|
Support the Blue Stars
You may be wondering how you can help the Blue Stars. The organization depends
on many sources of outside support including volunteer hours, financial contributions,
summer housing, and in-kind gifts of goods and services. Below you will find a number
of ways that the Blue Stars could use your help.
1. Volunteering
Touring around the country with 150 members and 20 or so staff members is a very big task!
Each summer the corps travels with 10 to 15 volunteers who spend their days dedicated to cooking,
sewing, driving, selling souvenirs, and other tasks. Click a link below to learn more
about the different volunteer roles.
We also have frequent need for non-touring volunteers to handle special projects
such as web development, grant writing, and mailings to donors and alumni.
Video: 101 Reasons why you should Volunteer for the Blue Stars (14.8 MB WMV File).
To view this video you need a media player capable of playing WMV files (such as Windows Media Player)
and a high speed Internet connection.
For more infomation or to volunteer, please fill out the Volunteer
Interest Form or email volunteer@bluestars.org
2. Financial Contributions
The Blue Stars would not be able to operate without the generous support of our donors.
There are many ways to contribute financially to the organization including
Supporting the Be Instrumental Campaign,
Donating to the General Operating Fund,
Contributing to the Ken Dissmore Memorial Scholarship Fund, Direct Sponsorship of Members, and
Contributing to the Blue Stars Endowment Fund.
For more information please email brad@bluestars.org or call
Brad Furlano, Executive Director, at 608-782-3219
3. Summer Housing
The Blue Stars are always looking for great housing sites throughout the country during the summer months.
If you have connections with your local school district or college and would like
to have the Blue Stars visit your town for a rehearsal day or to give a clinic, please contact
Eric Sabach by email at director@bluestars.org or
by phone at 608-782-3219. See the Tour Calendar
to find out when the Blue Stars plan to be in your neighborhood.
4. Gifts in Kind
If you have items of value that you would like to donate to a charity, please consider
donating them the the Blue Stars. We also have a Wish List
of specific items that we are looking to aquire.
Food Donations: Each summer, the Blue Stars receive many donations of baked goods and
other food products while on tour. The members love nothing more than fresh baked cookies and other
treats. Other items that the corps uses daily include fresh bread, milk, juices, fruit, and cereal. If you would
like to donate canned goods please bring industrial size cans as it makes our volunteer cooks' jobs much easier.
5. Be a Consumer
Visit the Blue Stars Online Store to purchase
your favorite Blue Stars merchandise!
Do you buy gas or other goods at Kwik Trip or Kwik Star stores? If so, please consider signing
up for a Kwik Card and
indicating 'Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps' as your charity. A portion of each purchase you make
gets back to the Blue Stars, and is even matched by Kwik Trip!
GoodSearch.com, an online
search engine, donates a portion of its advertising revenues to
your favorite charity. All you have to do is indicate the Blue Stars as your charity.
They use the same search engine technology as Yahoo so you don't have to worry about inferior search results.
Goodshop.com has
partnered with dozens of retailers such as Best Buy, Target, Barnes & Noble, and
Macy's. These retailers will make a donation as a percentage of the amount you spend to the Blue
Stars. Note: in order for the Blue Stars to receive contributions, you must enter the retail
stores through the links on the Goodshop website before going on to make a purchase.
Also, Ebates is a great website that gives you instant rebates for online purchases. They allow you to direct the rebates to a charity of your choice. If you'd like to direct your rebates to the Blue Stars, just give them our contact information, which you can find here.
6. Serve on the Board of Directors
The Blue Stars have a nine-member volunteer board of directors. The organization is
always searching for people who can contribute to the business and vision of the
organization. Normally, 3 board members are elected each year at the annual meeting
for a 3 year term. Occasionally, a spot on the board will open up and the board will fill
the spot by appointment. Appointed board members are asked to fulfill at least a 1 year
appointment. If you're interested in serving on the BOD, in either an elected or appointed position,
please email Board President Bruce Furlano. We also have a
number of committees if you have specific expertise to contribute but don't want to commit to a
full board position.
The Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps (L.B.S. Cadets, Inc.) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organization. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Consult your tax advisor.
|
Blue Stars Updates 
