$1 FROM EVERY TICKET SOLD IN AUGUST WILL BENEFIT THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
ORGANIZATION; TICKETS TO BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR VOLUNTEERS AND BENEFICIARIES

(RED BANK – July 26, 2023) The Count Basie Center for the Arts and Bank of America (BofA) have announced the next area nonprofit to be recognized during THE GIVING YEAR, the yearlong initiative to recognize and reward organizations for their contributions to the regional community.

Project Write Now (http://www.projectwritenow.org) will receive $1 from every Count Basie Center ticket sold in August, along with event tickets for the organization’s clientele and volunteers.

Founded in 2014, Project Write Now transforms individuals, organizations, and communities through writing, providing a wide range of fee-based virtual classes, editorial services, and literary events. At the heart of Project Write Now’s mission is its community outreach programs for underserved groups, which help youth and adults develop the writing and communication skills needed to build resilience, pursue personal growth, and achieve academic or professional success. These programs include weekly expressive writing workshops for 7th and 8th graders at Red Bank Middle School and bi-monthly workshops for members of Shore House, the mental health nonprofit which was the first recipient in The Giving Year initiative last January.

Project Write Now also offers college essay coaching for eligible students who are unable to afford its services, as well as workshops for mentorship programs.

“With a mental health crisis impacting our youth, expressive writing is needed now more than ever,” said Jennifer Chauhan, Executive Director, Project Write Now. “Our programs give youth and teens the opportunity and support to process emotions, build resilience, and reduce stress as they gain insight and clarity about who they are and how they relate to the world around them. We are so grateful to the Count Basie Center for the Arts and Bank of America for supporting our mission.”

“We applaud Project Write Now for supporting the Red Bank community in a creative and artistic fashion that enhances personal growth and wellbeing,” said Alberto Garofalo, president, Bank of America New Jersey. “Everyone has a story and by supporting Project Write Now, more stories will be told, helping to positively impact lives.”

“Project Write Now’s mission combines the importance of communication with the gift and resilience of creativity – two vital and important ingredients in our everyday lives,” said Jeremy Grunin, Chairperson, Count Basie Center for the Arts. “As we head into ‘Back To School’ season, we applaud Project Write Now’s mission, and the organization’s ability to focus on a life skill in a creative and confidence-building manner.”

BofA and Basie Center employees and board members started reviewing applications following the announcement of THE GIVING YEAR initiative on Giving Tuesday last November. THE GIVING YEAR will focus on organizations serving causes related to arts and culture, health / wellness, food insecurity, diversity, equity and inclusion, or financial management or other services to underrepresented populations.

Organizations interested in consideration for THE GIVING YEAR may learn more and apply for consideration at www.thebasie.org/thegivingyear. Organizations need only apply once – qualifying applications will be considered on a rolling basis throughout 2023.

ABOUT THE GIVING YEAR INITIATIVE

THE GIVING YEAR will last throughout 2023, with the Count Basie Center for the Arts donating $1 from every ticket sold to one of twelve area nonprofits, with a different organization highlighted each month. Organizations will be eligible to receive up to $15,000 during their month, in addition to complimentary tickets for distribution to their volunteers and / or their beneficiaries.

Upon announcing THE GIVING YEAR last November, Basie Center and Bank of America officers presented the initiative as an opportunity to use the organizations’ platforms to highlight important work and causes throughout their service regions. Mental wellness nonprofit Shore House kicked off THE GIVING YEAR in January, followed by Asbury Park’s Inspire Life, The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide in Freehold, The Sandy Hook Foundation, Red Bank’s No Limits Café and LGBTQIA+ resource organization QSpot.

“The Count Basie Center is a unique nonprofit organization,” Basie Center Board Chairperson Jeremy Grunin explained. “In addition to our work in arts education, from classrooms in under-resourced communities to professional development opportunities for teachers, we have world-renowned performing artists on our stages almost every evening. We recognize the platform that affords us, and we feel it’s right to use that platform to highlight other organizations attending to vital causes in our region.”

“Bank of America and the Count Basie Center share many causes and concerns, especially the betterment of our communities,” said Bank of America’s Garofalo. “During ‘The Giving Year,’ we’ll use our long-standing partnership and platforms to highlight and reward the efforts of twelve area nonprofit organizations, whose commitments to our region help those who need it the most.”

“Part of our responsibility as a nonprofit organization is to look inwards and say, ‘What more can we do?’” said Adam Philipson, President and CEO, Count Basie Center for the Arts. “And because we have this status as a place where world-class musicians, actors and performers come to play, we also have this opportunity – and responsibility – to lend our visibility to others. Bank of America and the Basie Center want THE GIVING YEAR to become a pedestal for organizations that deserve to have their hard work and purposes known and recognized.”

September’s beneficiary organization will be announced in August.