National Comedy Center Launches “Susan Sargent Caregiver Week” to Bring Laughter and Connection to Caregivers and Their Loved Ones

Philadelphia area couple inspires national museum program supporting mental health through comedy

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JAMESTOWN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Comedy Center, the United States’ museum and national archive dedicated to the art form of comedy, announced today that it will launch its first Susan Sargent Caregiver Week to honor caregivers supporting loved ones through illness, disability or other conditions requiring care. Presented during National Family Caregivers Month and reflecting its 2026 theme, “Care Connects Us,” the initiative will offer complimentary museum admission November 9 through November 15, 2026 for each caregiver and the loved one receiving their care. Caregivers are also welcome to visit on their own for a personal moment of respite. Participants will receive take-home resources to bring laughter and connection into their caregiving relationships.

The program honors the memory of Susan Sargent of Chestnut Hill, PA and is inspired by her visit to the National Comedy Center with her husband and caregiver, Mitch Goldman. Together, they faced the profound challenges of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which affected Susan’s ability to communicate and connect. During their visit, classic comedy and the museum’s interactive exhibits prompted memories and speech, creating moments of joy, shared laughter and recognition and providing a needed source of respite for them both.

That experience became the foundation for the National Comedy Center’s Comedy & Caregiving initiative. Working together, Mitch and the Comedy Center are creating opportunities for other caregivers and care recipients to experience the connection he and Susan found through comedy. Susan and Mitch’s family and friends have supported this initiative with gifts in Susan’s memory, making the first Susan Sargent Caregiver Week possible.

“Visiting the National Comedy Center was an extraordinary experience for Susan and me,” said Goldman. “At a time when conversation had become difficult, laughing together brought back memories and gave us a way to connect. I treasure those moments, and it means a great deal to me that this program will help other caregivers and their loved ones find that same joy and connection. I know Susan would have loved that.”

During Susan Sargent Caregiver Week, caregivers can explore the museum’s immersive exhibits with the loved one receiving their care or enjoy a visit on their own, with an experience personalized to each visitor’s sense of humor. The invitation welcomes caregivers supporting loved ones through any illness, disability or other condition requiring care.

“Caregiving can leave little room to simply enjoy being together,” said Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center. “Susan and Mitch’s experience inspired us to think about how comedy can help create that space – for laughter, connection and relief from the demands of caregiving. Supporting the mental health and wellness of caregivers and those receiving care is at the heart of this initiative. Working with Mitch, we’re honoring Susan by welcoming others to experience that connection here, while giving them practical ways to bring comedy into their lives each day outside of the museum.”

“Having been a caregiver for my own parents, I know how much those moments of laughter and connection can mean,” said comedian and National Comedy Center Advisory Board member Lewis Black. “Caregiving can be hard, and being able to laugh with someone you love matters. I’m proud that the National Comedy Center is honoring Susan’s memory by helping other caregivers and their loved ones find those moments together.”

Susan and Mitch’s story is deeply rooted in Philadelphia’s healthcare community. They met as graduate students in the health care management program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. A nationally recognized healthcare consultant, Susan helped expand health insurance coverage for behavioral health services, while Mitch built a distinguished career as a healthcare attorney, entrepreneur and professor at Drexel University’s law school. Their connection to Penn continued during Susan’s illness, when she participated in Comedic Connections, an improv workshop at Penn Medicine’s Penn Memory Center for people with cognitive impairment and their loved ones.

Beyond the museum experience, Susan Sargent Caregiver Week participants will receive a take-home package of resources exploring how comedy can encourage connection, release tension and help reduce stress, supporting the mental health and wellness of everyone involved in a caregiving relationship. The package will also offer practical ways to incorporate comedy into everyday care, helping participants make shared laughter a continuing part of their care journeys.

This new National Comedy Center initiative builds on the success of its One Laugh at a Time Memory Cafe, a free monthly program for individuals experiencing memory loss and their caregivers. Since its launch in 2025, the Memory Café has brought participants together through comedy, conversation and shared activities, providing opportunities for social connection and caregiver respite. The program, originally established with a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, has earned two Gold Anthem Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility and Local Community Engagement, as well as a 2026 New York State Tourism Excellence Award for Tourism Equity & Inclusion.

For Susan Sargent Caregiver Week complimentary admission details, or to make a donation supporting the National Comedy Center’s Comedy & Caregiving initiative, visit ComedyCenter.org/Caregiving or call 716-484-2222.

About the National Comedy Center

The National Comedy Center is the United States’ museum and national archive dedicated to presenting the vital story of comedy and preserving its heritage for future generations. Through its exhibits, archives and educational initiatives, the Center explores the full breadth of comedy’s history – spanning influential artists, iconic works and the cultural moments that shaped the art form.

Based on the vision of Jamestown, NY native Lucille Ball for her hometown to become a destination for comedy, the National Comedy Center’s museum opened in 2018, offering an unprecedented, immersive visitor experience using state-of-the-art technology, interactivity and personalization. USA Today recently named the National Comedy Center the “Best Pop Culture Museum in the Country” and previously recognized it as the “Best New Museum” in the nation. TIME named it one of its “World’s Greatest Places,” and U.S. News & World Report selected it as one of the “25 Top Family Weekend Getaways in the U.S.” The museum has been featured in The New York Times, on CBS Sunday Morning and on NBC’s TODAY Show, which called it “the Smithsonian of Comedy.”

The National Comedy Center also operates the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, which explores the lives, careers, and legacy of the “First Couple of Comedy” and the incredible impact they had on the world, as well as the pioneering role and remarkable influence that I Love Lucy and Desilu Studios had on the entertainment industry for generations to come.

The annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, produced and presented by the National Comedy Center, has showcased comedy’s great voices over 35 years, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, Seth Meyers, Nate Bargatze, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Bill Murray, Taylor Tomlinson, Bert Kreischer, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Jeff Foxworthy, Nicole Byer, Jay Leno, Joan Rivers, Margaret Cho, Amy Schumer, Sebastian Maniscalco, W. Kamau Bell, David Spade, Jim Gaffigan, Paula Poundstone, Kevin Nealon, The Smothers Brothers, and more than 300 comedic artists.

The National Comedy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural institution whose mission is funded by philanthropic support. Donations and grants support the museum and its work to present the vital story of comedy and preserve its heritage for future generations.

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