When you’re a charity with a small staff like the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund, there is a limit to how many fundraisers you can manage a year. Luckily, the Get Together Foundation hosted a concert in 2014 with all proceeds going to our charity.
The Get Together Foundation was founded after 9/11 by Kevin and Mare Wachs in order to make a difference. All of the foundation’s administration costs are paid for by corporate sponsorship from the family-owned Earthly Body, a company that has produced high-quality natural hair and skincare products since 1994. Because their operating expenses are underwritten, the Get Together Foundation is able to give 100% of contributions to designated charities. “I could not be more proud to be a personal friend of the Wachs family and associate of both Earthly Body and the Get Together Foundation,” said Lynn Gaytan, an Associate Director of the foundation.
The Get Together Foundation chose to support Widows & Orphans in part because of close ties to the firefighter community. “The president of Earthly Body (corporate sponsor of The Get Together Foundation), Kevin Wachs, has several close friends that are firefighters and my husband is a firefighter,” said Lynn. “They perform heroic acts but shy away from the title of ‘hero’. There is no more valuable contribution to a society than people who adopt that mentality.”
According to Lynn, Widows & Orphans also reflects the values that the foundation wants to support. “Most of the charities the Get Together Foundation supports directly affect families and children. This was a perfect match right in our back yard, so to speak. Widows & Orphans is a much needed support for those who risk everything for their fellow human beings.”
The event that the Get Together Foundation put on was the ‘Pacific’ 40th Anniversary Celebration Concert at The Canyon Club on July 3rd. Attendees were able to celebrate forty years of great music with the six SoCal musicians who make up the band, all while helping out a worthy cause.
We are grateful to the Get Together Foundation and all of the others who undertake all of the time and effort it takes to run a charity event. Thanks to their assistance, a charity with a small staff is able to continue working on its big goals of helping firefighter families in need.
By Jody Houser
