Broadway Match Maker, a bone marrow donor database drive, will be held on Wednesday, June 27 from 4:30-7:00 pm at The Actors Fund Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts (729 7th Avenue, 12th Floor). All members of the Broadway community and beyond are encouraged to join the donor database through a non-invasive 60-second simple cheek swab. Everyone is encouraged to join the bone marrow registry, but people from diverse ethnic backgrounds are especially needed to give everyone a chance at finding a matching donor. Disney’s The Lion King is partnering with Shannon’s S.H.A.R.E. Foundation, The Actors Fund, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and Mount Sinai Doctors for the event.
The information collected at Broadway Match Maker will be entered into a nationwide donor database that is used to match those in need of bone marrow. It is hoped, especially to increase the likelihood of donor matches by expanding the network of donors represented in the donor database via Broadway’s rich diversity.
Shannon’s S.H.A.R.E. Foundation is a non-profit organization founded after eleven year old Shannon Skye Tavarez passed away in 2010. Shannon was starring as young Nala in The Lion King on Broadway when she was diagnosed with AML (acute myelogenous leukemia), and needed a matching bone marrow transplant to survive. AML is a rare and aggressive cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that accumulate in the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal blood cells.
The search for a bone marrow match for Shannon united companies of The Lion King across the world. Because of Shannon’s story, over 10,000 individuals registered to become bone marrow donors in hopes of saving her life or that of another patient. Unfortunately, Shannon never found a match and passed away due to complications of the disease.
“Shannon’s strength and her happy, positive spirit lives on in our hearts and minds each day,” said Odiney Brown, Shannon’s mother. “Shannon’s dream was to perform on stage, and that she did. We are grateful for the ongoing support from her Lion King family and the Broadway community. Shannon wanted to recruit people everywhere to ‘get swabbed’ and help save the lives of those in need of a bone marrow transplant. In her memory, our family and friends work tirelessly to carry out her wish through Shannon’s S.H.A.R.E. Foundation. It is our hope that Shannon’s legacy will continue to inspire other brave children battling leukemia. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers.”
“Becoming a donor literally changed my life,” said Chondra Profit Ardrey, who plays Sarabi in The Lion King. “My original goal was to get swabbed to help save the life of my fellow cast mate of The Lion King, Shannon Tavarez. When I wasn't a match for her I was ok with being put in the registry and possibly becoming a donor for someone else. After being on the registry for almost 3 years I was notified that I was perfectly matched with someone and it stopped me in my tracks. To know that I had the ability to save a life was the greatest feeling. Through this process I gained a little ‘blood brother’ – that's what I call him. At the time of donating he was about to turn 7 years old, and now he is 12 years old, healthy and strong, and my love runs so deep for him. I'm so proud and grateful to continue the legacy of Shannon through Shannon's S.H.A.R.E. Her incredible strength and her happy, positive, sweet spirit will live on in our hearts. Get swabbed, it will change your life FOREVER!"
“Looking at the casts on Broadway right now we see a myriad of roles where Shannon could have shone had she had the chance, her talent and her fearlessness would have ensured it,” said Arabella Powell, a stage manager for The Lion King. “We hope that the Match Maker will be a celebration of representation on stage which leads to representation in the database. We are reminded that her spirit is still here and as indomitable as ever! And that spirit is displayed front row center, at the heart of so many current theatrical productions, and embodied at the core of Shannon’s S.H.A.R.E.”
Shannon’s S.H.A.R.E. Foundation’s mission is to bring awareness to individuals about the need for more bone marrow donors especially in communities of color. People of color are least likely to find a match due to the lack of minorities in the donor registry. The registry representation includes .2% Pacific Islander, 1% Native American, 4% mixed-race matches, 7% African-American, 7% Asian, and 10% Hispanic, while Caucasians account for about 67%. For people of color, the chances of finding a match and surviving are very low. The key to saving people who need bone marrow transplants is creating awareness.
Operated in partnership with The Actors Fund and Mount Sinai Doctors and conveniently located in Times Square, The Friedman Health Center is the only health center in NYC solely focused on the particular health care needs of those who work in performing arts and entertainment.
For more information on Shannon’s S.H.A.R.E. Foundation, visit ShannonsSHARE.org.
To download production photography for THE LION KING on Broadway click HERE.
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ABOUT SHANNON SKYE TAVAREZ
SHANNON SKYE TAVAREZ was an honor student at PS 176 in Queens, NY. She attended Harlem School of the Arts and was studying at the American Dance and Drama Studio where her talents in singing, dancing, and acting were being shaped and recognized. Shannon made her Broadway debut in The Lion King.
ABOUT SHANNON’S S.H.A.R.E FOUNDATION
education and recruitment of potential bone marrow donors through various programs and services, especially in communities where the need is most prevalent. We are committed to providing financial support, hope and aid to patients and their families, with a focus on those in need of bone marrow transplants.
Shannon’s S.H.A.R.E. continuously strives to equip individuals with the tools to become potential life savers through recruitment and education. Knowledge breeds power! – as we share Shannon Tavarez' story of courage, perseverance and compassion, our hope is that we will encourage individuals to make a difference in the lives of those awaiting lifesaving transplants by registering as a bone marrow donor. For more information, please visit www.shannonsshare.org
ABOUT THE ACTORS FUND
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency, and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. Through offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Fund serves everyone in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance with programs including social services and emergency financial assistance, health care and insurance counseling, housing, and secondary employment and training services. Visit www.actorsfund.org.
ABOUT THE SAMUEL J. FRIEDMAN HEALTH CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
The Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts is the medical care provider for New York City’s entertainment community. Operated in partnership with The Actors Fund and Mount Sinai Doctors and conveniently located in Times Square, The Friedman Health Center is the only health center in NYC solely focused on the particular health care needs of those who work in performing arts and entertainment. It offers primary and specialty care, expedited referrals within the Mount Sinai Health System, extended hours and continuity of care for those who experience regular changes in health insurance coverage. The Friedman accepts most insurance plans, with free and unbiased health insurance enrollment and counseling available on site. Visit www.actorsfund.org/HealthCenter.
ABOUT BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, providing lifesaving medication, healthy meals, counseling and emergency assistance.
For more information, please visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org, at facebook.com/BCEFA, at instagram.com/BCEFA, at twitter.com/BCEFA and at youtube.com/BCEFA.
ABOUT THE LION KING
After 20 landmark years on Broadway, THE LION KING continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 25 global productions have been seen by more than 95 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), THE LION KING is the only show in history to generate six productions worldwide running 15 or more years. Performed in eight different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), productions of THE LION KING can currently be seen on Broadway; London’s West End; Hamburg; Tokyo and Sapporo; Madrid; Scheveningen, Holland; Manila, Philippines; and on tour across North America, for a total of ten productions running concurrently across the globe. Having played over 100 cities in 20 countries on every continent except Antarctica, THE LION KING’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.
For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com.