100 Women club donates $7,200 to Clover Command

Thursday, May 26, 2016
Banner Graphic/Chelsea Modglin 100 Women representatives presented a check for $7,200 to members of the Cloverdale Band and Director William Cole. The extra funding will be used to pay for charter buses for the total 114 people who will be attending the trip.

The members of 100 Women Who Care voted to support the Cloverdale High School Band, Clover Command, with $7,200 at their May 4 meeting. The funds will be used to help the students represent Indiana in the Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C.

"What a significant honor for these kids," Kate Knaul, who spoke on the band's behalf, said.

Congressman Todd Rokita nominated the Clover Command after their performance at the Fall Foliage Parade in Martinsville. Since then, the band has been working to raise $33,000 so each student could go for $250. The total cost for the trip, without fundraising, is $488 per student.

"The more we raise, the cheaper it's going to be per kid." Band Boosters President Greg Williams said at the Cloverdale Community School Corporation's March board meeting. "We do have some kids in the community who it's going to be hard to come up with $250. We've already had donations from the community, different businesses."

Most recently, the Kiwanis Aktion Club of Putnam County conducted a Lucky Leprechaun Raffle and raised $282 for the band. The band also has a GoFundMe account that so far has raised $2,455 in the last two months.

Al Tucker of the Cloverdale Auto Exchange donated a restored 1987 El Camino for a raffle that has been running since the start of April. The drawing for the raffle will be held at the Cloverdale graduation ceremony May 28.

In total, the band has been able to raise $28,000. Still, the funds have not come soon enough for some students. The final deadline to register was May 2, and of the 93 students originally signed up only 88 will go. But the donation from 100 Women Who Care will not only pay for these students, but also provide an extra $2,000 in funding.

"What an unexpected and welcome contribution," Band Director William Cole said during the check presentation on Monday.

With a total of 114 people attending the trip, the extra funding will be helpful for bus rental, but any leftover funds are expected to go to Dollars for Scholars.

Other nominations for the 100 Women vote were Putnam County Family Support Services and Imagination Library, which provides books to children ages birth to 5.

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