2018 WAF Band Reunion
Donation protected
The Women in the Air Force (WAF) Band as it is made up today is a unique group of Air Force Veterans of the original band that was created in 1951. The ladies maintain their skills during the year and travel at their own expense to entertain veterans at VA hospitals or retirement homes. The 2018 WAF Band Reunion will be August 26 - 30, 2018. They are setting their sights on a DC Reunion but are still in the planning phase.
I am not a member of the WAF Band but my Mom, Beverly Passwaters is and I can tell you attending these reunions has been a major reason she is still a young almost 80 year old clarinet player!!!
Getting the group (30 plus) to and from the airport and venues for the free concerts has been mainly done by gracious family members or those who have had the ability to rent a vehicle during the reunion.
I am hoping to raise money in order to pay for a shuttle service for the duration of the reunion. Having a shuttle service will relieve a lot of stress on the band members and allow them to focus on their practices and giving the best performances for the free concerts.
If we are lucky enough to raise more than is needed for the shuttle service, the funds will go to help the reunions success in providing free concerts for veterans.
A little history about the band:
The band was created in 1951 as the 543rd Air Force Band (WAF) and, over its ten year history as the US WAF Band, was made up of 235 members, with about 50 women musicians comprising the band at any given time. Conducted by Captain MaryBelle J. Nissly, the Women in the Air Force “WAF” Band created a unique and exceptional chapter in US Air Force and women’s history.
The “WAF” Band was one of the few places women could perform as professional musicians. For ten glorious years The WAF Band performed in countless parades and concerts for the pleasure of thousands of music lovers who had the opportunity to hear the all-woman band.
With the 2018 WAF Band Reunion the ladies will once again prove definitively that patriotism never gets old and WAF Band members simply defy age!
Your generous donation will help the ladies of the WAF Band have a smooth transition from venue to venue.
I am not a member of the WAF Band but my Mom, Beverly Passwaters is and I can tell you attending these reunions has been a major reason she is still a young almost 80 year old clarinet player!!!
Getting the group (30 plus) to and from the airport and venues for the free concerts has been mainly done by gracious family members or those who have had the ability to rent a vehicle during the reunion.
I am hoping to raise money in order to pay for a shuttle service for the duration of the reunion. Having a shuttle service will relieve a lot of stress on the band members and allow them to focus on their practices and giving the best performances for the free concerts.
If we are lucky enough to raise more than is needed for the shuttle service, the funds will go to help the reunions success in providing free concerts for veterans.
A little history about the band:
The band was created in 1951 as the 543rd Air Force Band (WAF) and, over its ten year history as the US WAF Band, was made up of 235 members, with about 50 women musicians comprising the band at any given time. Conducted by Captain MaryBelle J. Nissly, the Women in the Air Force “WAF” Band created a unique and exceptional chapter in US Air Force and women’s history.
The “WAF” Band was one of the few places women could perform as professional musicians. For ten glorious years The WAF Band performed in countless parades and concerts for the pleasure of thousands of music lovers who had the opportunity to hear the all-woman band.
With the 2018 WAF Band Reunion the ladies will once again prove definitively that patriotism never gets old and WAF Band members simply defy age!
Your generous donation will help the ladies of the WAF Band have a smooth transition from venue to venue.
Organizer
Barbara Foote Klein
Organizer
Damascus, MD
