Boots Anson-Roa, fundraiser extraordinaire

ROA. Ever on “donations-enticing” mode for Mowelfund.

When most of us go on a much-needed vacation, we focus on relaxing, having a good time with friends and relatives, recharging our batteries—and thinking of work as little as possible. Not Boots Anson-Roa. Last month, she treated herself to a long-delayed vacation in the States—but she still found time to raise much-needed money by way of donations from Fil-Ams, for the Movie Workers’ Welfare Foundation, or Mowelfund, which she heads.

Well, it figures: Among her many involvements and advocacies, Mowelfund holds pride of place in Boots’ heart, because it serves so many needy film workers and their families, providing help that they need even more these days, what with the production slump still adversely affecting the industry, and so many actors and production people out of work. Every little bit in donations helps, so Boots takes advantage of every trip to meet with Filipino groups overseas, screen a Filipino film of two, and pass the hat for donations to beef up Mowelfund’s exceedingly lean budget.

Newfound donors

One time, when we went on a one-week speaking tour of Filipino schools in Saudi Arabia with Boots, we saw her in action and on full “donations-enticing” mode, and we were impressed with her ability to raise money for Mowelfund and promote good Filipino movies in that country. Of course, the fact that she was Boots Anson-Roa helped a great deal to put her newfound donors in a generous mood!

Pretty much the same thing happened on Boots’ recent “private” vacation in the States. She paid her own way to spend some time and reconnect with relatives she hadn’t seen for a number of years—but she was still able to screen some good local movies, beef up Mowelfund’s coffers and make her Fil-Am audience realize how much “indie” film production has increased and improved back home. Talk about a win-win situation!

So, if you belong to a Filipino group abroad and are interested in screening good local movies and supporting Mowelfund, do get in touch with Boots at 727-1915 or 727-1961, and you can bet that she’ll do her best to include your group in her next  fundraising foray abroad!

Boots has been trying to lighten her workload and pass her Mowelfund duties on to similarly competent hands, but they simply refuse to let her go! Boots feels committed to helping our needy film workers and their families, because her father, Oscar Moreno, was a movie actor of note for many years, and she followed in his footsteps, to even greater acclaim—so, she feels she has to “pay it forward” to her less fortunate movie colleagues.

If you share her concern for the “ordinary” people whose entertainment products help make your life extraordinary, why not call Mowelfund, too? As Boots herself will assure you, every little bit really helps!