Dear Count Basie Theatre Friends,
The
weeks that followed Hurricane Sandy on October 29 have tested our
strength as a community and an entire state. We on the Jersey Shore have
suffered devastation like nothing we have seen in a lifetime. The
process of rebuilding we know is emotional and will take a long time.
The
Basie was fortunate. We suffered no real damage and we regained power
quickly, however a vast number of our neighbors were not so fortunate.
Over the past few weeks the Basie boards and staff have been in constant
communication about our desire and responsibility to respond to the
crisis. In looking at ways to offer help, we were able to headquarter
two Public Information Officials from FEMA on November 6. The officials
were here for the day to call into radio stations, conduct newspaper and
television interviews, and to meet with Red Bank RiverCenter executives
to discuss how small businesses can apply for assistance. We also set
up on-going charging stations in our lobby that allowed people to charge
their cell phones and computers.
On November 13, more than 750 people came to the free film screening of Searching for Sugar Man,
provided to us by Sony Pictures Classics and the gathering of neighbors
offered a much-needed diversion and hopefully some healing. Coming soon
will be a series of Special Benefit events that are now in the planning
stages; information on these events and the organizations they will be
benefitting will be sent to you shortly.
As
another way to help with the effort, we will be donating 10% of the
proceeds of our annual "Win Two Tickets to Every Show" raffle to the
FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Click here for more information or to purchase your raffle ticket.
The
Count Basie Theatre is dedicated to a continued effort of providing
resource information to the community through our website, social media
and email newsletters.
On
behalf of our Boards of Trustees and the entire Basie team, our
thoughts are with each and every one of you as we rebuild and renew our
lives and our communities.
Sincerely,
Adam Philipson, CEO