For costume builder Laura High: She can see clearly now, the pain is gone
Financial aid recipient: Laura High is a local costumer and longtime performer in the annual Magic Moments revues. She created many of the costumes for this year’s Magic Moments, she has pitched in on Historic Elitch Theatre events, and she helped build costumes for three shows at the Aurora Fox in 2021. She has also been a voice and piano teacher working out of her Littleton home for 32 years. “I teach all sorts of people, but the special-needs students are where my heart is, because they find so much joy and accomplishment in it,” she said. Laura is also the mother of prolific local actor Anna Maria High and an occasional choir director at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church.
Laura’s medical story: Laura recently had separate cataract surgeries on both of her eyes, one of which required “an intraocular lens,” also known as “the kind of lens that insurance doesn’t cover.” Separately, Laura was in need of an emergency dental procedure.
How we have helped: The Denver Actors Fund covered the out-of-pocket cost of both eye surgeries, which came to $2,045. Additionally, the DAF has a (sadly expiring) partnership Dr. Brian Kelly, DDS, who for the past five years has provided dozens of Ciolorado theater artists with emergency dental care as his in-kind donation to The Denver Actors Fund. In Laura’s case, Dr. Kelly reported $575 in donated services, and we paid an additional $143 bill for a third-party lab. All told, the Denver Actors Fund has provided Laura with $2,988 in medical services, without a penny coming out of her pocket for either incident.
‘I AM SO VERY GRATEFUL TO THE DENVER ACTORS FUND FOR HELPING ME OUT THIS YEAR!’
A message from Laura: “I am so very grateful to the Denver Actors Fund for helping me out this year! I needed cataract surgery in both eyes, and it looked like I would have a large out-of-pocket cost because of the type of lens they put in one eye. The DAF covered the overage and also provided some dental needs through the amazing Dr Kelly! I appreciate this gift so much, and I can see without glasses for the first time since I was 8.”
(Note: At the Denver Actors Fund, anonymity of aid recipients is presumed and fully protected, unless and until the recipient chooses to have their story told.)
HOW YOU CAN HELP US REPLENISH:
To DONATE the Denver Actors Fund, please CLICK HERE (with our humble thanks)
ABOUT THE DENVER ACTORS FUND:
Video above: The Denver Actors Fund receives the Colorado Theatre Guild’s 2016 Community Impact Award.
The Denver Actors Fund is a source of immediate, situational relief when members of the local theater community find themselves in medical need. To date, the Fund has allocated more than $1,070,000 to more than 500 artists facing medical need. In addition to financial relief, a team of more than 100 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 DenverActorsFund.Org.
HOW TO 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:
P.O. Box 11182
Denver, CO 80211
VOLUNTEER:
Ever thought about taking a more active role in the Denver Actors Fund? Click here for more information
COME TO THE EVENTS THAT SUPPORT US:
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12: Our friends at Town Hall Arts Center are continuing their incredible commitment to designate one performance per run with 100 percent of all proceeds from ticket and concession sales to be donated to The Denver Actors Fund. Join us for “Newsies,” based on the Disney movie. It tells the inspiring true story of the Newsboys’ Strike of 1899, following a charismatic young man named Jack Kelly and the band of paper boys who looked to him for leadership when two greedy titans of publishing suddenly raised the prices for newspapers at the children’s expense. It features popular songs like “Seize the Day” and “Santa Fe.” Direction by Steve Wilson. Music Direction by Donna Kolpan Debreceni. Choreography by Debbie and Ronni Stark. Tickets only $25 (normally as much as $52). Reserve your seats at at 303-794-2787 or townhallartscenter.org.
ONGOING: “Quarantine Week by Weak” is a new photographic coffee-table book by Susannah McLeod and her wife, Chloe McLeod, who chronicled their home life during the COVID19 shutdown with a light-hearteded photo series documenting their lives during quarantine. They produced more than 35 sets of humorous photos comparing the beginning of quarantine to later in the “stay-at-home” period. Susannah pulled out her camera and we started to play,” said Chloe McLeod. As popularity for the series grew on Instagram and after a feature in Westword, the couple started exploring options to publish the series as a book to benefit The Denver Actors Fund. To order, visit mcleod9creative.com. This project is generously sponsored by: The Albritton Family; Natalie Bowen and Jim Corbett; Dave Dyer; Julie Dyer; and Denise Gentilini and Lynette Prisner. Additional support provided by Angie Flachman and Sandy Birkey at The Publishing House and Sandra Lee Stuart.
ONGOING: “Waiting for Obama,” the audio version of DAF Founder John Moore’s play that was an official selection at the 2016 New York International Fringe Festival, has been released as way of raising funds for The Denver Actors Fund. A Colorado Springs family is convinced that Barack Obama is coming for their guns in the final weeks of his presidency – and they’re right. Featuring Laurence Curry, Drew Horwitz, Chris Kendall, Leslie O’Carroll, Jenna Moll Reyes, Jessica Robblee, Luke Sorge and Mare Trevathan. It was recorded by the staff of Parker Arts at the PACE Center as an in-kind donation to The Denver Actors Fund. Listen for FREE on all major podcasting platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Podbean. Just by listening, you will be raising revenue for The DAF! Or, WATCH the recording as a pay-per-view video for $9.95 on Broadway on Demand. ‘Waiting for Obama’ was recorded by the staff of Parker Arts at the PACE Center and edited by Ray Bailey TV as in-kind donations to The Denver Actors Fund. The actors also donated their services.
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
