Building on its commitment to make quarterly contributions to the Actors’ Fund of Canada equivalent to $4 per member, IATSE Local 891’s Good and Welfare committee has approved an additional contribution of $25,000 for 2011. At current membership levels, this will result in a 2011 contribution of over $100,000 to help entertainment industry members who find themselves ill, injured, or sidelined due to personal or family crisis.
“We make annual contributions to the Actors’ Fund in recognition of the great work they do. This year, we looked at just how many of our members had been helped by the Fund and realized that we wanted to do more to give back” said Local 891 President Ken Anderson. “Everybody who has worked in this industry for long enough knows of somebody the Fund has helped. When the opportunity arose to top up our support this year, we knew we needed to help ensure that the Fund continues to be a strong and healthy resource not only for members of Local 891, but for our brothers and sisters in the industry across Canada.”
The Actors’ Fund of Canada is a registered charity that provides short-term financial aid to entertainment industry professionals working in film & TV, theatre, music and dance. The Actors’ Fund is not just for actors: performers, creators, technical staff and other production team members can apply for help from the Fund which delivered over $4.4 million in rent payments, grocery money, utility payments and other basic living expenses to clients in the last 10 years and has helped over 10,000 entertainment industry members since it was founded in 1958.