Broadway Cares and Equity Fights AIDS

If you’ve ever been to a Broadway production, whether it’s in New York City, or in another city for a traveling production, you may have seen some of the cast and crew hanging out after the show with red buckets in their hands, asking for donations. These are Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS donation buckets. Many of the cast and crew on Broadway support and help raise funds for this organization.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is a non-profit organization with a mission “to fund the social service work of The Actors Fund and to award grants three times a year to AIDS service organizations nationwide”. Equity Fights AIDS was founded in 1987, and shortly afterward in 1988 Broadway Cares was born. For the next few years they operated separately, then the two merged in 1992, and since have raised over $140 million to support their efforts. The funds raised are put to work towards many causes. To name just a few, BC/EFA supports the HIV/AIDS Initiative, emergency grants such as Hurricane Sandy Relief, food service and meal delivery programs for the sick, and 22 AIDS service organizations in Africa alone. To read more about what this organization does, visit http://www.broadwaycares.org.

Theatre can make such a difference in a person’s life, and supporting an organization like Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS can change many lives. The next time you’re seeing a show, say hello to the BC/EFA volunteers on your way out. The person holding the bucket was a part of the production you just watched. And if you can, throw some change their way… it really does make a difference in people’s lives!