Sandusky High School’s Keynotes & Bell Choir has received a $10,000 grant to help pay for a trip to perform at the White House, Sandusky City Schools announced Thursday, according to the district’s Oct. 29 release reported by Firelands Current.
The Erie County Community Foundation award will help cover transportation, lodging and meals for the trip, according to the release. The district says its goal is for participating students to make the trip without a cost to their families while limiting the expense to the district.
The choir has been invited to perform at the First Lady’s Christmas at the White House in Washington, according to the release. The announcement does not give a performance date, the number of students traveling, or the trip’s total cost.
Even with the foundation’s grant in hand, the trip is not fully funded. The district is seeking additional community contributions and directs donors to Sandusky Sings, which links to the choir’s trip fundraiser, according to Firelands Current’s reporting on the release.
For a high school choir from Erie County, an invitation to perform at the White House during the Christmas season is the kind of opportunity students remember for the rest of their lives — and the kind that can disappear if the travel money does not come together. The foundation grant moves the trip from a hope to a plan with a budget.
The announcement also puts the community on the clock in the best way: every additional contribution through the Sandusky Sings fundraiser brings the district closer to its stated goal that no family has to pay out of pocket for a student to take part.
What happens next: the district continues fundraising for the remaining costs of transportation, lodging and meals, and is expected to share the performance date and travel details as the White House Christmas schedule is confirmed. NewsForce247 will follow the choir’s road to Washington as those details are announced.
Photo: Fergo22, CC BY-SA