Veronica Walker: Macy’sGreatAmericanMarchingBand!

Have you met Veronica Walker? She is a Junior at John Carroll Catholic High School, in Birmingham, Alabama. This honor roll student has several life passions. You may recognize her as a nationally ranked archer. Maybe you’re familiar with her Girl Scout Gold Award project. Perhaps you’ve bumped into her at one of her volunteering shifts at the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. Veronica is always on the go, looking for opportunities to grow through community service and the chance to be a part of something bigger than herself!

A French Horn player since the 7th grade, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, she was quick to realize the power of music to connect community members with powerful bonds unlike anything she had ever experienced. Veronica sees and appreciates the ability to both express and experience emotions, while in a room full of people, without even the faintest whisper of a word. All through the power of music. There is no barrier when it comes to musical encounters - male or female, young or old, rich or poor, healthy or unwell, vibrant or exhausted, from anywhere in the world, speaking any language imaginable - music overcomes all potential obstacles and turns life into an adventure to be shared. How beautiful!

Veronica is hoping to put her musical beliefs and skills to the test, by traveling to New York and being a part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a member of Macy’s Great American Marching Band. It is impossible to travel to a new city, be surrounded by new people with similar passions, participate in an event that is essentially a national institution, and return unchanged. Veronica wants to be an ambassador to the nation for her school, hometown, and state. She wants to return with stories to share that will hopefully encourage her peers to find and go on their own musical adventures. More than anything, Veronica desires to focus on unity and contributing to a strong community dedicated to making the world a better place.

So, thank you! Thank you for taking the time to learn about Veronica. Thank you for sharing her story. Thank you for considering a partnership to help her meet this goal. Thank you for being the best version of you, so she can strive to be the best version of herself, and all together we can use music as a tool to make the world a better place.

$30 application fee

$1,859 participation fee

$40 white marching band shoes

$10 white marching band gloves

$200 for meals not covered (8 meals x $25)

$200 for potential souvenirs

$1,400 round trip

$3,739 TOTAL