Bill Cosby Kitchener show alternative offered by volunteers

Tickets are now available for a fundraiser that bills itself as an alternative to Comedian Bill Cosby's Jan. 7 show in Kitchener.

The event, calledVoices Carry, is being held on the same night as Cosby's show at Centre InThe Square.

It is beingorganized by a group of volunteers hoping to raise money for survivors of sexual assault, with proceeds going to the Sexual Assault Centre of Waterloo Region and Womens Crisis Services of Waterloo Region.

• Centre In The Square explains why it won't cancel Bill Cosby show

The fundraisercomes amid outrageover Cosby's appearance in Kitchener, given the growing number of sexual assault allegations against the comedian. It all startedthis tweet sent by radio personality MikeFarwell, said Shirley Lichti, one of the event's organizers:

On mobile? Read the tweet

"From that one tweet, it literally snowballed, and it just took momentum,"saidLichti.

As a volunteer at the Sexual Assault Centre of Waterloo Region for nearly 25 years, Lichti said recent media attention of high-profile figureslike Cosby, who are facing allegations of sexual assault,is bringing new light to theconversation.

"The fact that so many women have publicly come forward to say Yes, Ive been sexually abused or Yes, this happened to me or Yes, I have been sexually harassed in the workplace has made it safer for other women to say Im not alone. This hasnt just happened to me,"she said.

Almost a dozen of Cosbysshows that are part ofhis ongoing standup tour in the United States have been cancelled, but three Ontario performances in Kitchener, London and Hamilton are going ahead. The London Abused Womens Centre isboycottingthe Jan. 8 performance in London.

Free admission for those with Cosby tickets

Rather than boycott the Kitchener show, organizers decided those who hold tickets to Cosby's show at Centre in the Square should be offered free admission to attend Voices Carry instead.

The alternative event will feature five bands, cupcakes donated by The Cake Box, and brief presentations by both charities involved.

Its going to be an evening to come out,enjoy some good music, and support two great causes, saidLichti.

Doors for the event open at 6 p.m. on Jan. 7, with entertainment from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.Tickets range from $20 per person to $200 for a group of 12, and can be purchased athttp://voicescarry.eventbrite.ca.

At least 15 women have come forward with sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby since early November.

Prosecutors declined to charge Cosbyin connection to the most recent allegations by JudyHuth, who said Cosby forced her to perform a sex act on him in a bedroom of the Playboy Mansion in 1974, when she was 15 years old.

Former supermodels Beverly Johnson and Janice Dickinson have also come forward with allegations that the 77-year-old attacked them.