Project Write Now Cited In Red Bank's Basie Center Giving Year

RED BANK, NJ — Project Write Now is the latest nonprofit to be recognized by the Count Basie Center for the Arts and Bank of America in their Giving Year initiative.

Project Write Now will receive $1 from every Count Basie Center ticket sold in August, along with event tickets for the organization’s clientele and volunteers, as part of the yearlong initiative to recognize and reward organizations for their contributions to the regional community.

Founded in 2014, Project Write Now provides various fee-based virtual classes, editorial services, and literary events - and also provides community outreach programs for underserved groups.

The organization helps youth and adults develop the writing and communication skills needed to build resilience, pursue personal growth, and achieve academic or professional success, including in Red Bank, the Giving Year sponsors said.

There are weekly expressive writing workshops for seventh- and eighth-graders at Red Bank Middle School and bi-monthly workshops for members of Shore House, the mental health nonprofit in Long Branch - 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 of 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."

Alberto Garofalo, president of Bank of America New Jersey, praised the organization:

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

“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.

The Giving Year focuses 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, the sponsors say.

Organizations interested in consideration for the program can learn more about it and apply for it at www.thebasie.org/thegivingyear. Organizations only need to apply once. Qualifying applications will be considered on a rolling basis throughout 2023, sponsors say.

The initiative will last throughout the year, with the Count Basie Center for the Arts donating $1 from every ticket sold to one of 12 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.

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 sponsors said.