PORTLAND – Josh Blue – winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and known as the “comedian who puts the cerebral in cerebral palsy” – will perform Saturday, June 21, at the South Portland Auditorium.

The 8 p.m. show will benefit Northeast Hearing and Speech Center Inc., a nonprofit speech and hearing center that has served Maine and New Hampshire communities since 1924.

The center provides hearing evaluations and dispenses hearing aids. It also works with older children and adults with autism, language learning problems, stuttering and voice disorders; and speech language pathologists work with young children.

A fast-rising comic since first appearing on Comedy Central’s “Mind of Mencia,” Blue has emerged as one of the hottest comedians in the country, performing to sold-out crowds on a nonstop cross-country tour.

A stand-up comedian, artist and U.S. Paralympic Soccer player, Blue refuses to bow to the challenges of living with cerebral palsy. “I realize that people are going to stare so I want to give them something to stare at,” he says, using his sense of humor and likeability to defy stereotypes and encourage others to overcome preconceived notions about people who are considered “disabled.”

In 2006, Blue became the first stand-up comedian to perform on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” He also received a Relly Award for Best Winning Reality Show Guest on “Live with Regis and Kelley.”

An uncanny ability to improvise with audiences, coupled with comedic timing, has enabled Blue to draw audiences at comedy clubs, theaters, college campuses and corporate events across the country.

For more information on Blue, log on to www.joshblue.com.

General admission tickets are $30. They may be purchased from Northeast Hearing and Speech Center by calling 874-1065, at the center office at 43 Baxter Blvd. or at Bangor Savings Bank.