(Image: https://twitter.com/bcefa)
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is a non-profit and grant-writing organization that fundraises to provide essential services for HIV/AIDS victims in the United States. Since 1988, they have raised over $300 million, and they write more than 450 grants per year to various AIDS and family services organizations across the nation.
But why is this organization relevant?
Firstly, research for HIV/AIDS has been instrumentally in mitigating the suffering of these individuals throughout the past 40 years. Back when the initial outbreak plagued America in the 1980s, there was a lot of stigma surrounding the illness because the general public didn’t understand how it spread, and the deathly implications of its contraction were fear-inducing for many. With the ongoing research, however, HIV/AIDS is better understood and treatments for the victims are more effective than they were in the past. And by perpetuating research and public understanding, HIV/AIDS is more socially accepted and recognized for what it is.
On a lighter note, it’s pertinent to any musical fan who has imagined how roles in musicals could be different. Every year, Broadway Cares hosts an event called Broadway Backwards in which Broadway stars get together to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community by showcasing gender-bent renditions of the most popular and relevant musical songs. Have you ever wondered how Sixteen Going on Seventeen would look with two guys or how my favorite song from Kinky Boots, The History of Wrong Guys, could be so much better than the original? More than supporting the LGBTQ+ community, which is often strongly associated with theatre (stereotypically or not), Broadway Backwards offers a run reimagining of some of Broadway’s best showstoppers.
Broadway Cares also hosts other fundraising events through the year such as Broadway Bares, an event where stripteases and promiscuous dancers perform, often to a huge audience where there’s standing room only. Last year alone, Broadway Bares raised over $2 million during their June performance. They also host an event called the Easter Bonnet Competition, which is the culmination of a six-week fundraising competition that takes place in the spring between the different shows running on Broadway. At the actual event, the showrunners perform some of the most popular songs from their musical to further raise money and entertain donors.
Overall, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is a worthwhile organization that brings together the wide-reaching Broadway community with the HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ communities. They’ve been able to create legendary performances and mashups while contributing to an amazing cause. Moreover, many of the performances are available on YouTube!
December 13, 2019 at 8:46 pm
I think this post would be great at responding to the exigence of an upcoming Broadway Cares event or fundraising push as a way to drive attention and or donations their way. I think including a reference to a Kairotic moment or even a reference to a popular actor or actress who is heavily involved in the foundation could be another way to draw in another audience or make them feel more connected to the foundation, and thus the issue. Other than a few grammar mistakes, your use of links and the picture of the foundation’s logo make this a great post about the foundation and the work it does.