Sponsor a 13-year old Rapper!
Hello Friends,
My name is Joe Marino and this fundraiser is for my 13-year old son, Devon. He is in the 7th grade, and gets good grades in school. He also plays trombone and baritone for his middle school band, and was recently accepted into the local honor band program where he had the privilege of playing alongside the top musicians in our area within his age group. On top of all that, he helps out the community through his involvement with the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps. I couldn't be more proud to call myself his father.
About a month ago, Devon surprised me with an announcement that he wanted to be a rapper. At first I thought it was a joke but that was before I heard his lyrics for the first time. Once I did however, I was completely blown away! He is a lyrical genius and many of his songs have a comedic element to them so they are all quite enjoyable to listen to!
He has assured me that he is absolutely serious about becoming a rapper, and that he wants to make a name for himself doing this. In the past, whenever he as expressed this amount of dedication towards something, he has always excelled at it so I am behind him 100%. This is the main reason I decided to create this fundraiser for him.
I can already tell that Devon is on his way to stardom, but there's only one problem that's holding him back... times have been very tough for us financially, and we cannot afford the proper recording equipment, nor can we afford the fees at any of the local recording studios to get the songs he made professionally recorded (they can be VERY expensive!).
My wife and I do the best we can to support our family - usually taking any type of side jobs we can find (which are pretty sparse these days) to earn some extra income, but bills are mounting and what little funds we do have to spare, normally go towards Devon's and his 11-yr old brother's extracurricular and after-school activities so we are financially drained at the moment and are having a hard time coming up with the money to buy the equipment that he needs to pursue this dream of his.
I do have some musical background of my own though, and that's mixed with over a decade of work experience in the IT sector so I was able to find some free (open source) audio production software online and I also have a half-way decent computer to produce with already (it's nowhere near "top-of-the-line", but it should suffice for now) which drastically cuts the costs involved with setting up a home studio.
If you would like to help out by purchasing or donating any of the items he needs instead of making a monetary contribution, that would also be greatly appreciated! Here's a list I've prepared with links to the items we plan to purchase with he money from this fundraiser:
Mic Stand: http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Stands-MS7701-Tripod-Microphone/dp/B000978D58/ref=sr_1_51?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1363379290&sr=1-51&keywords=boom stand
Shockmount: http://www.amazon.com/Samson-SP01-Shockmount-Spider-Condenser/dp/B000LQLDM2/ref=sr_1_8?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1363381331&sr=1-8&keywords=shock mount
Pop Filter: http://www.amazon.com/On-Stage-ASFSS6-Screen-Filter/dp/B003LZ2IT2/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1363381499&sr=1-4&keywords=pop filter
Preamp(used):
http://www.musicgoroundcockeysville.com/detail.aspx?id=1102331
Digital Audio Interface Recording Software: http://www.amazon.com/Avid-Tools-Express-Mbox-Mini/dp/B007JRNE3W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365082613&sr=8-1&keywords=mbox
All in all, these items amount to about $500 including shipping, processing fees, and a little wiggle room to buy cables and the like. Beyond this $500 goal, any additional funds collected from this campaign will go into a savings account that will only be used to cover Devon's future musical endeavors. If he becomes successful enough to support himself doing this, leftover funds from this fundraiser will be deposited into a college fund that will help to offset the costs of joining the Naval Academy, or his college of choice.
And if he takes off and makes the big time (knock on wood), a considerable out-of-pocket charitable donation will be made (no less than 2x the TOTAL funds collected from this campaign) to the Nashville LPD-13 division of the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps. For more information regarding this amazing youth program, please visit: http://www.nashvilleseacadets.org
So any way you look at it, this money will definitely be going to a good cause! We thank you in advance for your support, and God bless.
P.S. If you are a sponsor at the $20 level or above, please send us a message with your mailing address so we know where to send your photo(s) and/or autographed CD.
