Bea Arthur Leaves $300K To Homeless Youth Organization
Tuesday October 27, 2009
The estate of late "golden girl" Bea Arthur has gifted $300,000 to The Ali Forney Center, a service organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. "We work with hundreds of young people who are rejected by their families because of who they are. We are overwhelmed with gratitude that Bea saw that LGBT youth deserve as much love and support as any other young person, and that she placed so much value in the work we do to protect them, and to help them rebuild their lives." says Executive Director Carl Siciliano.
Siciliano says the center plans to purchase a building, named The Bea Arthur Residence, that will house 12 youths.
Emmy-winning actress, comedian, and singer Bea Arthur was a favorite among gay audiences for her long-running role as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom "The Golden Girls." Arthur died from cancer on April 25, 2009, just before her 87th birthday.
Image: Bea Arthur speaks during the 2008 Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel on December 9, 2008. © Frederick M. Brown/Getty
That’s uplifting. Thanks for posting such a great story. And then there’s Maude….. I could always tell she was a softie under the crusty demeanor.
What a wonderful gift from a wonderful lady. I so looked up to her over the years…Dorothy, Maude or simply Bea, she is so irreplaceable. I love the fact that even with her passing, she’s still giving.
So Inspiring! Hopefully it would move other benefactors to follow in a similar fashion. There is such a great need for support to our LGBT youth around the world. Wish Bea could inspire the leadership and folks in Trinidad and Tobago with her gift to us in life and in death.