General Meeting 03-10-2025
Board members in attendance:
Directors: Allen Frank and Bill Lennox
Jacqui Forsch(President), Steph Cramer (VP Student Accounts), Tracy Luisser (VP Volunteers), and Michelle Miller (Secretary)
Board members in absent:
Becky Sullivan (Treasurer)
Approval of Minutes from 01-08-2025:
Jacqui called the meeting to order and asked for approval of last month’s minutes. Motion to approve was made by Sue Testa. Second by Jen Roan. Overall approval by the full organization. (Motion passed).
Report from VP of Volunteers (Tracy):
- Volunteer opportunities:
- March 22-23: Flag Competition
Signup sent out
Students will get community service hours - March 30: Purse Bingo
Will send soon - April 4-5: Spring Concert
Will send soon
- March 22-23: Flag Competition
- Fundraiser pick up:
- April 12th in the Science Lot from 10:30-11:30 = Cheesecake
- April 16th in the Science Lot = Cheese/Mr. Sticky Buns
- May 10 in the Science Lot = Spring Flowers
Report from VP of Student Accounts (Tracy presented for Steph):
- February Fundraising Report
- We have Wawa/Shoprite cards to sell.
- Leftover Wawa cards will be sold at the concert.
- Dine to donate:
- Waiting on Bayou for final numbers of how much we raised.
- March 19th will be at Molly’s
- Pocono Cheesecakes and Mr. Sticky Buns are active as of tonight.
Check the website for times/pick up. - April 16th pick up may get changed from cafe to science lot.
- March: Spring Bingo
- May: Salsa & Double Good popcorn
Double Good was small packages – so it feels like more of a “support the band and get some popcorn.” - Check your student’s Cuttime account. Some families still owe money.
Question: Can I transfer money from my current senior’s account to my child who will be a freshman in the fall?
Yes.
- Upcoming fundraisers:
| Fundraiser | Contact | Cost | Quota | Orders due | Pick up |
| Pocono Cheesecakes | Michael Calagna | $14.50 | $5 | March 28th | Saturday, April 12 LHS Sci Lot 11-11:30am |
| Keystone Farms Cheese | Bridget Hujsa | varies | 30% of sales | March 28th | Wednesday, April 16 LHS Cafe 4:30-5:30pm |
| Mr. Sticky’s Sticky Buns | Luke Roan | $23.00/23.50 | $6.50 | April 6th | Wednesday, April 16 LHS Cafe 4:30-5:30pm |
| Spring Flowers | Amanda Gori | $18.50-25.00 | $2.50 | April 4th | Saturday, May 10 LHS Sci Lot 10:30-12:00 pm |
| Dine to Donate: Molly’s – March 19th, 3pm-close | |||||
| Springo Bingo | Art Oakes | March 30th | LHS Cafe 1pm-4pm |
||
Report from VP of Treasurer (Becky):
- March’s financials (Monthly report 2/1 – 2/28):
- Starting balance:$86,964.66
- Ending balance: $87,130.43
- Income: $5,459.20
- Expenses: $5,459.20
- Becky was unavailable for this meeting.
- Approval of Treasurer’s Report
Motion to approve was made by Art Oakes. Second by Julie Bailey. Overall approval by the full organization. (Motion passed)
New Business:
- Check for Signups for upcoming events.
- Bingo
- Sold 35 tickets so far.
- We are good on purses (22 at the moment).
- Looking for:
- purse sponsors
Can be multiple families sponsoring a single purse. - baskets for basket raffle
- purse sponsors
- Food donations
- Elections
- 6 positions: president, volunteers, treasurer, secretary, and 2 at large
- Nomination form coming out
Responses need to be back in a week.
- April meeting will be moved from the 15th to the 16th
Report from Directors:
- Mr. Lennox
- Alumni Form is out on facebook. Please share.
- The form for handicap seating for the concert is on the website.
- Don’t buy instruments from Amazon.
- Mr. Frank:
- Congratulations to all involved with Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Thanks to those that came out to support the kids.
- Friday, March 13:
- Pipes and Drums at LVPhantoms.
- Details are still coming.
- Kids are free – unsure about getting tickets for parents.
- They will be playing the concourse before and on the ice between 2nd/3rd
- March 15: March in Parade of Shamrocks
- 12:30 report at 6th and Broad.
- Step off at 1pm. We are division 2. We should be done around 1:45ish.
- March 15: County Band
- 12 kids are participating in the Northampton County Band.
- They will need to be at Bangor High School for 12:00.
- The concert will be at 7pm at Bangor High School.
- Tuesday, March 18th: Foundation Dinner
- Pipes and Drums ? 5:15-6:00
- 1st Company ? 6:30-6:45
- March 22-23: indoor flag competition (Eastern Regional)
- March 30: Springo (purse bingo)
- Concert Week: (Week of March 31st)
- Posters and the seating form are live.
- You can pre purchase tickets. They will be sold at the dress rehearsals.
- Schedule:
- Monday (March 31st): 1st Company/Pipes and Drums 5:30-7pm
- Tuesday (April 1): off
- Wednesday (April 2)/Thursday (April 3): 6-9pm
- Friday (April 4)/Saturday (April 5): Concert
- Saturday (April 5): 1pm meeting
London Information Meeting with representatives from London Band Week.
- This is a theatrical event. Rehearsals matter. Staging will be set up on Wednesday. So Wednesday/Thursday rehearsals are with the stage.
- Congratulations to Cam Dunam (orchestra) and Andrew Fortsch (band) for moving forward in PMEA. Region choir is next week. The state festival will be at Kalahari the week after the concert.
- London:
- Zoom last week
- Please fill out the google interest form
- yes/no for sending your child to London
- Asking that if you mark “no” to still fill out with the reason. It is a confidential form. It will help us to know how to help.
- Estimated pricing is 4,000-4,400. We need to plan for the higher end and hope we can get it lower
- 12 mon $4,400 = about $370 per month for 12 mon
- The trip covers plane to plane.
- Not covered
- Busing to and from the airport.
- Shipping gear/luggage
- Cost to ship gear is $30,000-32,000 (luggage and uniforms)
Our numbers are projected to be around 200 in the band so that is $175 per student for shipping.
- Cost to ship gear is $30,000-32,000 (luggage and uniforms)
- Looking for grants and sponsorships to help lower the cost
QUESTION: Can they take luggage on the plane?
That hasn’t been decided yet. All previous trips we have always shipped luggage. The more luggage/gear the slower it is to go through customs. The directors will continue to look at the cost breakdown.
- Start the process of getting passports now.
- Price: The directors are flying to London in June. They will not have the final number for price until they return.
- Would like to start payments in May 2025 with the final payment due in 2026.
- The directors are contacting London Band Week to see if they can get it set up to start payments in May (even though we don’t have our final price).
- Families don’t have to decide in May. Can decide to join the trip later but the monthly payments will be more because the price will be spread over less payments/months.
- Incoming 9th graders: Majorette tryouts will be the 1st or 2nd week of May. Dates will be coming out.
- If your child is only in orchestra and not in a band, there are opportunities for them to join the band. We would love to increase our pipes section and beef up our tubas.
- We will keep giving you information as we get it.
- Come to the meeting on Saturday, April 5th at 1pm.
QUESTION: Is there any more information about TagAlongs going to London?
Not yet. There has been a large interest in the Google Form responses for a tag along trip.
A motion to close the meeting was made by Sue Testa. Second by Eleanor Mayer. Overall approval by the full organization.