On March 11, CareLink Community Support Services welcomed approximately 160 guests to a performance by the Capitol Steps at the Lang Performing Arts Center at Swarthmore College. Proceeds from the event benefited the supported employment and education activities of CareLink’s Office of Career Services.
The Capitol Steps, a political satire troupe, have been a fixture in Washington, DC for more than 30 years, providing a unique blend of musical and political comedy. Each show features tasteful lampooning that leaves guests on both sides of the political aisle laughing.
“All I knew about the show before I came was that it has to do with politics and it’s quite humorous,” said audience member Christopher Stutzman. “I think that’s a good conversation for us to have in this kind of [political] climate. We can have a little bit of fun when talk about politics.”
The Capitol Steps have recorded more than 35 albums, including their latest, The Lyin’ Kings, and have appeared on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS. They perform every Friday and Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC, and can be heard twice a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials.
“We began in 1981 as entertainment at a Senate office Christmas party,” Capitol Steps cast member Nancy Dolliver explained. “It was just some staffers that were asked to put together some material for a party and everyone enjoyed it so much, they were asked to perform again and again, and like most things in Congress, it spun completely out of control. We now travel all over the country.”
“This show is our annual fundraiser,” said CareLink President/CEO Eileen Joseph. “One of the troupe’s founding members, Elaina Newport, is from Upper Darby, PA. She and I connected through her mother many years ago and it’s really been a nice working relationship. I love the group’s tag line, ‘We put the “mock” in “democracy,”‘ and it’s a good time to bring them to our area. I think we need a little levity with all of the things that are going on in our country right now.”
“CareLink provides an array of services to adults with mental illness and developmental challenges, including Career Services, which offers supported employment and education for people who want to go back to school and then move on to getting a job,” Ms. Joseph continued. “Our goal is to help a person understand their illness, learn how to manage their illness, and then get on with their life. Proceeds from this event will allow us to fund tens of thousands of hours spent helping participants in our Career Services program.”
The Capitol Steps benefit performance raised more than $14,000 for CareLink’s many worthwhile programs. The agency sends its sincere thanks to everyone who attended the show, as well as the event’s generous underwriters: Budget Maintenance, Kistler Tiffany Benefits, EisnerAmper, Archetype Solutions Group, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., WSFS Bank, and FRS Advisors.
Video courtesy of MLTV-Main Line Network