Help Oakland Symphony Youth to Cuba

My name is Casadora Boone. Most people call me Cassie. I am 16 years old and I am an 11th grader in Oakland, CA. I have been playing violin for about 8 years and this is my 3rd year in the Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra. I was privileged to be the guest solo violinist at the Oakland Symphony Ball in 2014 and my mother was honored to be invited to sit as a guest at the table with the donors, Jim Bell and, his wife, Bonnie. Music has truly affected my life; when I become an adult, I aspire to have a career in music, along with a career  in biology. I am not only a hard worker in school and with my music, but I am, also, unfortunately, a type 1 diabetic since 2013. When I found out that I had diabetes, It was a real hit in the gut. I was already a teenager, so, I experienced many years of good health. Having diabetes, especially type 1, brought on an entirely different way of life. I have to count the amount of carbohydrates for each meal, and take 4 insulin shots a day (for 3 meals and at bedtime, sometimes more to cover snacks). I am, constantly, battling sugar levels and adjusting insulin dosages because sometimes my sugar is very high or very low. Even after 3 years, I still seem to be on a sugar level rollercoaster. Being a teen, this disease is hard to manage on my own. I couldn't have handled this without the help of my mother. She is my main provider and our relationship is really close. Sometimes I think she manages my diabetes better than me.

My orchestra announced that we are going on a 10 day trip to Cuba, in July, to perform and tour around the country. I am very excited about this trip for several reasons: this is my first tour with the orchestra, Cuba is a beautiful country to visit, and this is my first time out of the country, ever! Sadly, the orchestra does not have enough money to provide me a full scholarship for the trip. They have given me only $500 for a trip that costs $3,990. In addition to this, I have diabetes and I am the only diabetic in the entire orchestra, so no one really understands the difficulties around this disease. Managing my diabetes for a few hours, once a week for rehearsal, is fine; however, a 10 day trip in a foreign country seems extremely dangerous to manage on my own. I have to have my mother to go with me because she has experience with diabetic care and she is trained to handle diabetic emergencies. She will be able to assist me with my medication in an effective manner. The orchestra will allow my mom to go as a chaperone, only if she can provide an additional $3,990 for herself. Our family's income is very low. I am, only, able to participate in the orchestra by the help of donors through the orchestra's tuition scholarship and Bridge program. With our financial situation, it is impossible to pay for even one person and I cannot go alone. I am, even, supervised, daily at school by a nurse because I have episodes of hypoglycemia.

We have to have $8,000 by April 15th. It would mean so much to me to have this new experience of going to Cuba - to be deprived of it because of our income status would be so disappointing. I believe it would be so enriching and educational and being able to go on this trip with my orchestra friends and my mom will be something I will never forget. I hope and pray that you will read this and that it touches your heart to fund me. I cannot express the amount of gratitude I will have for you for making such a thoughtful contribution.

Thank you in advance! -- Casadora

                      (Me and my mom, Sharon)