Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2018

50 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestofMP.com When you factor in travel to marching-band competitions – this year, Wando will have competed in Band of America events in Gaffney; Powder Springs, Georgia; and Indianapolis, for the Grand Nationals – private music lessons, equipment upgrades and other expenses, substantially more money must be raised if a school is to compete at the highest level. The nonprofit WHS Band Boosters holds various fundraisers for the band throughout the year, such as the Harmony Program, which attracts businesses with different sponsorship levels in exchange for visibility at football games. The Boosters are now entering their second year of offering a car raffle, which contributed a lot to the program last year, said Johnston, who has two children, a junior and a senior, in the WHS band. Additionally, the Boosters launched a Go Fund Me campaign to pay for the new band uniforms, which were unveiled earlier this year. Another source of income is parent fees, which help address a portion of travel costs such as the biennial trip to the Grand Nationals. The program also receives some grant funding and is occasionally the beneficiary of community events such as the Blessing of the Fleet. And vital to the success of any well-oiled machine like the WHS Band are its numerous volunteers. “They help a large ship like this navigate,” said Johnston. BANDS OF WANDO FOUNDATION Dr. Don Johnson, founder of the Southeastern Spine Institute in Mount Pleasant and self-proclaimed band nerd, has witnessed as a proud parent just how much time and effort is invested into a band performance. “The best way I can describe a marching band show now is it’s like 15 minutes of a Broadway show,” remarked Dr. Johnson, who played in the Summerville High School marching band as a youth. When he first learned about the financing involved, he was shocked. Just going every other year to perform at the Grand Nationals in Indianapolis costs $180,000. “For us, travel is the single biggest expense we have,” said Dr. Johnson. It occurred to him that many people locally may not realize that Wando’s band is “renowned across the country.” Recognizing the need to market the band to the community, he established the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Bands of Wando Foundation in January 2016 to help with the WHS Band’s capital item needs. The Foundation primarily assists in three areas: large capital purchases, which have included a new 52-foot trailer and an upgraded sound system for the marching and concert bands; instrument needs and upgrades; and financial-aid scholarships for students whose families can’t afford band fees or private music lessons. Dr. Johnson was thrilled to receive the Foundation’s first grant this year through The Beach Company and is hopeful to recruit more business sponsors. The ultimate aim of these fundraising efforts is ensuring that each student benefits from the band program. “We don’t want to have any kid not participate because they can’t afford the fees,” said Dr. Johnson. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS Awards are a great thing, but participating in band also helps young people hone their time-management skills; they learn to budget time better for academics because feature Photo by Jenny Gill. Photo by Jenny Gill.