BC/EFA Annual Report 2005 - Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

oadway cares/equity fights aids
SCHOOLS
OUTREACH
fy 2005 was the most successful year yet for educational outreach efforts at
BC/EFA, both financially and in student and teacher involvement. From elementary school through college, student groups of all
ages raised a record-setting $120,000 through ticket sales, auctions, and special events.
Thanks in large part to their efforts, the BC/EFA Schools Outreach Program has nearly doubled in the last year. While more
new schools are registering to help us fight AIDS, those that have supported us in the past continue to set and meet higher goals for
their local BC/EFA fundraising campaigns.
Many student theatre groups model their fundraising efforts on those used by Broadway shows; ticket sales, concerts, live and
silent auctions, poster sales and audience appeals are good ways to raise money on local campuses, as they are on the Broadway stage.
Feedback shows that parents and teachers appreciate the AIDS awareness initiatives we bring into their schools, calling our
educational outreach “invaluable.” By encouraging students to plan BC/EFA fundraisers in their schools, we empower them to
become leaders in HIV-prevention in their own communities. Often we put schools in contact with BC/EFA grantees in their
cities and towns, so that schools can seek speakers, HIV/AIDS statistics or even student volunteer opportunities. Some efforts turn
into week-long AIDS awareness campaigns involving assemblies, history lessons, or even a day of student-written presentations.
Several regional and national organizations have a powerful impact on the success of our educational outreach efforts, including
The New York State Theatre Education Association, which hosts a BC/EFA campaign at its annual conference. Thespian troupes
nationwide raised over 60% of all the funds brought in through educational outreach efforts in 2005, all with the full support of
their parent organization, the Educational Theatre Association, the largest proponent of educational theatre in the country.
The Educational Outreach Program has grown in part due to more participation on the college level, where student groups,
like national theatre fraternity Alpha Psi Omega, network to encourage new chapters to host BC/EFA campaigns on local campuses.
Students are more likely to carry the BC/EFA message to semi-professional and community theatre groups when they graduate,
which in turn contributes to our outreach efforts to theatre companies and tours outside New York City.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is proud to inspire young audiences in the fight against AIDS.
Student officers campaign for BC/EFA at the Georgia State Festival; thespians from the Florida State Festival sign the tribute wall; students from five different
Connecticut high schools come together for the BC/EFA gala fundraising finale; students from North Penn High School in Lansdale, PA present the big check; a truly motivated
Florida student developed a plan for future BC/EFA fundraising at her high school.
schools outreach
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