NEWS: THEATRE CARES SUPPORTS ACTORS’ FUND OF CANADA

VANCOUVER – Theatre Cares Vancouver, an organization that raises funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS issues has announced a $5,000 contribution to the Actors’ Fund of Canada for 2009.  “Supporting the Actors’ Fund is a natural choice for us” says Louis-Marie Bournival, of Theatre Cares.  “While the Fund isn’t specifically an AIDS charity the work they do within the theatre community is truly phenomenal. When the AIDS crisis struck in the mid-80s, the Fund was one of the first charities to respond to the needs of our community. Today it continues to provide assistance to people dealing with all types of illness, from HIV to cancer, allowing people to maintain their dignity as they deal with life-changing events.”

Actors’ Fund of Canada Executive Director David Hope expressed his gratitude for Theatre Cares’ contribution, saying: “Theatre Cares has contributed over $100,000 to the Fund since it began in 1991.  The money they raise is the product of many hours of work by dedicated volunteers who want to improve the lives of the most vulnerable people in our community. We are greatly touched by Theatre Cares’ steadfast support of the Actors’ Fund and we are thrilled to be a beneficiary of their fundraising efforts once again this year.”

The Actors’ Fund of Canada is the lifeline for Canada’s entertainment industry. Performers and others who work behind the scenes in film and television, theatre, music and dance can apply for emergency financial aid from the Fund, which recently set a new record for the amount of financial aid delivered to industry members in a single year, topping $600,000 in fiscal 2008-09. The Fund has helped over 10,000 entertainment industry workers recover from illness, injury or other circumstances causing severe economic and personal hardship since it was founded in 1958.

The Fund is a registered charity that has paid out over $3.7 million in rent payments, grocery money, utility payments and other basic living expenses in the last 10 years. Performers, creators, technical staff and other production team members can benefit from the Fund, which receives no major government funding and is sustained by support from individuals and entertainment industry organizations.  Theatre Cares Vancouver is a volunteer based organization that unites the generous spirit of Vancouver’s performing arts community with its supporters to raise funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS relief and other worthy charities. In 2009 Theatre Cares Vancouver raised $40,000 from merchandise sales, money donated by theatres and patrons during Theatre Cares Week and other fundraising activities. The charity is entirely volunteer run, allowing 90% of funds raised to go directly to the charities they support.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

David Hope, The Actors' Fund of Canada
Phone: 1-877-399-8392
E-mail: execdir@actorsfund.ca
Web site: www.actorsfund.ca