The YAY! Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to tackling mental health challenges through comedy, will return to Durango to host a comedy show featuring community members in substance abuse recovery.
Comedian Aiden Park, who founded YAY! Foundation in 2022, said he was inspired to start the organization after comedy helped him through his own mental health struggles.
The nonprofit hosts workshops and comedy shows aimed at individual empowerment and community discussion around challenging and often stigmatized topics in a safe and approachable environment. The events address topics like AIDS, PTSD, addiction and recovery, as well as challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.
Park’s philosophy on mental health is one of levity.
“When people laugh with you, they feel for you, and there's a camaraderie. So it really reduces the level of loneliness and shame,” Park said. “It helps to really soften stigma and sheds light on some really serious topics through fun.”
In partnership with the American Legion, Young People in Recovery, and Sober Water, the YAY! Foundation will put on a weeklong workshop for Durango locals interested in sharing their recovery stories through a comedic lens.
The workshop will culminate in a comedy show at the American Legion building at 878 East Second Ave. The show will start at 8 p.m. March 8 and is open to the public. Tickets will be priced at $25.
“It acts as education. It's a form of therapy for the participants. It's a wonderful opportunity for the community to be engaged,” said Ben Gross, program director for the YAY! Foundation.
Workshop participants are chosen ahead of time and will be capped at eight people.
Participation in the workshop is free.
The goal is for all of the presenters to leave the workshop with an engaging, punchy five-minute set they can present at the show, Park said.
“I will say this, I have a 100% hit rate. No one's ever bombed,” he said.
Ryan Whitaker, founder of Sober Waters, said stand-up comedy provides people in recovery with an opportunity to reclaim their narrative.
Through comedy, people can “recover loudly so that others don't have to die silently,” Whitaker said.
The YAY! Foundation has worked in other towns such as Farmington, Salida and Fort Collins; each town has its own unique set of needs – there is no one-size-fits-all service the nonprofit can provide, Park said.
“We're there to meet the community’s needs,” Park said.
According to Whitaker, Durango’s growing recovery community has shown a strong demand for sober events.
Whitaker organized a sober sip-and-paint event for Snowdown 2025 that was so popular people were turned away at the door.
“There's not a lot of recovery-centered activities,” he said. “So the more we have to offer, the more spaces people will have to go.”
In addition to the “YAY! for Recovery” comedy show, the foundation will host a holistic health event in August and a YAY! Fest celebrating Durango’s LGBTQ+ population in October.
“This year, with everything happening, we decided that LGBTQ people really need our support,” Park said. “And so we're leaning into the drag thing this year.”
The foundation will also return to Durango for its third annual World AIDS Day event in December.
Last year, World AIDS Day events raised over $11,000, Park said.
Gross recalled a moment from last year’s event when a teenager in the audience approached the YAY! team to share that the nonprofit’s work had given them the courage to come out.
“It's things like that that really make this work so meaningful,” Gross said.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
