CBC-TV's Hartland Wins 2008 Actors' Fund Canadian TV Charity

The Actors' Fund of Canada announced today that CBC-TV's Heartland has won the 2008 Actors' Fund Canadian TV Charity Challenge, raising a total of $11,700 with a community fundraising barbeque, held in October 2008. Runner-up status goes to Shaftesbury's The Listener, with a total of $3,319 raised through an on set raffle. Other participants in the Challenge included The CW's Reaper, CBC-TV's Sophie, and Shaftesbury's Connor Undercover, whose efforts combined with those of the frontrunners to help the Fund realize a total of $16,200 in proceeds from the Challenge.

The Challenge is an annual fundraising competition between the cast, crew and producers of TV series shooting in Canada that raises money for a cause that benefits the entire film & television community: The Actors' Fund of Canada. Through organizing a variety of on set and/or public fundraising activities productions vie against each other for bragging rights as the show that can have the most fun while raising the most money for the Fund.

Actors' Fund of Canada is The Lifeline for Canada's entertainment industry. Performers and others who work behind the scenes in film and television, theatre, music and dance can apply for emergency financial aid from the Fund, which recently set a new record for the amount of financial aid delivered to industry members in a single year, topping $500,000 in 2008. The Fund has helped over 10,000 entertainment industry workers recover from illness, injury or other circumstances causing severe economic and personal hardship since it was founded in 1958.

Actors' Fund Executive Director David Hope was delighted with the results of the 2008 Challenge: "I want to express our gratitude to all of the productions that participated. The Challenge made a comeback in 2008 after several years on hiatus. We witnessed some truly impressive efforts by all
participating productions and we feel that we can eventually achieve our goal of instituting the Challenge as a regular feature every year on every TV series shot Canada."

The Actors' Fund of Canada is a registered charity that has paid out over $3.7 million in rent payments, grocery money, utility payments and other basic living expenses in the last 10 years. Performers, creators, technical staff and other production team members can benefit from the Fund, which receives no government funding and is wholly sustained by support from individuals and entertainment industry organizations.

For 2009 Actors' Fund TV Charity Challenge information and updates, visit: www.actorsfund.ca/charitychallenge/

 

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