The Art of Giving

"What life have you if you have not life together? There is no life that is not in community." - T.S. Eliot

I have always been passionate about making a contribution to those around me, and this doesn't stop at the acting community. As individuals, we have the power to make a difference in the lives of those who are hungry, persecuted, threatened, or neglected, or just in the need of a little humanity.

The Actors' Enterprise is committed to raising the consciousness of the acting community by being an example through taking action. We have 4 main areas of giving:

Donation: When you choose The Actors' Enterprise, 10% of your payment will be donated to a non-profit organization of your choosing. TAE has carefully selected seven local and national charities with whom to partner through the end of 2008. Each time you work with TAE, you can choose to earmark a percentage towards one (or more) of the charities listed below.

Volunteering: I believe that the gift of TIME is one of the most important things we can offer to others.TAE will be sponsoring teams of volunteers throughout the year to participate in charity walks, donation drives, and volunteer driven events in New York City.

Resources: TAE has spent hours upon hours compiling a comprehensive list of recommended links to help actors wade through the massive amount of websites available. Please visit our Directory, NYActor411 to view recommendations organized by TAG and KEYWORD.

Discounts: TAE works with several companies to bring discounted rates to TAE students. After all, YOU are a part of the community that we want to give back to!) Click here for more details.

Referrals: TAE beleives strongly in rewarding those who take the time to pass on a good word. Therefore, for every person you refer to TAE you will receive $5 off your session fee. Refer 7 people and you get an hour for free, and so on.

Together, we will make a difference in the lives of others.

List of Charities Partnering with The Actors' Enterprise

Idealist.org/Action Without Borders
Idealist.org/Action Without Borders connects people, organizations, and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives. AWB is independent of any government, political ideology, or religious creed. Their work is guided by the common desire of our members and supporters to find practical solutions to social and environmental problems, in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect.

The Actors Fund
The Actors Fund is a nonprofit, national human services organization that helps entertainment and performing arts professionals in theater, film, music, opera, television and dance through a broad spectrum of social, health, employment, and housing programs that address their essential and critical needs.

American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is: "Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke."

Animal Haven Shelter
Animal Haven's mission is to carefully place cats and dogs in loving homes, as well as give lifetime care for those who cannot be placed. They fulfill their no-kill mission through adoption programs at their shelter in Queens, their Mobile Adoption Program, and their upcoming Adoption Center and Boutique in SoHo. And Animal Haven Acres Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Center, located in Delaware County, NY is where hard to place dogs and cats can live out their lives in a homelike setting.

Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy.

New York Cares
New York Cares was founded by a group of friends who wanted to take action against the serious social issues facing our city. Their goal was to meet pressing community needs by mobilizing caring New Yorkers in volunteer service - and this continues to be its mission today.

(Donations made quarterly- click here to download the 2007 donation report and/or 2008 donation report -- .xls format)

Have a charity you are passionate about? Email me about it, and with enough votes we can either add it to the list or organize a volunteer/donation event for them.

© 2007 by The Actors' Enterprise. All Rights Reserved. For questions, please contact the webmaster.