UPDATE: Bel Air High School’s drum-a-thon raises thousands of dollars for charity
UPDATE: The director of the Bel Air High School percussion team has told ABC-7 that $3,905 has been raised the days before, and the day of, the 24-hour drum-a-thon.
“Thank you for all the help you and all of the KVIA team has provided us,” said Benjamin Perez in an email to ABC-7 on Monday.
Perez said the GoFundMe page where people can donate will remain open until Dec. 1.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Bel Air students are preparing for their day to drum up donations.
The high school is holding its 24-hour drum-a-thon again, this time in conjunction with El Pasoans Fighting Hunger.
Last year the percussion group raised $4,000 and donated half of it to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They are hoping to exceed that total this year.
It’s something their director, Benjamin Perez, believes they can do through a strategic plan.
“Certain drums will play at certain times,” Perez told ABC-7. “We start them off in four-hour intervals, so it’s kind of like a regular rehearsal for them, they’re used to it. Then after four hours, a new section comes in. Four hours, a new section, and then we will keep splitting off until the end where we’ll come together and play everything we’ve been working on.”
The group has put together a GoFundMe account where donations will be collected. The day before the drum-a-thon, $1,041 has already been raised since the account was created on Nov. 9.
Come Saturday, Nov. 17 at 12 p.m., the entire drum-a-thon will be live-streamed on YouTube.
While half of the proceeds go to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, the other half will go toward traveling competitions and buying equipment.
“We’d really love the support, especially during this season of giving,” Perez said. “The kids deserve it – they’re giving up some of their break time for Thanksgiving just to come work hard for what they believe in. And I think they deserve to be rewarded for what they believe in.”
