LOS ANGELES-It’s a good thing to have someone on your side. Actors in the business of providing entertainment to millions and millions of people, have someone watching their back. Whether it is supplying life skills or offering health and literacy programs, the SAG Foundation is the Big Brother or Big Sister that thespians can count on when they are in need.
It’s no wonder that the SAG Awards Holiday Auction to benefit the SAG Foundation was front and center during the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards nominations announcement Wednesday, Dec. 10.
The many items collected for the silent auction not only helped raised money for the SAG Foundation, but is also will allow some lucky folks to put some great holiday gifts under the tree.
“We’re very excited to be participating today,” said SAG Foundation Executive Director Cyd Wilson. “The Screen Actor’s Guild Foundation is the beneficiary of this auction. And between the Sag Awards and our foundation, we’ve collected incredible items that would be great holiday gifts under the tree. This auction raises a lot of money for the programs that we have for actors, our literacy program for children, so it’s a big day for us.”
And the programs are many that the SAG Foundation have in place that supports actors, Wilson said.
“Above and beyond providing life skills programs for actors, casting access programs and workshops, we also have an assistance emergency program that provides emergency assistance for actors when they are in need, catastrophic health program when they have health issues,” Wilson said. “We have a scholarship program, and we also have literacy programs.”
Speaking on the need for the foundation’s existence, Wilson was frank about its purpose.
“It’s important for us to be giving back to the community,” Wilson said. “Through our programs they have with the foundation and throughout the year, we have several cast and actors come in and participate in our workshops, our Q&A’s, our screenings, and we solicit them, so when they come in they bring all their stuff with them to support us.”
While the auction is set to benefit the actors that are part of SAG-AFTRA, it will also serve as a charity platform for someone lucky enough to be on the receiving end of donated tickets to the SAG Awards and the opportunity to walk the red carpet.
“My favorite item is the tickets to the awards ceremony,” Wilson said. “We have a package where we fly people in, put them up with a hotel, they get to walk the red carpet with the celebrities, they get to go the ceremony, they have a backstage tour, and then they get to go to the gala. That’s not a ticket you can buy anywhere. I see that as our hottest item, but we have other things.”
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, social justice, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University.