Rachel D. Graham: Goodnight, Moon, and goodbye, dental woes!
Who we helped: Rachel D. Graham is an accomplished stage actor known for her dynamic, versatile roles, particularly with Platte Valley Theatre Arts and various children’s theater companies around the state. Notable stage credits include the Female Creature in “Frankenstein,” Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and Sister James in “Doubt.” She most recently performed in “Goodnight Moon” at the PACE Center in Parker. Additionally, Rachel applies her considerable creative eye as a dedicated stage-production photographer.
Her medical story: Rachel has had a serious molar issue dating back to 2020, putting off having it fixed in large part because of the enormous expense of most any major dental surgery. Two years ago, Rachel was doing what she has often done – she volunteered her services as a photographer to capture imagines from the “Love Changes Everything” DAF benefit staged by Ebner-Page Productions at the Aurora Fox. In Rachel’s words: “Dr. Brian Kelly sat next to me while I was capturing photos, and he just asked me straight out if I had any dental issues. I mumbled, ‘Uh, kinda’ – somewhat embarrassed. (I hate asking for help).’ It took time to reach out, while consistently thinking of his words, ‘Reach out to us before it becomes an emergency,. Then one day, I woke up again with such pain in my mouth and I finally convinced myself to just put it out there that I could use some help.”
How we helped: Dr. Kelly, who has proved nearly $200,000 worth of dental work to Colorado theater artists as his in-kind donation to the DAF since 2017, worked with Rachel throughout her entire dental odyssey. He first referred her to a partnering dentist for surgery. After many twists and turns, the work was completed in two major surgical procedures over nearly two years. In the end, the Denver Actors Fund paid more than $3,900 toward Rachel’s dental expenses, and Dr. Kelly and his partners provided about another $2,600 worth of work as their combined in-kind donation to the Denver Actors Fund.
‘I WAS INTIMIDATED BY THIS JOURNEY, BUT I WAS REALLY COMFORTED TO HAVE YOU BY MY SIDE.’ – RACHEL D. GRAHAM
A message from Rachel: “I wanted to thank you again for your compassion and generosity in helping me with this issue. It was a long journey, but here I am, with all of my teeth once again! My deepest gratitude, and I am so happy you are a part of this community. Please find a photo of a happy Bunny from ‘Goodnight Moon’ at PACE …. with his missing molar in his hand.”
The rest of the story: Sounds like we really helped Rachel out, and, yeah – we did. But here’s what you don’t know: Rachel Graham has inspired many admirers for her work as a dedicated animal-rescue advocate, which involves extensive, hands-on fostering and fundraising on behalf of special-needs cats, largely through Animal Rescue of the Rockies. Well, two of Rachel’s biggest fans are Bob and Nila Hughes, who last year became aware of Rachel’s ongoing advocacy for the Denver Actors Fund. One donation turned into another, turned into another, then another. To date. Bob and Nila have donated $12,000 to the DAF, designating half to go to our separate PAWS Fund initiative, which helps qualified Colorado theater artists pay down their pet medical expenses. So we don’t know who should be thanking whom here. Check that, we do: THANK YOU, RACHEL! AND BOB! AND NILA!
Read testimonials from other Denver Actors Fund beneficiaries here, or click on a recent name below:
• McKAYLA and SEAMUS McDONOUGH
The Denver Actors Fund has now made $1,870,000 available to Colorado theater artists.
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.
ABOUT THE DENVER ACTORS FUND:
Video above: The Denver Actors Fund presents the memorial video at the Colorado Theatre Guild’s 2023 Henry Awards.
The Denver Actors Fund is a source of immediate, situational relief when members of the local theater community find themselves in medical need. To date, the Fund has allocated more than $1.8 million to more than 625 artists facing medical need. In addition to financial relief, a team of more than 100 Denver Actors Fund volunteers offers good neighborly assistance 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
COME TO THE EVENTS THAT SUPPORT US:
COMING UP NEXT: Our loyal friends at Veritas Productions are staging the world premiere of a new play called “Divine Bull Transformation,” with the MONDAY, MAY 18, Industry Night performance at the Pluss Theatre designated as a partial fundraiser for the Denver Actors Fund. “Divine Bull Transformation,” written by Mia Burnett (daughter of local actor Jennifer Burnett), is a darkly funny exploration of grief and identity. It’s set in a cosmic limbo disguised as group therapy. As six souls and their “therapist” wrestle with memory, regret and the past, they must decide what it takes to truly let go — before time runs out. Veritas founder Nancy Evans Begley has done something in support of the DAF for every production the company has yet staged, and we are so very grateful for that. Tickets will be available soon at tickets.jccdenver.org. Remember to choose Monday, May 18. Veritas would like to eliminate affordability as a barrier to your attendance, so, psst: Once ticket sales go live, you can get $15 tickets by using the code PACKTHEHOUSE when ordering at tickets.jccdenver.org. If you are unable to join us on DAF Night, please support the companies that support the DAF by attending any performance between May 15-24. THANK YOU ALL!
