From 1978 through 2018--41 uninterrupted years!--Lutheran Vanguard marched in parades around Wisconsin, across the United States, and in Canada (I can't even count how many total miles of marching that is!), Letting Our Light Shine before tens of thousands of people. Then in 2019, due to a number of circumstances, we were forced to cancel our season. Declining enrollment, rising costs, and a grueling schedule that made it difficult for parents and directors to commit to the season lead us to this very difficult decision.
All set to bounce back in 2020, we planned with excitement and even had one winter band camp before Covid hit and we had no choice but to cancel the season...the second year in a row. All of us who love this band so much really started to wonder if this meant the end of Lutheran Vanguard. We certainly didn't want it to be true, but maybe the time had come.
Refusing to give up, a dedicated group of directors, parents, and our Board of Directors decided to give it one more chance. We shortened the season, lowered the cost of enrollment, and lessened the time commitment for all involved...and prayed! Knowing that 2021 was a "make or break" year, we met for our first camp in June and asked the near-impossible of the 48 young men and women who had signed up, many of them brand new to marching band: not only learn your music and learn how to march in a band, but do it in 3 days before our first parade! We had certainly never undertaken anything so ambitious before, but the kids not only came through...they did it with flying colors! The directors were amazing, our parent volunteers really stepped up, and our young musicians worked incredibly hard (with tremendous leadership from the Junior and Senior veterans of past LVW seasons) and we had one of the best seasons in our long history. We knew that everything had to come together last year if we were going to relaunch the band and start on another 41 year run, and we did it!
What a blessing from our God! How successful was our season? So successful that our enrollment grew from 48 last year to 76 (and counting!) this year! We haven't had a band this large in more than a decade! Which brings us to the question of "why hold a fundraiser?"
Simply put, we don't have enough uniforms and instruments for that many kids. (I know...what a great problem to have!). We need to raise $10,000 to put this band back on the street, and we need your help to do it!
A Fundraiser...with Mattresses???
It might sound crazy, but think about it. Everybody sleeps on a mattress (the average household has 4 mattresses), and every year 10% of the population buys a new one. In Appleton alone that's 7,400 new mattresses that will be purchased this year. If you buy your mattress from a big box retailer the store keeps all the money; if you buy your mattress from the LVW Fundraiser the company gives Vanguard some of the money! If enough people participate we can raise that $10,000 for new uniforms and instruments and have our best year ever! Will you help us meet our goal?
Now, we don't need anyone going door to door selling mattresses, but if you do need a new one, or if a friend or relative or co-worker needs one (and you'll never know if you don't ask!), just buy it through the fundraiser on April 23 at FVL. It's as simple as that.
You'll find a link on the LVW home page to a sign up sheet if you're willing to help for a couple hours on the day of the event. More information can also be found below this post.
Thank you so much for your continued support, and be sure to come out for a parade this summer to cheer on this amazing band!
All set to bounce back in 2020, we planned with excitement and even had one winter band camp before Covid hit and we had no choice but to cancel the season...the second year in a row. All of us who love this band so much really started to wonder if this meant the end of Lutheran Vanguard. We certainly didn't want it to be true, but maybe the time had come.
Refusing to give up, a dedicated group of directors, parents, and our Board of Directors decided to give it one more chance. We shortened the season, lowered the cost of enrollment, and lessened the time commitment for all involved...and prayed! Knowing that 2021 was a "make or break" year, we met for our first camp in June and asked the near-impossible of the 48 young men and women who had signed up, many of them brand new to marching band: not only learn your music and learn how to march in a band, but do it in 3 days before our first parade! We had certainly never undertaken anything so ambitious before, but the kids not only came through...they did it with flying colors! The directors were amazing, our parent volunteers really stepped up, and our young musicians worked incredibly hard (with tremendous leadership from the Junior and Senior veterans of past LVW seasons) and we had one of the best seasons in our long history. We knew that everything had to come together last year if we were going to relaunch the band and start on another 41 year run, and we did it!
What a blessing from our God! How successful was our season? So successful that our enrollment grew from 48 last year to 76 (and counting!) this year! We haven't had a band this large in more than a decade! Which brings us to the question of "why hold a fundraiser?"
Simply put, we don't have enough uniforms and instruments for that many kids. (I know...what a great problem to have!). We need to raise $10,000 to put this band back on the street, and we need your help to do it!
A Fundraiser...with Mattresses???
It might sound crazy, but think about it. Everybody sleeps on a mattress (the average household has 4 mattresses), and every year 10% of the population buys a new one. In Appleton alone that's 7,400 new mattresses that will be purchased this year. If you buy your mattress from a big box retailer the store keeps all the money; if you buy your mattress from the LVW Fundraiser the company gives Vanguard some of the money! If enough people participate we can raise that $10,000 for new uniforms and instruments and have our best year ever! Will you help us meet our goal?
Now, we don't need anyone going door to door selling mattresses, but if you do need a new one, or if a friend or relative or co-worker needs one (and you'll never know if you don't ask!), just buy it through the fundraiser on April 23 at FVL. It's as simple as that.
You'll find a link on the LVW home page to a sign up sheet if you're willing to help for a couple hours on the day of the event. More information can also be found below this post.
Thank you so much for your continued support, and be sure to come out for a parade this summer to cheer on this amazing band!
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