Nathan Hale Ray Music Boosters

I have worked with many groups as my kids have progressed through the school system in East Haddam. Donating time, baked goods, purchasing any number of things they sell (think candles, wrapping paper, butter Braids, Raffle Tickets, etc…). One group I have been heavily involved in for the past 4 years is the Music Boosters. Music has such a potentially profound impact on our children. It improves their brain development and emotional expression and stimulates the part of the brain that governs hearing, memory, movement, and emotion. Music can also improve performance in mathematics and literacy. Music can be both energizing and calming, and it can promote group learning and creativity. During my time I have worked to establish the boosters as a 501c and established a scholarship for a student who wants to continue to pursue music as part of their post-secondary education. One thing I have found is that there are a lot of school organizations all asking the same pool of East Haddam community members and businesses for contributions year after year. While I think there is some benefit to having the kids involved in a small amount of fundraising on their own behalf the amount that needs to be raised has become significant across all of these groups. My goal is to get at least the Music boosters to a point of self-sufficiency where we do not have to do any fundraising each year. To that end, I am in the process of setting up an endowment with the excess funds that we have been able to raise over the last several years – approximately 20,000. This is nowhere near the amount we need to be self-funding so as a result I am putting out this plea to request of those who may have been past participants in the Hale Ray music program (or another schools music program) or who have kids who are current participants or future participants to contribute to help us reach our goal of $100,000. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a music banquet to honor them each year that they do not have to pay for because we can only pay a portion of the cost or to have a voice coach come in to improve their skills or to have the ability to buy music or repair or replace equipment when those costs do not fit into the school budget. Making do and doing without should not be the norm it should be the exception. Any amount you can contribute is appreciated…every little bit adds up.

Wendi MacNeil on Behalf of the Nathan Hale Ray High School Music Boosters