Westfield High School Marching Bulldogs Break Record on Road to Rose Parade®
Chantilly, Virginia (PRWEB) September 13, 2013 -- The Westfield High School Marching Bulldogs broke a fundraising record this past weekend as they continue on their journey toward the 2014 Rose Parade® in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day. While support for the band is growing, due to greater community participation and backing by local businesses and politicians, the band still needs to raise nearly $100,000 to reach its goal of $270,000.
Rallying around the band – only the third Virginia public high school to march in the 125-year history of the Rose Parade, and one of only 12 high school bands selected for the 2014 Rose Parade – Virginia Delegate Jim LeMunyon reached out to his constituents last week, requesting that they join him in financially supporting the 270 Westfield students who will be representing not only their school and the local community but the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. During his remarks at the band’s Celebrate Virginia concert at George Mason University earlier this year, LeMunyon, a trumpet player and drum major in his own high school band, reminisced that “some of the best memories I have from that point in my life came from the band and travel … and I hope that, for the students who are in the band this year, as well as the parents and our community as a whole, this experience is that and more.”
As a result of LeMunyon’s endorsement and appeal for support, the Westfield Band experienced a 10-fold increase in activity on its newly redesigned website – http://www.WestfieldBand.org.
A notable boost to the band’s recent fundraising efforts was the mattress sale held at Westfield High School on September 7. Spirit Fundraising of Ashburn, Virginia, set up a showroom in the school’s cafeteria, allowing visitors to try out discounted name-brand mattress sets. Students and parents worked for four weeks advertising the event to the community via social media, yard signs, and flyers. On the day of the sale, they manned nearby intersections holding signs and wearing mattress costumes.
By day’s end, the band generated over 60 referrals, sold more than 80 sets, and raised $10,000 – breaking the one-day sales record for Spirit Fundraising and garnering the honor of being the top-selling school in the nation for the company on that day. Steve McCarthy of Spirit Fundraising characterized the sale as “a perfect opportunity for members from the local community to serve a basic need while – at the same time – supporting a trip-of-a-lifetime for these talented young musicians.”
While the mattress fundraiser was a big success, the band still has a long road ahead to achieve its goal of raising $270,000 for additional uniforms, instruments, transportation of equipment across the country, student scholarships, and on-going general band expenses, as well as to offset a portion of the $1,600 each student is paying to cover his/her own costs. Currently at approximately 60 percent of its goal with only 110 days until the parade, the band needs to raise $100,000 over the next two months.
For more information on the Rose Parade, the Westfield High School Marching Bulldogs’ upcoming performances, and ways to support the band’s Sponsor-A-Dream fundraising campaign, visit: http://www.WestfieldBand.org.
Jim Carpenter, WHS Marching Bulldogs Rose Parade Committee Co-Chair, http://www.westfieldband.org, 703-850-4961, [email protected]
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