The Cavalier Marching Band will perform at this year’s Macy’s 89th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City for the first time.
The group was one of 10 selected out of a pool of 175 bands from across the country. The band went through a lengthy application process, submitting a cover letter, an application, a photo, video and sound clips, a résumé and multiple letters of recommendation for consideration.
Getting the band to New York requires $250,000 worth of fundraising, said Kenna Boyd, University director of Donor Relations.. The campaign is now just $14,000 dollars short of its goal.
Fundraising kicked off last April when the Parents Fund Committee presented the band with a $50,000 challenge. Funds raised by the band itself, up to $50,000, were matched dollar for dollar by the committee.
Graphic by: Zunair Khokhar
The band’s fundraising campaign has been met with astonishing support from marching band alumni, parents and University alumni, said Ann Lawrence Grasty, University director for annual giving.
Of the 1,000 individual donors who gave to the band, 140 people had never made a donation to the University before. Gift amounts ranged from 25 cents to $4,000.
“The support has been so phenomenal,” Grasty said. “There has been support from every corner of the University and every corner of the country.”
University President Teresa Sullivan has also been one of the marching band’s biggest financial supporters. Sullivan will not only attend the parade, but has also issued a $25,000 challenge to be matched by the President’s Office.
The group will bring 330 band members in addition to staff. It is scheduled for three performances, including the Duke football game, the Macy’s Parade and the Virginia Tech football game.
“They’ve got a very busy next 10 days,” Grasty said.
An expected three million people will watch the band live at the New York parade. There will also be an additional estimated 50 million television viewers.
If University football games are any measure of how the band will perform, first-year College student Akash Raje said he thinks the band will put on an impressive showing.
“I think that it’s awesome for them to be able to go on such a big stage,” Raje said. “Based off what I’ve seen at football games I’d say yes, it will be a good performance.”
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