BAM 24 Hour Movie Marathon Raises Funds for Education Today

Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) announces the first-ever BAM 24-Hour Movie Marathon benefiting BAM Education. Beginning at 8pm tonight, September 5, the Steinberg Screen at the BAM Harvey Theater will host this peer-to-peer fundraiser, inspired by traditional athletic fundraisers, challenging participants to binge watch classic and modern film favorites for a full 24 hours. With support from media partner New York magazine, funds raised will support BAM Education's in- and after-school programs, workshops, and internships, which serve over 30,000 K-12 students, teachers, and parents annually.

Film buffs, fans of BAM, and supporters of arts education will raise a minimum of $250 each to participate in this back-to-school themed movie marathon featuring films like Clueless, Dazed and Confused, Jurassic Park, and An American in Paris. Special guests including Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actress Taylor Schilling (Orange Is the New Black), world champion climber Sasha DiGiulian, and more, will make appearances throughout the event to lend their support and introduce a favorite film. Prizes for marathoners surpassing the base donation include epic outdoor adventures to the Rocky Mountains and across the Appalachian Trail courtesy of Discover Outdoors, round-trip airfare from any US city, movie passes to BAM Rose Cinemas, tickets to BAM Next Wave Festival shows, BAM Cinema Club Memberships, and rejuvenating massages offered during the event.

"With the opening of the BAM Fisher building, which provided a state-of-the-art home for BAM's expanding family and arts education programming, we have strengthened our commitment to supporting the needs of the more than 200 public schools we serve," said Stephanie Hughley, vice president of Education & Humanities. "Funds raised at the BAM 24-Hour Movie Marathon will directly help these students and secure the future of these programs."

Between films, BAM 24 participants will refuel on caffeine, drink specials, and free meals including farm-to-table cuisine courtesy of Parker Red, the catering arm of Ted & Honey. Marathoners canalso enjoy free yoga sessions provided by Brooklyn Boulders. To register as a participant or support a marathoner, visit www.BAM.org/moviemarathon. Facilitated by CrowdRise, donations are currently being accepted and will continue through October 5.

Oscar nominated actor and CrowdRise founder Edward Norton said, "I've lived in New York for 23 years and been a theater rat that whole time and I can't even count the number of great things I've seen at BAM. I'm really excited to see BAM working with CrowdRise and creatively leveraging all the fun experiences it provides to generate support for its future. Fundraising doesn't have to be a grind. It should be participatory and fun in its own right."

About BAM Education

The opening of the BAM Fisher building provided a state-of-the-art home for the expansion of BAM's arts education and community initiatives. Engaging students with world-class arts, artists, and provocative ideas, BAM Education programs include live performances and films, pre- and post-show workshops (led by BAM teaching artists), in-school residencies, after-school programs, internships, summer programs, and professional development for teachers. Connecting learning with creativity, BAM Education programs stimulate a love of learning through the arts while providing educators with imaginative and effective ways to build skills like critical thinking, creative problem solving, and developing self-expression. BAM Education currently serves more than 200 schools (50%in Brooklyn) and over 30,000 students, teachers, and parents each year.

About BAM

Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is recognized internationally for its innovative programming of dance, music, theater, music-theater, opera, and film. Its mission is to be the home for adventurous artists, audiences, and ideas. BAM presents leading national and international artists and companies in its annual Winter/Spring Season and highlights groundbreaking, contemporary work in the performing arts with its Next Wave Festival each fall. Founded in 1983, the Next Wave is one of the world's most important festivals of contemporary performing arts. BAM Rose Cinemas features new, independent film releases and BAMcinématek-a curated, daily repertory film program. In 2012, BAM added the Richard B. Fisher Building to its campus, providing an intimate and flexible 250-seat performance venue-the Fishman Space-as well as the Hillman Studio, a rehearsal and performance space.

BAM serves New York City's diverse population through a weekend concert series in BAMcafé, community events, literary series, and a wide variety of educational and family programs. BAM, America's oldest performing arts center, has presented performances since 1861, and attracts an audience of nearly 700,000 people each year. The institution is led by President Karen Brooks Hopkins and Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo-each of whom has been associated with BAM for more than 30 years. Visit BAM.org.

About CrowdRise

CrowdRise.com is a website dedicated to online fundraising, event fundraising, volunteering, and having the most fun in the world while doing it. In 2009, Edward Norton, Shauna Robertson, and Robert and Jeff Wolfe created CrowdRise.com after an experiment with what turned out to be a super unique and successful campaign to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust during the New York City Marathon. They raised $1.2 million in less than 8 weeks, much of it from small donors who gave more than once, making it one of the top fundraising success stories of the marathon. CrowdRise.com takes that experiment to a whole new level: an innovative web platform where millions of individuals use the best tools and technology to raise money for over a million different charities, while competing in fun and quirky challenges with unique incentives and prizes. Thousands of charitable organizations make CrowdRise.com their home for starting events, team fundraisers, and turning their base of grassroots supporters into a base of grassroots fundraisers.