Comedy & Magic Club owner Mike Lacey is what you would consider the quintessential Hermosa Beach businessman. Residents, visitors, politicians and local entertainers alike know Lacey as the personable and down-to-earth guy who just so happens to book some of the most talented comedians in the country.

With the opening of his club in 1978, Lacey has experienced a great deal of success with a business that stakes claim to a rich history in town. Over the years, Lacey has shown his appreciation for that success through various community fund-raising events that take place in his club.

“Certainly from the club’s standpoint, I really have this wonderful team of people working here and I think I really have the easiest part of any of that. I may say, ‘OK, yeah, let’s do this.’ Then they do all the work. I think anyone in my position would have done all of these things and more. When you hear these things, you just say, ‘Wow, yes, how do we help?'” said Lacey.

Lacey, who studied auto mechanics in college, became exposed to and fascinated with the world of stand-up comedy and decided he liked it better. At the age of 24, he built the club and opened it two months after his 25th birthday. The club has become famous for hosting both scheduled gigs and unexpected visits from some of the most talented comedians including Dave Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Tim Allen, George Carlin, Jay Leno, Ray Romano, Robin Williams, Dennis Miller, Rodney Dangerfield, Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, Jim Carrey, Gallagher, Paul Reiser and George Wallace.

In speaking about opening his club to various causes over the past 25 years, Lacey is modest about his role in assisting numerous organizations and draws attention to those people behind the causes whom he believes are the ones deserving credit.

“Whenever somebody comes to me with a cause, I’m always just so touched by it that I really end up being the one who receives something from it,” said Lacey. “Just to hear their story and to hear what they have gone through and their strength and courage, it’s such a challenging and difficult time for them. It’s such an inspiration to me that I can’t imagine that I could think I was doing something for them.”

Over the years, Lacey has opened his doors to fund-raisers for causes ranging from controlling the pet overpopulation to hosting monthly outings for cancer patients who attended a show at the club where Lacey drops the cover charge.

“We try to do things that are maybe for causes that don’t have necessarily, for lack of better words, a big board of directors or corporate machine behind them to help raise the funds,” said Lacey. “That’s not to say that we haven’t done any events for bigger groups, but we really try to do it for those people who don’t have the opportunity to sell tickets to organization members, but they still have a real severe need.”

One small cause Lacey assisted in was one related to a Hermosa Beach woman who was involved in an accident and ran out of money to pay for her medical bills. With most fund-raisers, Lacey shies away from publicizing the events so to draw less attention to his behind-the-scenes generosity.

“That was something where the whole South Bay came out to help,” he said. “They are the ones who are paying the money to come and support as far as fund-raisers go. In this case, this woman didn’t have a board of directors, she was out of money and it wasn’t her fault. The South Bay heard about it, a lot of folks from Hermosa Beach heard about it and came down to give money that helped her through a challenging time.”

As a way of providing a form of escapism to cancer patients through humor, Lacey invites cancer survivors and newly diagnosed patients from the Wellness Community and Little Company of Mary Hospital to the club for a night of comedy.

“Think about the fact that those people who do have cancer and, thank God, have survived it, they oftentimes have the toughest time getting ready. Perhaps they’re going through chemotherapy, they’re absolutely exhausted and they don’t feel well at all, but they are kind enough to get out of bed, get dressed and show up down here,” said Lacey. “I think probably more than anything else, the reason why they are coming is to hold the hands of someone else who isn’t as far along in their recovery. They don’t only need to laugh, but they need a hand to reach out to or a shoulder to lean on. They are probably there more for that support of each other before the show starts, and that’s the real show. They have given their time to support each other.”