Langley High School Band Raises at Least $16,500

It was a great day on Saturday, Sept. 24, for the Langley High School band musicians who canvassed the community and raised at least $16,500 for this year’s band budget.

“It was just fabulous! We will be tallying the donations we receive by mail, too,” said Silvia Gonzalez Roman, the band association president.

This year, the fundraising goal was $20,000, according Roman. The band is hoping to reach that goal after tallying the final crop of donations expected to be mailed in.

In 2010, the band’s fundraising efforts totaled $14,000: $11,000 collected on the day of the event, and $3,000 in mailed in contributions, she said.

The band's yearly budget is $55,000. The yearly door-to-door event is the biggest fundraiser for the band. The money is used to replace and restore concert instruments and provide specialized training from professional musicians for band students.

“With the economy the way it is, I never expected we'd get this far,” Roman said. “Some kids came back with $1,000 each.”

The McLean High School band raised $34,000 the preceeding Saturday.