Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/555596
26 SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2015 | SAGAFTRA.org MAARTEN DE BOER ANDREW WALKER/GETTY IMAGES W hen SAG-AFTRA member and actor Carlease Burke began her career, she literally came home to darkness. Acting jobs were infrequent, and her electricity was often cut off when bills went unpaid — she was even rolling pennies to pay for gas for her car. One day, a friend told her about the SAG Foundation's Emergency Assistance program for SAG-AFTRA members. Though she was reluctant to ask for help or reveal her troubled situation, she took a leap, as she had so many times before. "I really believe in my heart of hearts that the SAG Foundation made it possible for me to stay in the game," she shared at the SAG Foundation's 4th Annual Los Angeles Golf Classic in 2013. "They helped me keep the lights on, and that allowed me to continue to pursue my acting career. I haven't needed assistance or a survival job for a very long time, and this vital program made it possible for me to stand here before you today." Similarly, Darrell Larson knows firsthand what catastrophe means. The actor with more than 200 screen credits found himself in the emergency room one day with two failing kidneys and a grim prognosis. While the treatment he received put him on the mend, he was unable to work. He'd missed his union healthcare premium payment and feared the worst. Then he found out about the SAG Foundation Catastrophic Health Fund. "When I was down, the Foundation lifted me up. The assistance from the SAG Foundation quite literally saved my life," he said. ANGELA WEISS/GETTY IMAGES At left, Conversations with the cast of Scandal. Below, members make use of the Entertainment Industry Voiceover Lab in the New York Actors Center. Bottom left, The Business presents a Career Reflection with producer Norman Lear. Left, SAG-AFTRA member Darrell Larson speaks about the Catastrophic Health Fund at the 2015 Los Angeles Golf Classic. Right, SAG-AFTRA member Carlease Burke speaks about Emergency Assistance at the 2013 Los Angeles Golf Classic. The SAG Foundation Golf Classics benefit the assistance programs. MARK DAVIS/GETTY IMAGES ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES SAG FOUNDATION TURNS 30!