(RED BANK, NJ) -- The Count Basie Center for the Arts is excited to announce the Basie Center Day of Giving on Friday, December 20, 2024. Radio station 107.1 The Boss will kick off the daylong event at 6:00am with Robby and Rochelle in the Morning. Ross Britain and Cane Peterson will host for the midday and afternoon drive. All funds raised during the radiothon will be used to support the Basie Center's mission to fund student scholarships at the Turner Academy of the Arts. As part of the Basie Center’s current 'Forever For Everyone' campaign, the goal is to create scholarship opportunities in perpetuity for any of its education programs.

“This radiothon represents the power of community as we champion the next generation of artists, homegrown in Monmouth County,” says Adam Philipson, President and CEO, Count Basie Center for the Arts. “Our Day of Giving reflects our year-round efforts and lifelong commitments to continue uplifting our students, community partners, and neighbors, who are the catalyst in our mission to educate, entertain, and inspire all who enter our doors.”

Approximately 300 students will be scholarshipped at the Turner Academy of the Arts this year, with scholarship opportunities more than tripling since 2022. Scholarships support programs including instruction at the Count Basie Center Conservatory, acting and vocal classes, teaching acting for television and film, dance, improv, and more.

“We are proud to partner with the Basie Center once again to hit the airwaves in support of the performing arts in Red Bank and beyond,” says Robby Bridges, Vice President of Programming at Press Communications. “Radio is one of the greatest tools we have to share and enjoy music with each other, underscoring the significance of ensuring area students are able to live out their talents and passions through the performing arts.”

Joining the lineup of hosts on The Boss will be The Weeklings’ Glen Burtnik, Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Miss Darlene Love (performing onstage at Count Basie Center’s Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre later in that evening), Count Basie Center Chairperson Jeremy Grunin and more surprise guests!

Each year, more than 1,000 students enroll in the Basie Center’s Turner Academy of the Arts programs, in addition to the tens of thousands of students the Basie Center engages through its school trips and programs in area classrooms and throughout the community. Learn more about the Basie Center’s Education and Outreach here.

Donations will be accepted online at thebasie.org/giving or in person at the Count Basie Center for the Arts at 99 Monmouth Street in Red Bank, New Jersey. For a full list of programs at the Turner Academy for the Arts, click here.

The Count Basie Center for the Arts is New Jersey’s premier center for the cultural arts, dedicated to fostering powerful, inclusive artistic experiences and creative exchange of ideas. The Basie mission is to inspire, educate and entertain through its distinct and engaging cultural and artistic offerings that embrace and amplify the diversity of the region. As a nonprofit organization, the Basie is committed to enriching the community’s quality of life by generating opportunities for participation in the arts, partnering with schools, collaborating with other mission-based organizations and driving regional economic prosperity. The Basie Center has hosted an array of world-class artists, including Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band, Jon Bon Jovi, John Legend, Brandi Carlile, Crosby Stills & Nash, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross and Ringo Starr. Count Basie Center programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.