HOPE 10 – The Final HOPE Concert raises nearly $225k for local charities

 

POAC Autism Services and the Parker Family Health Center were this year’s beneficiaries

(RED BANK – JAN 18) The tenth and final HOPE concert, the renowned charity concert series helmed by musician Bobby Bandiera, ended on a high note December 23 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts, raising $112,000 each for POAC Autism Services and Red Bank’s Parker Family Health Center.

“Bobby Bandiera, his band, special guests like Southside Johnny, Gary U.S. Bonds, Jim Babjak from The Smithereens and others, made the final HOPE concerts one of the most successful,” said Adam Philipson, President / CEO, Count Basie Center for the Arts. “We’re grateful to all the patrons, artists and organizations who have been part of this great Count Basie Center legacy, and we couldn’t be happier for the work the Parker Center and POAC will be able to do with money raised from this year’s finale.”

“Bless everyone who has contributed to make HOPE successful,” said Bandiera. “It’s a great feeling to be part of a community that cares to give back.”

“This year’s HOPE concert was a home run for Parker,” said Dr. Gene Cheslock, Founder, Parker Family Health Center. “We got to soak in a fabulous concert, staged in part for us, the proceeds of which will go a long way toward supporting our budgetary demands for 2019, all the while exposing our singular services to an ever increasing audience. We’re so grateful to Bobby and the gang.”

“POAC is so thrilled to have been a part of this amazing show,” said Gary Weitzen, Executive Director, POAC Autism Services. “Bobby Bandiera absolutely outdid himself on stage, and all the performers, Big Joe Henry, and everyone at the Count Basie Center made it such a special night.

“This donation is one of the largest POAC has ever received and will go a long way toward helping us continue to provide free training and recreational events for children and adults with autism, and to expand our safety and training programs for police, first responders, parents and educators. The impact of this donation on the autism community will be felt for years to come.”

In addition to the concert contribution, radio personality and show host Big Joe Henry announced that money remaining in a fund generated by the first HOPE show – held by area musicians in 2003 to benefit Bandiera’s son, Robert Jr. — would be donated to POAC.

Since that first HOPE concert in 2003, the shows have raised nearly $3 million, attracting superstar talent like Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny, Deborah Harry of Blondie, Max Weinberg and others, while benefiting organizations like 180 Turning Lives Around, Mary’s Place By The Sea, the VNA Health Group, the Valerie Fund, Joan Dancy and P.A.L.S., Fulfill (frmly. The Foodbank Of Monmouth and Ocean County), The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Horizons, and the nonprofit Count Basie Center itself.

View the HOPE 10 wrap-up video.

Photos from HOPE 10 are available here. Credit: Amanda Stevens for CBCFTA