Hi there! It’s Sean Ray, and I bet you were wondering what I have been up to since AIDS/LifeCycle has ended. Well, wait no more!
I’m very excited to say my HIV/AIDS fundraising will continue with an organization very near and dear to my heart, and who has been supporting ME for years – Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. When I started my Cabaret to Fight AIDS in 2000, Tom Viola and Broadway Cares were my first donor – and they continued to support that event every year. Even after the cabarets, Broadway Cares supported my AIDS/LifeCycle fundraising for all of the 18 years I participated. They are an amazing organization whose mission statement is clear and right to the point about why I support them –
https://broadwaycares.org/mission-statement
Given my career in the arts, Broadway Cares really speaks to me in a way that is helping others in my community and beyond. The money they have raised has helped so many of my friends over the years in the industry and in other markets across the country. I encourage you to visit their website to see all the amazing work they do. Gavin Creel, who passed away at the end of 2024, was a true leader in fundraising for this organization. He is my inspiration for why I want to continue to support Broadway Cares. I only met Gavin a few times, but he was the most caring, funny, down-to-earth man who touched the lives of so many people. I hope to make his legacy proud by continuing my fundraising work in his name.
I am working in collaboration with Champion Charities – another amazing non-profit I have had the pleasure of working directly with over the years. With their help, a portion of my fundraising will be going directly to their services. Founded by former San Francisco 49ers offensive linesman Harris Barton and his business partner Ronnie Lott, Champion Charities was founded to help fight brain cancer and brain disease as a result of the death of Harris’s parents from brain disease. I have volunteered for their Night at the Theatre events, which they have held at our theatres in San Francisco. Those nights are truly magical – to see kids and adults alike come together through the magic of theatre. I am in awe of the work they do. But wait, there’s more!
Thanks to this collaboration with Champion Charities, a portion of my fundraising is also going to the Sara Bareilles Awards! As Program Director, I have the unique opportunity of being a part of the beginning of high school students’ performing careers. This is more than a job for me – it is one of my main passions. Donations going toward the Sara Bareilles Awards will allow us to offer these students workshops with industry leaders, live theatrical events, social programs, participation in the national Jimmy Awards® in New York and much more.
In 2025, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS awarded $775,500 in grants to 16 local organizations in the Northern California territory for the Sara Bareilles Awards including Food For Thought (Forestville), Pets Are Loving Support (Guerneville), Positive Women’s Network USA (Oakland), NorCal Outreach Project (Redding), Sunburst Projects (Sacramento), and Face to Face Sonoma County AIDS Network (Santa Rosa). Right here in San Francisco, these grants supported the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Family Link, Homeless Youth Alliance/Tides Center, Maitri, Most Holy Redeemer AIDS Support Group, Pets Are Wonderful Support, PRC, Project Open Hand, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and Shanti. I am thrilled that the money we raise together will help benefit so many organizations right here in Northern California!
As you can see, by collaborating with Champion Charities I am able to support SO many organizations this year! I hope you will join me by donating to my fundraising today. All donations are tax deductible, of course. Follow the link below to donate today –
Thank you AS ALWAYS for your continued support.