“Motivated” Mallards honor Madison native Chris Farley

Dressed in the role of “motivational speaker” and wearing custom jerseys inspired by a classic “Saturday Night Live” sketch, Madison paid tribute to actor Chris Farley as it hosted the Lakeshore Chinooks in a Northwoods League game at Warner Park.

A portion of the proceeds from the game, as well as proceeds from an online auction of the jerseys worn by Farley, will go to the Recovery Foundation, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to addiction and mental health treatment.

While the ad made for a lively night at the stadium, the Mallards’ marketing director, who came up with the idea and organized the event, said the motivation for the idea went far beyond Farley’s ability to elicit laughs – even 26 years after the comedian’s death at age 33.

“For us, it’s always a two-fold thing,” said Kyle Chisholm. “We always want to do something really great, but then we also want to be able to give back.”

Judging by the fans’ reaction, the Mallards’ mission was a success, as a packed crowd celebrated Farley’s legacy while raising funds for the Recovery Foundation.

The festivities began early when a fan dressed as Farley character Matt Foley threw one of the first pitches before Farley’s older brother Tom Farley joined Recovery Foundation founder Shelly Dutch on the mound for the ceremonial first pitch.

Chisholm said the Farley family’s support was essential before the team could move forward with planning the event.

“Tom loved the idea and said in a weird way that if the Yankees asked him what his favorite team was, he would say ‘no’, but if the Mallards asked him, he would say ‘yes’ because it just feels right.”

“It means everything to us,” Chisholm said of the Farley family’s blessing. “You should never try to do anything without the family’s blessing. Of course, a lot of people idolize Chris, and I’m sure some people have done things that the family isn’t particularly happy with, and we had their blessing, and that’s where it starts.”

Tom Farley enjoyed the sunny atmosphere during Madison’s 7-2 loss to Lakeshore, stopping periodically to pose for photos with eager fans, including two costumed fans dressed as his late brother.

“This Chris Farley motivational speaker night is something I’ve been looking forward to all summer,” said Tom Farley. “It’s always fun at a Mallards game, but Chris Farley nights are the best.”

“It used to be the bobbleheads, now they’re all dressed up like Chris. It gives me nightmares, but it’s also a lot of fun.”

While the event, which also featured a Chris Farley impersonation contest, provided plenty of laughs, Tom Farley remains focused on tackling addiction issues any way he can, more than two and a half decades after his brother’s death from substance abuse.

“I’ve been doing this almost since Chris died from this disease,” he said. “I go around schools and communities and talk about addiction and recovery.”

“It makes perfect sense. I want people to remember not only how funny Chris was and how caring and generous he was, but also that he had an addiction and an illness that we can do something about.”

Tom Farley said the Mallards were an excellent choice to carry on his brother’s legacy and raise awareness about the impact of addiction on the community.

“For some reason, I always felt like I had to share Chris with others,” said Tom Farley. “The easy cliche is to say, ‘He’s too big to keep in our family.’ But it’s true, I’ve experienced so many people who remember Chris, who love Chris, and how can I not share that.

“The beauty of this is that the Mallards see the same thing. They are part of Madison, they share with Madison. And I know Chris would love every part of bringing these two together to give back to Madison.”

For Chisholm and the Mallards, seeing the event bring a smile to Tom Farley’s face was the icing on the cake.

“You know, it was great. It shows that Chris Farley’s memory lives on in a lot of people,” Chisholm said. “That’s a pretty powerful thing, and I feel like his family felt that (tonight). I feel like Tom can’t walk ten feet without being recognized or having someone tell him how much they enjoyed all the things the family did.”

“As long as we can continue to do what is right for the people we honor and for our community, that is all we can ask.”

Rob McCready, a board member of the Recovery Foundation, said events like the Mallards’ “motivational speaker” promotion are critical for the nonprofit to continue providing its services to the community.

“They are incredibly important,” McCready said, “there is still a lot of stigma surrounding substance abuse disorders and mental health disorders. This helps put a face to recovery and treatment.”

“We are also funded entirely by donations, we are a 5013(c) nonprofit organization, so we rely on donations and events like this.”

Tom Farley said that it may be beneficial for the younger generation who did not grow up with Chris Farley’s films and television appearances to learn about his life story and his struggles.

“It’s so easy to make a connection. The younger generation didn’t need to see Chris on ‘SNL’ or in movies,” Tom Farley said. “But they see the legacy of humor and joy.”

“They see that their parents just love this guy. They see it. They see all these adults acting silly, like kids. And they identify with that, and I love that. It’s easy to jump on that bandwagon.”