More than €14,300 raised for Ukrainian soldiers at the comedy show “Smieklu lādiņš”

More than €14,300 was raised to support Ukrainian soldiers during the leading Latvian comedians’ show “Smieklu lādiņš” (“Laughter Charge”) and the charity auction held as part of the event at the end of April. In cooperation with the charity association “Tavi draugi” (“Your Friends”), the donated funds will be used to purchase a minibus for a drone-operator unit of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces.

“Smieklu lādiņš” took place on 30 April at the Tower concert hall, and a recording of the live broadcast is available on TV24 and in television platform archives.

This year’s “Smieklu lādiņš” featured performances and comedy sets by Jānis Kreičmanis, Kalvis Troska, Rūdolfs Kugrēns, illusionist Edžus, Četri Brāļi (Kozmens, Oskars Kozlovskis, Juris Kozlovskis, Jānis Kozlovskis), Divas (Anete Bendika, Elīna Geida), Gandrīz Draugi (Dita Nitiša, Dzintars Rožkalns), Spiediens (Sanda Dejus, Juris Kozlovskis, Līga Kausa, Gatis Kurzemnieks, Jevgēnijs Grahoļskis, Sandis Elsts), and 2×2 Improvizācija (Kaspars Breidaks, Mārcis Viļums).

A total of €14,321 was donated during the event. This amount includes revenue from ticket sales, donations received via the “Tavi draugi” donation phone line during the live broadcast, as well as audience donations collected during the auction and throughout the event. Auction items included personal items meaningful to the comedians, such as a dress worn by Baiba Sipeniece-Gavare and a hobby horse handmade by Kozmens, Ukrainian-designed sweaters, and commemorative gifts sent by soldiers from near the front line.

The “Smieklu lādiņš” donation will go to the charity association “Tavi draugi”, which will use the funds to purchase a 4×4 minibus following a request from a drone-operator unit of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces.

Jānis Kozlovskis, representative of the “Smieklu lādiņš” organizers: “We say 14,321 ‘thank-yous’ to everyone who attended ‘Smieklu lādiņš’ and watched the live broadcast. Together we reached this year’s fundraising goal and even exceeded our expectations. The vehicle purchased with the donations will soon head to the front, where it will be used to transport soldiers to positions, evacuate wounded soldiers, and carry out other tasks for the unit. The ‘Smieklu lādiņš’ vehicle will be a very useful contribution to the drone-operator unit of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, enabling soldiers to perform missions quickly and effectively in Ukraine’s fight for freedom.”

A photo gallery from the 30 April “Smieklu lādiņš” show is available here; photographer: Lauris Vīksne.

The organizers thank all comedians who performed free of charge, the Tower concert hall for providing the venue free of charge, TV24 for broadcasting the live event, “UzBur Productions” for filming and providing the live stream, and “Biļešu Serviss” for supporting event publicity and ticket sales.