The Count Basie Theatre is an historic 1926 theatre in downtown Red Bank, NJ.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

A note from the new CEO, Adam Philipson

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