Help the Kings Park Marching Band Keep Marching to a New Stage
For the students of the Kings Park Marching Band, Color Guard, and Kick Line, 2026 was supposed to be the year their hard work echoed down Main Street, U.S.A. This trip is a cornerstone of our community, occurring only once every four years. For our 59 talented performers, this was their one and only chance to perform at Walt Disney World, a dream many have held since they first joined the program years ago.
The Heartbreak at JFK
On Saturday, February 14th, after six months of intense fundraising, our students arrived at the airport at 5:00 AM. Their dreams were met with a devastating reality: Delta Airlines abruptly canceled the flight, claiming they did not have a pilot available to fly the plane.
Our students and chaperones spent 13 grueling hours at JFK as school district officials worked tirelessly to find an alternative. However, Delta’s failure to provide a flight crew, combined with a holiday weekend, made it impossible to transport the group together safely. While the students were sent home heartbroken, their checked luggage was flown to Orlando without them, leading to a logistical nightmare that lasted for days.
Holding Corporations Accountable
While our community has shown incredible resilience, the companies we trusted have failed us. Many families laid out well over $2,500 in basic costs that cannot be recuperated through standard channels.
- Kaleidoscope Travel Agency: Despite the fact that the trip never took place, Kaleidoscope has declined to provide full reimbursements. They are refusing to return funds for hotel rooms that were never slept in and, in some cases, are only offering a 50% refund to students who never even left New York.
- Delta Airlines: School district officials and parents have faced horrendous customer service. Delta has largely refused to engage in meaningful conversations to rectify the financial and emotional toll caused by their staffing failure.
A New Hope: Bringing Their Performance to Life
We refuse to let this be the final note for our students. This GoFundMe will be used to provide our students with the opportunity to go to Hershey Park and perform through Music In the Parks, that was once taken from them and finally bring their music performance to life.
While the Disney trip is no longer possible, we are pivoting to a new goal. Our mission is to fund a drivable performance trip to Hershey Park where the children will finally get to march together in a park and fufill this music experience. We want to ensure these 59 students, especially our seniors who will never get this chance again, can finally step onto a stage and experience the musical milestone and experience they so deeply deserve.
How You Can Help
We are reaching out to parents, music lovers, and our community to help bridge the financial gap created by lost deposits and corporate negligence. Your donations will help:
- Re-book travel to a drivable destination in the Northeastern USA.
- Cover lost funds for hotels and services that Kaleidoscope refused to refund.
- Pay for performance fees so our students can finally showcase their talent.
Our Promise: If for any reason a new trip cannot be scheduled, all money collected will be refunded to the individual donors.
Please help us show these kids that when a corporation says cancel, a community says keep marching. Share this link through social media and word of mouth. Let’s make this right for Kings Park.
Thank you for supporting the Kings Park Marching Band, Color Guard, and Kick Line!
Organizer
