and to reserve tickets, go to https://makeyourdate.org/ or contact info@makeyourdate.org or call 313-577-1000.
MAKE YOUR DATE
Patients can sign up by visiting www.MakeYourDate.org or calling 313-577-1000, regardless of where they may already be obtaining their prenatal care, and they will be guided through the process.