Our mission is to provide financial aid and support to roadies
and their families in times of hardship and tragedy.
You can contact Burton Ritchie directly HERE to discuss a custom donation.
Our mission is to provide financial aid and support to roadies and their families in times of hardship and tragedy.
Burton Ritchie, the organization’s founder, was close friends with sound engineer Jules Aerts. Jules spent his career as a touring roadie, including the last 20 years of his life on Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour.. Sadly, Jules was also an alcoholic, who died tragically from the disease at age 56. He had a wife and children, who were left in financial straits without Jules’ income (and lack of savings). Privately, some money was raised to help them weather the storm – but it was Jules and his family’s story that inspired Burton to create an organization dedicated to making sure the unsung heroes of live music, our roadies (and their families), can get the help they need in times of distress.
Any current, out of work, injured or retired roadie is eligible. To be considered for financial aid, a roadie (or their family) must first be nominated by someone within the industry who knows them (a stage manager, fellow roadie, musician, band management, etc). Our board of directors will look at every nomination and vote on its worthiness, also deciding on a case-to-case basis what kind of financial support should be granted. We give the annual $50K Jules Aerts Award with a focus on drug/alcohol addiction and other grants requests are considered on a case by case basis.
We Take Care of Our Own functions primarily from auction items/experiences provided from within the music community, hence, We Take Care of Our Own. We are always looking for donations. Backstage passes/meet-n-greets, autographed photos/instruments, Instagram follows, vacation stays, coffee/phone/zoom with, golf with, etc,… are all homerun auction items. But don’t take our word for it, if you’ve got an item/experience to donate, please click the button below. *All item/experiences will receive a charitable donation receipt equal to the appraised value or sale price, whichever is higher.
You can contact Burton Ritchie directly HERE to discuss a custom donation.
Burton Ritchie is a film producer and entrepreneur. He began producing films in 2013 when he founded Heretic Films. He also is known for his work in philanthropy, activism, and equality and social justice work. Ritchie has two children and splits his time between Park City, UT and Santa Monica, CA.
Samm Levine is an actor and producer, best known for his on-camera work in Freaks and Geeks and Inglourious Basterds. He also produced and co-hosted the award winning podcast, Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show. He’s had active roles with many charitable organizations over the past 25 years.
Sara Lambrinos is passionate about live music and being of service to the community. She has been running Sites by Sara, a Salt Lake City-based full-service Web design and marketing agency since 2007. Sites by Sara stepped up to create this website pro bono in support of We Take Care of Our Own.
Keith Levitt founded and ran several successful companies in his professional career, and has been highly active in fundraising efforts with multiple charitable organizations over the years. Most recently, he worked with the Jewish Pavilion and the Jewish Community Center in helping them set up golf tournaments, athletic races and poker games, all with robust results. His firsthand knowledge of charitable event planning makes him an ideal president of our board.
Dr. Heather Richardson has served on the board of trustees for the Waterkeeper Alliance for over 15 years. She is an oncological surgeon and co-founder of the Bedford Breast Center, a Beverly Hills based cancer center, helping hundreds of women a year. She spends much of her free time working with philanthropic causes near to her heart.
Andrew Caplan has had a very successful career in the finance industry, and is eager to bring that expertise to our nonprofit. He’s served on multiple boards over the years, including the Park City Film organization, as well as being elected to the Summit County School Board. His fiduciary acumen will be a most valuable asset
