Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional information from Belaire High School Band Director Juvon Pollard Sr. about the each student’s financial contribution toward the Normandy trip.
Members of the Baton Rouge community are reaching into their wallets to help the Belaire High School marching band make a once-in-a-lifetime trip to perform in Normandy, France.
The marching band last year was one of 17 U.S. high schools invited to make the trek to France and perform in a celebration commemorating D-Day. The band, which is sending 35 students and five chaperones overseas, has been raising money ever since, any way it can.
Band director Juvon Pollard Sr. says the band must raise a total of $84,000 by April 25, which would pay for the band’s accommodations.
So far, the marching band has raised between $55,000 and $58,000. The band still needs roughly $26,000 to reach its goal.
The Belaire High School marching band’s GoFundMe campaign—which has a goal of $30,000 in donations—has generated nearly $12,000 of the amount raised so far. Pollard says the students raised about $10,000 between two events held this past weekend. A fundraising gala is scheduled to take place later this month. Each student also is contributing $600 toward the trip, but Pollard says the students were all victims of the August flood and that’s making it difficult for some to come up with their portion of the trip.
“We’ve raised quite a bit, and we’re so close,” Pollard says. “… I want the students to see something different. We go to Texas. We go to different places culturally. I want them to be educated on why we’re going, what we’re going to do, what does this mean to the people involved in the D-Day celebration.”
The band, Pollard says, is benefitting from recent media attention as more people are now aware of the students’ opportunity and their efforts to bring it to fruition.
On the band’s GoFundMe page, 100 donors gave anywhere from $5 to $5,000. They left comments telling the students congratulations and “enjoy your trip.”
“Safe travels from a Madison Prep Mom!” wrote donor Dawn Mellion Patin.
Baton Rouge businessman Richard Lipsey also donated to the band’s campaign after reading the band’s story last week.
“It sounded like a great opportunity for those kids to take a trip that they never would otherwise get a chance to do,” says Lipsey, adding that he didn’t contribute for the publicity. “The kids were working hard to raise money to go on the trip. I just felt inclined to help.”
—Alexandria Burris
