Help Sam march Colts!

My name is Sam Van Dielen, and I'm currently a senior at Lindbergh High School in Saint Louis, Missouri. I've been involved in band for 7 years, as a clarinetist until sophomore year and a tubist since then. Last fall was my fourth and final year with Lindbergh's Spirit of Saint Louis Marching Band, but I participate in concert band and brass choir during the rest of the year. For the summer of 2014, I've been offered a position in a world class drum & bugle corps from Dubuque, Iowa: The Colts.

A drum & bugle corps is a marching music ensemble comprised of color guard, percussion, and a brass section. World and open class drum corps tour throughout the months of June, July, and early August in a competitive circuit called Drum Corps International (DCI). Each corps rehearses & performs a new show every year that's about 10 minutes long and performed on a football field.

The Colts celebrated their 50th anniversary last year, and has made DCI World Championship Finals eight times. The Colts will travel 45,000 miles to perform in 30 cities across the United States, serve 4 meals a day for 150 members, and rehearse for more than 700 hours until they conclude their tour in Indianapolis in early August.

It isn't free, either; since Drum Corps International is non-profit, I will have to pay a tuition of 3,000 dollars to help offset the Colts' costs. This pays for food, housing, the bus costs, uniform fees, and then some. My summer will be entirely committed to the Colts. Even though I'm working and saving, I won't be able to afford the tour fees on my own. Any donation at all is appreciated, whether it's a dollar or a hundred dollars! This would be living a dream of mine.