Comedy Fundraiser for Wayland's Team Hoyt

Dennis Charles has raced in triathlons with Dick and Rick Hoyt, the Wayland father-son team who have particpated in the Boston Marathon since 1981.

As a result of oxygen deprivation to his brain at the time of his birth in 1962, Rick was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Doctors told Dick and Judy Hoyt to institutionalize Rick.

But the Hoyts were determined that Rick would lead as normal a life as possible. That hasn't happened. Rick, and his dad Dick, are internationally renowned and have competed in more than 1,000 races. Dick pushes Rick in a wheelchair, and tows him in a boat or behind a bike in triathlons and duathlons.

Besides their personal success, the Hoyts have used the publicity surrounding their racing to form Team Hoyt, a group of more than 100 runners who this year aim to raise more than $100,000 to help children with disabilities lead as normal lives as possible.

First Parish Framingham church member and triathlete Dennis Charles is a member of Team Hoyt. Charles, whose dry humor accompanies his British accent and roiling pack of personable children, decided to sponsor a Comedy Night Friday, March 18, at First Parish as a way to raise money to meet Team Hoyt's six-figure 2011 goal.

About 50 people saw the show featuring Mary Ellen Rinaldi's splendid timing and unabashed character sketches. Rinaldi's husband thinks she spends her nights away from home taking home-decorating classes at community college.

When her husband has attended her shows, he later criticizes some of her home-life sketches as "not even true." She replies, "Of course it isn't true. If it was true, it wouldn't be funny."

Comedy is personal and what one person finds funny, another may not. But anyone, like Mary Ellen, who stops five minutes into her act and says, "I'm out of jokes. Would you mind if I do some twice?" is funny.

Rinaldi was preceded by Ed Alley, whose tales of technological backwardness eventually led him to reveal his new invention, B Mail, which is a helium balloon he ties messages to.

The night was generously sponsored by local businesses whose products and services were awarded to audience members who bought raffle tickets at a table staffed by the Charles clan.  

Donors included Panache Coffee on Route 9, Millwood Golf Club, Computer Care Associates, Charles Careers (Dennis's business), Daryn Bower Massage on Route 9, Photography in Motion which has followed the Hoyts' career and was also taking photos at comedy night, all of Framingham; McLaughlin, Richards, Mahaney and Woodyshek attorneys, and Aloe Wrapping and More, both of Natick and online greeting-card company My Random Acts of Cardness owned by Jay McHugh.

Rinaldi, really a wonderful and fearless personality, also does public speaking. The slim 52-year-old. 53. OK 54, said her doctor tells her she is gettting heavier and heavier everytime the doctor sees her. "What should we do?" the doctor asks.

"Stop seeing each other," Rinaldi replies.

Or just forget about the doctor. Ed Alley said he is so forgetful he doesn't recognize the voices in his head any more. Plus he has to ask them to repeat themselves.

- To contribute to Team Hoyt, visit their website at http://www.teamhoyt.com/, cheer them on at the Hopkinton starting line on Monday, April 18, 2011, or anywhere along the Boston Marathon course.