You may have already noticed the public service ads on RBR/TVBR. The Broadcasters Foundation of America (BOFA) has recently launched a campaign to increase awareness of its mission to provide aid to colleagues in acute financial need. The campaign asks broadcasters to spread the word about the Foundation to those who may need assistance by directing them to the foundation’s website.
“Our sole purpose is to provide financial relief to broadcasters in need. Grant recipients are hard-working, dedicated broadcasters who had vibrant careers and productive lives when a personal tragedy placed them on the brink of disaster. Often a last refuge, the Broadcasters Foundation has helped families remain in their home and made it possible for retirees to afford life-sustaining medications,” said Jim Thompson, President of BOFA.
The Broadcasters Foundation has provided more than $3 million in aid to nearly 400 broadcasters who lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease, or unforeseen family tragedy. Last year alone, $500,000 was distributed to broadcasters in need and this year’s grants are expected to meet or exceed that amount.
Current recipients include the family of a 20-year broadcast veteran who died of a sudden massive stroke, leaving two children and a wife who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis; an elderly couple who have outlived their savings and are saddled with enormous medical costs; and a man who in the prime of his life and at the peak of his career became paralyzed by a tragic accident that has left him confined to a wheel chair.
