KENILWORTH — A community comedy fundraising event is happening later this month in Kenilworth.
United Community Corporation (UCC) will be presenting “Laugh for Charity Gala and Casino Night” at Galloping Hill Golf Course, 3 Golf Drive, Kenilworth, on Thursday, Aug. 20, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Tony Rock will be the headliner. There will also be casino games for prizes, dinner and a two-hour open bar. Prizes include UCC T-shirts, mugs, mid-sized art, crafts and handmade pottery. Larger prizes include a 90-inch television and vacation packages. Proceeds will go to outreach services and programs at UCC, primarily homeless shelters and food pantries.
“The two shelters and food services run over-budget. We’re looking to fill those gaps,” said Craig Mainor, UCC’s executive director.
UCC’s main address is in Newark. It has nine different program sites: seven in Newark, one in East Orange and one in Irvington.
The nonprofit was established in 1964. Mainor’s role is to manage the agency, the programs, the client intake and the maintenance crew. He’s been aboard as executive director for the past 12 years.
Mainor said he could empathize with the families UCC is helping. He and his two brothers were raised by his single mom. When she returned from the army, she wasn’t aware that she could get army benefits. In Jersey City, Mainor and his family faced evictions and food insecurity. “I know what that is,” he said. “I was once in need of these types of services. My mom would work three jobs. We were the picture of the latchkey kids. Food and housing were an issue.”
During his years between grammar school and high school, Mainor’s family had 10 addresses. “I know exactly what the families are going through now. If things hadn’t changed for my mom, I’d still be a client. We are here because we understand the fight and struggle that’s out there.”
Mainor remembers being in high school and picking up his younger brother to wait in line at the Share Food Program. They would hold a spot for their mom until she got off the bus to meet them. “They wouldn’t let minors get the food,” said Mainor.
All through high school, Mainor helped his mother pay rent. When Mainor graduated high school, he went to college and he got a job away from the house. His twin brother joined the Army and his younger brother moved away to live with friends in West Milford. Now without the extra mouths to feed, his mother was about to become independent. She moved into a smaller apartment, which she could afford.
Knowing what the UCC clients are dealing with firsthand, Mainor says he doesn’t take it personally when clients come in and they’re upset. “It’s the way life happens,” he said. “If they are unhappy, it’s not that they don’t like you. I can definitely sympathize with that mindset.”
All the programs at UCC are free.
To learn more about UCC and for tickets to the UCC Laugh for Charity Gala and Casino Night 2026, visit: https://uccnewark.org/.
Photo Courtesy of Craig Mainor
