When Medicaid would not help a local actor with Medicaid, we did

Aid recipient: Laura Jo Trexler, who grew up in Littleton and graduated from Heritage High School, last year performed her one-woman Shakespearean musical “Play On! A Musical Romp Through Shakespeare’s Women” for And Toto too Theatre Company at the Denver Performing Arts Complex’s Champa Studio. Previous Colorado credits include Bill Pullman’s “The Wild Hunt” for VisionBox Studios, Curious Theatre’s “The Flick” and “The Lieutenant of Inishmore”; the Arvada Center’s “The Ladies Man”; and Creede Rep’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

Her medical story: Laura Jo recently needed an emergency root canal. And while she qualifies for Medicaid, mystifyingly, Medicaid covers root canals in only 26 states – one of them NOT being Colorado. So she got stuck with a $1,755 bill from a local dental company in Lakewood. And that was before she had the new tooth crowned, which she could not pay for at the time. That’s when we heard from her at The Denver Actors Fund.

How we have helped: First, The DAF paid off the $1,755 bill to the Lakewood dental firm. Second, The DAF has a partnering dentist who accepts a limited number of emergency cases each year as his personal, in-kind donation through the Dental Center at Thornton Plaza. Dr. Brian Kelly DDS (himself a former Broadway dancer!) agreed to finish off Laura Jo’s case with a crown. Dr. Kelly’s intervention saved Laura Jo (and The DAF) from paying out an additional $1,431 to complete her treatment. There was also a $99 third-party lab fee, which The DAF has paid. All told, The DAF made $3,285 in medical assistance available to Laura Jo, of which $1,431 was Dr. Kelly’s in-kind donation to The DAF.

A message from Laura Jo: “At a time when it can be hard to remember the true goodness of humanity, I am humbly reminded it is out there. The Denver Actors Fund represents the best in humanity, and I am beyond grateful for the urgent care I was able to receive. Thank you from the bottom of my heart – and bank account!”

The Denver Actors Fund now has made more than $480,000 available to Colorado artists in medical need.

How you can help us help us help more Colorado theatre artists: If you would like to make a donation to The Denver Actors Fund, simply mail checks in any amount made out to Denver Actors Fund to P.O. Box 11182, Denver, CO 80211. Or use this donation link, with our humble thanks.

Read testimonials from other Denver Actors Fund beneficiaries here

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 TO MAKE A DONATION

ABOUT THE DENVER ACTORS FUND:

The Denver Actors Fund is a modest source of immediate, situational relief when members of the local theater community find themselves in medical need. In addition to $480,000 in financial relief, a team of more than 60 Denver Actors Fund volunteers have offered good neighborly assistance to more than 100 beneficiaries 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

GET INSTANT, FREE MEDICAL ADVICE: The Denver Actors Fund has launch of a major new FREE medical service for qualified Colorado theatre artists: We are partnering with Hippo Health to provide access to emergency medical evaluations via video conferencing with a Board-certified physician. Click to read more about this wonderful, innovative new partnership that will further improve the lives of artists!

MORE WAYS TO HELP:

DONATE ONLINE:

Go to our online giving site at: ColoradoGives.Org

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

SHOP AT KING SOOPERS

Sign up for King Soopers’ Community Rewards Program and raise money for The DAF just by shopping for your groceries – and it doesn’t cost you an extra penny. It’s like the Amazon Smile Program. To sign up, simply go here and designate The DAF as your preferred non-profit. Each quarter, King Soopers sends us a donation based on how much our supporters have spent. Thanks to all of you who are shopping for The DAF.

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.

A move, a wedding … and an expensive medical diagnosis

Aid recipient: Sarah Grover of Johnstown is a busy local actor who most recently  appeared in the ensemble of “Jekyll and Hyde” at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse. Before that, she played Esmerelda there in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” “Sarah Grover is everything you could want in Esmerelda – lively, free-spirited and sassy, while also empathetic and loving,” wrote Brian VanDriel for the Greeley Tribune. She also has credits at BDT Stage, Arvada Center, Performance Now, Midtown Arts Center, Original Dickens Carolers, Starkey Theatrix and more. She is originally from Virginia Beach.

Her medical story: Last October, Sarah experienced sudden and severe stomach pain that took something of a medical odyssey to properly diagnose. Sarah missed eight performances during this time and was inundated with a dozen bills that came to a comparably modest $1,965.38 in out-of-pocket expenses. But the other shoe dropped when Sarah received one additional straggler of an E.R. bill totaling $4,060.40 from Banner Health for her visit to the Northern Colorado Medical Center. It’s worth noting here that Sarah does have (lousy) insurance, and UnitedHealthcare Golden Rule paid just … $400 of this new bill. Yes, leaving Sarah with 90 percent of the bill to pay herself, or an additional $3,660.40. (Why do we even have insurance again?)

How we have helped: The Denver Actors Fund board of directors voted unanimously to gift Sarah with $6,145.75 to cover her medical expenses and some lost wages. 

A message from Sarah: “I have no hesitation in saying that The Denver Actors Fund has saved my life. My fiancé and I just bought a new home and we are planning our wedding, so when this stream of medical bills kept arriving, the stress and worry of finding a way to pay for them grew by the day. With all the crazy and uncertainty in the world right now, it was so comforting to learn that we now have this incredible weight off our shoulders. There is so much good still in the world. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I am out of words and filled with hope.”

Note: Like most every other theatre production in Colorado, ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ has ceased performances because of CoVid-19, leaving Sarah Grover and the entire Candlelight ensemble without pay for the final two weeks of scheduled performances.

The Denver Actors Fund now has made more than $477,000 available to Colorado theatre artists in medical need.

How you can help us help us help more Colorado theatre artists: Simply mail checks in any amount made out to The Denver Actors Fund to P.O. Box 11182, Denver, CO 80211. Or use this donation link. Your donation will be applied to the replenishment of the Denver Actors Fund’s general fund, with our humble thanks.

Read testimonials from other Denver Actors Fund beneficiaries here

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 TO MAKE A DONATION

ABOUT THE DENVER ACTORS FUND:

The Denver Actors Fund is a modest source of immediate, situational relief when members of the local theater community find themselves in medical need. In addition to $477,000 in financial relief, a team of more than 60 Denver Actors Fund volunteers have offered good neighborly assistance to more than 100 beneficiaries 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

GET INSTANT, FREE MEDICAL ADVICE: The Denver Actors Fund has launch of a major new FREE medical service for qualified Colorado theatre artists: We are partnering with Hippo Health to provide access to emergency medical evaluations via video conferencing with a Board-certified physician. Click to read more about this wonderful, innovative new partnership that will further improve the lives of artists!

MORE WAYS TO HELP:

DONATE ONLINE:

Go to our online giving site at: ColoradoGives.Org

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

SHOP AT KING SOOPERS

Sign up for King Soopers’ Community Rewards Program and raise money for The DAF just by shopping for your groceries – and it doesn’t cost you an extra penny. It’s like the Amazon Smile Program. To sign up, simply go here and designate The DAF as your preferred non-profit. Each quarter, King Soopers sends us a donation based on how much our supporters have spent. Thanks to all of you who are shopping for The DAF!

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.

‘When I learned that my application was approved, I started crying from relief’

Aid recipient: Mike Martinkus, a Fort Collins native now living in Lakewood, most recently appeared in the title role of Theatre Company of Lafayette’s “Pippin, as Rich in Equinox Theatre’s “Be More Chill” and in the ensemble of Town Hall Arts Center’s “American Idiot.” His many other credits span productions with the Firehouse Theater Company, Miners Alley Playhouse, Vintage Theatre, OpenStage Theatre & Company, and Front Range Community College. He graduated from Fort Collins High School and earned his acting degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.

Mike Martinkus and Michaela Lamb in Theater Company of Lafayette’s ‘Pippin.’

His medical story: Mike diagnosed with a large kidney stone during an E.R. visit in January, which required surgery and resulte in a lot of time missed from his day job at the University of Denver. After insurance, Mike was left with $1,354.80 in out-of-pocket medical bills.

How we have helped: The board of The Denver Actors Fund voted unaimously to pay Mike’s portion of the bill, or 1,354.80.

A message from Mike: “For all of 2019, I was dealing with some major health issues, and already had a few procedures done, which was making it hard for me to work. Then in January my body decided to throw a kidney stone in there at the same time for good measure, making me miss even more work. I was already running out of medical-leave time at my job, so my paychecks were reduced. My parents are retired and they’re already helping me with medical and everyday expenses since I haven’t been able to work as much. So when I had to have surgery and got a bill for more than $1,300 – all due just a couple of weeks later, I panicked. The DAF was there to ease this burden on me and my parents. When I learned that my application was approved, I started crying from relief. The DAF is a truly amazing organization that really is here to help us out in times of need, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you to DAF, and to all Colorado artists who contribute. We’re a family, and need to continue treating each other as such. Thank you!”

The Denver Actors Fund now has made more than $477,000 available to Colorado theatre artists in medical need.

How you can help us help us help more Colorado theatre artists: Simply mail checks in any amount made out to The Denver Actors Fund to P.O. Box 11182, Denver, CO 80211. Or use this donation link. Your donation will be applied to the replenishment of the Denver Actors Fund’s general fund, with our humble thanks.

Read testimonials from other Denver Actors Fund beneficiaries here

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 TO MAKE A DONATION

ABOUT THE DENVER ACTORS FUND:

The Denver Actors Fund is a modest source of immediate, situational relief when members of the local theater community find themselves in medical need. In addition to $477,000 in financial relief, a team of more than 60 Denver Actors Fund volunteers have offered good neighborly assistance to more than 100 beneficiaries 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

GET INSTANT, FREE MEDICAL ADVICE: The Denver Actors Fund has launch of a major new FREE medical service for qualified Colorado theatre artists: We are partnering with Hippo Health to provide access to emergency medical evaluations via video conferencing with a Board-certified physician. Click to read more about this wonderful, innovative new partnership that will further improve the lives of artists!

MORE WAYS TO HELP:

DONATE ONLINE:

Go to our online giving site at: ColoradoGives.Org

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

SHOP AT KING SOOPERS

Sign up for King Soopers’ Community Rewards Program and raise money for The DAF just by shopping for your groceries – and it doesn’t cost you an extra penny. It’s like the Amazon Smile Program. To sign up, simply go here and designate The DAF as your preferred non-profit. Each quarter, King Soopers sends us a donation based on how much our supporters have spent. Thanks to all of you who are shopping for The DAF!

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.