A plug for BAARC.
I belong to a wonderful organization here in Northern California called BAARC, which stands for the Bay Area Advertising 
Relief Committee. I’ve been involved with the group for about 12 years and have been a board member for 7 or 8 years now. We’ve just had our website updated and it’s looking quite spiffy at www.baarc.com Yeah, unfortunately some other equally wonderful organization that works with animals managed to grab the .org before we did, which is why it’s .com
BAARC has been around for over 25 years and started as a way to help a member of the Bay Area broadcast community who was faced with ill health and mounting bills. Since that time, the organization has helped hundreds of members of the Bay Area’s advertising, marketing and media communities cope with the challenges of job loss, illness and trauma.
We’re not exactly a last resort, nor are we substitute for unemployment and other social services; we’re a group of individuals volunteering our time to help our peers. Sometimes it comes in the form of directing people to the proper sources for aid. Many times it comes in the form of providing grants that help pay for rent, food, medicine. Every once in a while we see a need and may go outside the box, as we did a few years ago by getting a newlywed couple a king size hospital bed after the husband became incapacitated from a sports injury.
Sometimes in advertising I get the feeling that I’m anything but human. BAARC gives me a chance to remember how important the connection to others is and allows me in a small way to give back to a community that means so much to me.
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to visit the website. If you think you might like to get involved or want to support us in any way, we’d be grateful. For example, we’re often looking for sponsors for our various events or something we can use as a door prize. Feel free to contact me at jsgilbert@pacbell.net or contact Ginny Reynolds, BAARC Executive Director, at 415-392-2272 or email info@baarc.com
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
J.S.- Wonderful blog!!! Thank you. It is an honor to sit on the Board with you.
Dave,
It is I who is honored to be on the board with you. I’m going to try and make this next board meeting.