Note: At the Denver Actors Fund, anonymity of aid recipients is presumed and fully protected, unless and until the recipient chooses to have his or her story told.
Financial-aid recipient: Jennifer Schmitz, a graduate of Delta High School and Mesa State University, has been a busy Stage Manager throughout the metro theatre community since 1999. Schmitz has worked for theatre companies across metro Denver on such titles as Forbidden Broadway, Titanic, Nunsense, Bye, Bye Birdie and Dracula. Her first professional gig was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for the Castle Rock Players (now the Front Range Theatre Company.) She broke into Curious Theatre during the run of Bug and then worked there on I Am My Own Wife. Over time, she got hired at the Avenue Theater, Town Hall Arts Center and others. She was hired as a substitute Assistant Stage Manager at the Denver Center’s Galleria Theatre for The Last Five Years in 2008. She then worked on the Denver-born Girls Only: The Secret Comedy of Women and traveled with the show to Charlotte, N.C., as its full-fledged Stage Manager. Other DCPA credits include I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Five-Course Love; and Doyle and Debbie. She is currently working as the Production Stage Manager for Shrek at the Town Hall Arts Center.
Her story: Jennifer had not been able to stand up straight for six months and instead walked with a hunch before recent surgery to repair a herniated disc in her lower back. The ordeal was making it harder to find and keep work, or an affordable place to live. The surgery cost her a week of pay from her job, and afterward, she had noplace to call her own.
How we will help: The Denver Actors Fund has granted Jennifer $1,000 to help her get by while she continues her recovery and pursue permanent housing.
How you can help us help Jennifer Schmitz more: Even after the grant, Jennifer is working to find a place to live, pay her bills and stay afloat with everyday expenses. If you would like to direct a specific donation to Jennifer, simply mail checks made out to Denver Actors Fund with Jennifer Schmitz’s name written in the topic field, to 4594 Osceola St., Denver, CO 80212. Or use this donation link. In the comment field, be sure to designate whether your donation is intended for the replenishment of the DAF’s general fund, or a targeted donation to Jennifer Schmitz.
A message from Jennifer Schmitz: “I have participated in almost every single fundraising event since the inception of Denver Actors Fund. Never did I think that this wonderful organization would be something that I would need. The help that the DAF has provided me with has given me some breathing room to recover from surgery after being bent over for 6 months. It also will allow me to find a new place to live. It felt as if everything had fallen apart, and the Denver Actors Fund is allowing me to put it all back together.”
ABOUT THE DENVER ACTORS FUND:
The Denver Actors Fund is a modest source of immediate, situational relief when members of the local theater community find themselves in medical need. In addition to financial relief, a team of more than 60 Denver Actors Fund volunteers offers good neighborly assistance including meal prep and delivery, child care, transportation, errands, construction, pet-sitting and more. For more information, visit our web site at www.DenverActorsFund.Org
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
To DONATE the Denver Actors Fund: Please click here (with our humble thanks):
APPLY FOR AID:
To apply for Denver Actors Fund aid: Fill out this brief online form here
MORE WAYS TO HELP:
DONATE BY MAIL:
Send checks made out to the Denver Actors Fund to:
4594 Osceola St.
Denver, CO 80212
COLORADO GIVES DAY IS DEC. 8
You can schedule donation now at this link.
COME TO OUR NEXT TAP-SHOE INITIATIVE NIGHT!
*Saturday, Dec. 5. will be Denver Actors Fund Night at Littleton Town Hall Arts Center’s “Shrek.” Go to the show and toss some spare change in Town Hall’s signature Denver Actors Fund boot. Town Hall is located at 2450 W. Main St. Call 303-794-2787 or townhallartscenter.org
BUY A POSTER!
134 women (and a few token dudes) from the Colorado theater community, all supporting the Denver Actors Fund. They cost $20 per poster (20×28). To order, email your quantity to denveractorsfund@gmail.com. We’ll take care of delivery and payment from there.
VISIT OUR ONLINE MERCH STORE:
Click here to see how you can buy DAF products such as T-shirts, key chains, puzzles and much more
