Laughter filled the Kiva as some 150 Greeks and other students enjoyed a fun, cheap show for a good cause.

Chi Omega sorority hosted its annual philanthropy event on Saturday evening with the theme “Laugh for Wishes” to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Performers included comedian Mike Veneman, a Kent State alum, and Kevin Minster and Minority Report from Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.

The sorority has yet to release how much money it raised Saturday.

The band performed some of their original songs, but what really got the crowd on their feet were their acoustic cover versions of popular hits. Three grown men singing Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl”, Sisqo’s “Thong Song” and Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way” gained laughter and standing ovations from every corner of the room.

After an hour of music, Veneman, who is a former writer for David Letterman and Jeff Foxworthy, strolled onto stage with his walker. He made jokes about his disturbing roommate situations while an undergraduate at Kent State, bad job interview experiences and being sent out on Halloween as a nudist by his mustached mother.

“You know you are in college when you look out your window and a couch flies by … and its on fire,” Venerman joked. “You write a check for $.35 … and it bounced.”

Proceeds from the $5 entrance fee went toward the foundation that grants wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses.

“We always have the goal to grant a wish for one of the children for the program,” said Madeline Saraniti, community service chair for Chi Omega. “We hold one big philanthropy every year to raise money. We get assigned a child once we raise enough money.”

Saraniti said last year Chi Omega granted a wish for a young girl named Casey, whose wish was to swim with the dolphins at Disney world.

The sorority also raised $1200 during a Walk for Wishes event this summer and the money raised Saturday will be added to that fund.

Even though she is not in Chi Omega, Delta Zeta member Brittany Neish said she came to support another sorority’s philanthropy event.

“I definitely don’t think it was a waste of my time because of what it supported,” Neish said. “I mean, I am kind of a broke college student. I don’t really have a lot of money but it was worth it.”

Comedian Veneman closed the show by saying the students were lucky to be attending Kent State and gave a David Letterman “Top 10” list of signs you know you’ve chosen a bad school.

“The number one sign you picked a bad school, two words: Akron U.,” Verman said.

Contact Greek life reporter Samantha Donegan at [email protected].