The Broadcasters Foundation of America has sent letters to thousands of broadcasters asking for their support for the Guardian Fund.
Through the fund, the foundation provides assistance to broadcasters in "acute need," as well as their families. That can be anything from recovering from a flood or fire—there is more than one story about a broadcast journalist reporting life-saving information even as their own homes were threatened or destroyed—to helping out families after a death.
The Guardian Fund dispensed $800,000 in aid last year, including $100,000 in one-time emergency grants to broadcasters hit by floods in Louisiana.
Jim Thompson, president of the Broadcasters Foundation, says that requests for aid have doubled in the last five years and continue to come in daily.
Information on donating is available at www.broadcastersfoundation.org, email info@thebfoa.org, or call 212-373-8250.
