The Actors' Fund of Canada today announced donations from eight locals of the IATSE totalling $47,800. The donations were made in 2008 and cap a year in which $95,812 in contributions flowed from the IATSE to the Fund.
Highlights of the announcement included contributions from Motion Picture Studio Production locals 873 (Toronto, $25,000), 514 (Province of Quebec, $15,000) and 849 (Atlantic Canada, $5,000). Other locals contributing to the total included Local 822 (Toronto - Theatrical Wardrobe, Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists), Local 667 (Eastern Canada - Camera, Unit Publicists), Local 262 (Montreal - Projectionists, Front of House), Local 173 (Ontario - Projectionists) and Local 129 (Hamilton, Brantford - Stage).
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 $500,000 in 2008. 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.
In addition to its commitment of $25,000 in cash, Local 873 aims to raise an additional $25,000 per quarter for the Actors' Fund in 2009 through on-set fundraising and donations from working members. Commenting on Local 873's support, President Bob Hall said: "The Actors' Fund has been incredibly supportive of so many of our members when they have been in the midst of a financial crisis. Clearly there is a relationship between the financial health of the Fund and the wellbeing of our members and Local 873 recognizes that the Fund cannot continue to provide this kind of assistance without our help. 2008 has been a very tough year for us but making the maximum possible contribution to the Actors' Fund is, and will continue to be, a priority for us."
Adds Local 514 President Alain Massé: "We are a relatively new local but we have already seen the value of the work the Actors' Fund does for members of the IATSE and the film and television industry in general. The Fund is an essential resource for our industry and we are ready and willing to do our part to sustain it."
Says Actors' Fund Executive Director David Hope: "We are grateful to all locals of the IATSE for their commitments to the Actors' Fund during our 50th anniversary year. No matter its size, each of these contributions is impressive in its own way and a demonstration of the solidarity between the
Fund and the many organizations whose members it serves."
With a membership of over 110,000, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada is the largest labour union in the entertainment and related industries.
The Actors' Fund of Canada 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 government funding and is wholly sustained by support from individuals and entertainment industry organizations.
