Event Safety Insights Issue One | Fall 2016 | Page 46

Bringing Help and Hope in Times of Need Editors note: Is your non-profit focused on creating a safer live event industry? Let us know at [email protected] Behind the Scene is the industry char- ity that provides financial assistance to entertainment technology professionals who are seriously ill or injured. Along with the financial relief, BTS brings a sense of hope for the future that can be almost as powerful. Lee, a BTS grant recipient wrote, “I am the sound man - that guy whose name you may not remember. I was blessed for over 30 years to mix the sound for music in countless cities and countless countries. I’ve had the privilege to share that music with the best musicians in the world. The crews I have worked with are my family. “Then, all of a sudden I got sick. I was dying. My liver failed because of an auto immune disease. It hit hard and moved fast - WOW! Just imagine the thought of being penniless and homeless and hopeless and unable to help yourself. Your medical condition is completely out of your control and it is all happening within days. You can understand the emotions I felt. Thankfully a live donor, who volunteered half of his liver, and the doctors and nurses at USCUH were able to save me. “I couldn’t believe that when I needed help Behind the Scenes was there and didn’t turn 46 their back on me. I am the crew guy, not the superstar. Without Behind the Scenes I would not have made it - that’s a fact. I can never thank them enough for their help, and I can never thank them enough for the compassion they showed me in my true time of need. What an honor it is to be part of this community. It is a feeling that I can’t describe. For everybody who contributes to Behind the Scenes, thank you. You helped save my life.” Our industry is not an easy or safe place to make a living, but in many ways that is why we love it. So many of us survive from gig to gig counting on good health and our ability to continue working until we’re ready to stop at a time of our own choosing. Nobody is prepared to hear the doctor say “you need to have surgery and your recovery will take four months” or for the accident that happens late at night when everyone is tired or while riding your bike on your rare day off and a car comes out of nowhere. Behind the Scenes was created so our industry could care for its own when tragedy strikes. Grants are tailored to each individual’s needs and can be used for basic living expenses such as rent/mortgage, utilities and transportation;