A number of Drum Corps International's World and Open Class corps including the Blue Knights, City Sound, Mandarins, Music City, Raiders and Spartans are currently vying for money as part of the Chase Community Giving campaign on Facebook.
With the opportunity to share in $5 million worth of grants, drum corps enthusiasts across the country have been turning to social media to spread the word and get supporters to vote for these worthy groups before the end of the campaign on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Below is just a small sample of messages that have been posted to the Web.
[View the story "Cheering Corps to the $5 Million Finish Line" on Storify ]Cheering Corps to the $5 Million Finish Line Blue Knights, City Sound, Mandarins, Music City, Raiders and Spartans get support as they vie for a piece of $5 million in the Fall, 2012 Chase Community Giving grant campaign. Voting ends Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET!
Storified by · Tue, Sep 18 2012 09:59:49Only 2 days left to vote for corps in this fall's Chase Community Giving campaign!Bluecoats
One last push to the finish line!! The Blue Knights need your help! They are so close to winning a huge pile of money. Please give a moment of your time to make a profound difference in this wonderful organizationLet's help out the Blue Knights! Vote for them in the Chase Campaign! CLICK THIS LINK! http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/84-6037716?ref=0358857720ASCEND PERFORMING ARTS INCapps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygivingThe mission of Ascend Performing Arts, home of the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps and Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble, is to further the education and growth of young people through participation ...Like · · ShareJordan Helwerda
Dear facebook,http://bit.ly/PZ45h2Lets all take 3 seconds to help out Music City Drum CorpsDan Corona
Voting for MCDC makes you cool. Money makes MCDC cool. Lets all be cool.Emily Hall
Remember the Chase grant that the Scouts and many other corps won over the past two years? They're doing another round and the Blue Knights are in the running. So please help out our friends at the Blue Knights (Ascend Performing Arts) and give them a vote. Thanks!Madison Scouts
Take a moment and help these drum corps with your vote!Santa Clara Vanguard
Chase Community Giving! Music City Drum Corps is a Non-profit music organization serving young musicians, Please Vote! http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/26-3258158?ref=e11fafeec0Jeremy Krug
Okay, ALL YA'LL! Mark Arnold, Blue Knights Director, has informed me that we are SOOOOOOO close to our Chase Charity Goals. If we get a piece of that pie, he will let me make Perogies on tour! (Google it if you don't know what they are) Anyway, to my Polish and North Eastern peeps: Perogies...It's deep and it's real. Please vote.On a more serious note, seeing and knowing what Drum Corps can do to shape a young life makes this cause near and dear to my heart. They stand to receive $250,000 but not without votes. So, PLEASE vote. It's not a cheap thing, running a drum corps, but the return is limitless. Thank you so much. https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/84-6037716?ref=4123ff026eDoug McCarroll
Help our friends with the Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps in Nashua win some major funding. At least look at their... http://fb.me/1R9ajBrBm95.7 WZID
Vote for Mandarins Drum Corps on Chase Community Giving to help them share in $5MM in grants! https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/23-7350189?ref=f116b0286c #InOnTheGivingAlicia Turner
What is Ascend Performing Arts/Blue Knights?blueknights
Everybody, I know that I am never on Facebook 'cause I hate computers but I really need a favor. Please head to the following and place a vote for my colleague. It is sponsored by Chase and they are giving away millions of dollars to non-profits including Spartans which is a local drum and bugle corp. They are in the running for $50K right now and we need as many votes as they can by tomorrow. It is for a good cause (children). Please make sure that once you click vote, the vote actually goes through...takes a bit. http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/02-0352107?ref=81cbbeaaa6Danny Landry
RT @StephyMichelle4: Vote for Music City Drum Corps and Spartans Drum Corps!! http://fb.chasegiving.com/ #InOnTheGivingHannah Corson
Can you take a moment to vote for the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps? It only takes a moment and doesn't cost anything - The Blue Knights/Ascend Performing Arts is currently in 51th place, 5 places back and fewer than 200 VOTES behind the charities who will be awarded a $50,000 grant! https://t.co/b8fNxkqLVeronica Thomas
My beautiful cousin is a member of the Sacramento Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps. Please click the link and vote for them to receive a grant for new uniforms, instruments, etc. Thanks! :)Lindsay Herd
A few of the our fellow DCI drum corps are participating in the Chase Community Giving Program. Please take 2... http://fb.me/29zwsAV76Carolina Crown
If you stood out in the sun in your tube top or boxers working on the same 3 counts for over 2 hours, you should click this link and vote for the Blue Knights.Help the next generation get tan, skinny, and clean!!Still need more votes. EVEN IF YOU'VE ALREADY VOTED, please click the following link so I can earn extra votes. WE ARE SOOOOOO CLOSE TO ACHIEVING OUR GOAL.https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/84-6037716?ref=37ccc97214Doug McCarroll
Help our fellow drum corps in the Chase Community Giving campaign - vote today!!... http://fb.me/1BLqyphoSSpirit Drum Corps
Thanks to my Friends that have voted for Music City. And to those of you that FORGOT, here is a last chance to help this wonderful organization. Time is running out.Marilyn Gilbar Hoenie
The Colts Youth Organization has been blessed with great fans to vote for us in the Chase Community Giving---The next round is here, so we have a chance to help other great organizations:https://dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=a5f5f412-33de-41a4-a479-078b39d81bd5Colts Drum & Bugle Corps
Help support these drum corps in the Chase Community Giving campaign! [via Drum Corps International]The Cavaliers
Alright, so it's been a month since I flew home from my summer tour with the Blue Knights. Incredible still doesn't even begin to describe the experiences, memories and friends I made in those insane three months. While I've got to admit I've been going through some semi-serious drum corps withdrawals lately, I still love what I got back to, and I can't thank the people who helped get me to and through this summer enough. Impressions were made this summer that will undoubtably last a lifetime. 'One hell of a summer, huh?'Ben Hagen
The Spartans are up for a grant. I marched in this Drum and Bugle Corp for four years before I went to the Cadets. Please help them out and vote.Sandra McCarthy Keith
My thanks to all who are working so hard to keep us in the Chase! You inspire me!! Help em out and vote for the Blue Knights in the Chase Campaign! http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/84-6037716?ref=0358857720Mark Arnold
help a NH treasure win a much needed grant!Vote for the Spartan drum&bugle corps! #spartans https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/02-0352107?ref=c89b242019Jennifer Horn
Vote for the Blue Knights in the Chase Community Giving Facebook campaign! Support Drum Corps!Crossmen Drum Corps
We're coming down the home stretch in the Chase Community Giving and the Spartans are doing pretty well in the voting. The grant the Spartans receive is going to be used to purchase new uniforms. Although the current uniform have a classic look they have also been used 14 seasons. So please vote because this funding will be a real game changer for the Spartans.Follow this link to get started:https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/02-0352107?ref=3323ab352bEd Higgott
hey guys, if you could spare just 60 seconds out of your day to help out the Mandarins and vote for them, that'd be greaaaat. it's a drum and bugle corps that i used to march with and every vote helps. thanks guysNick Nguyen
Do you support the Arts: Dance, Music, Marching Band, Theater ... We need you help!1716 votes on the Spartan Chase Giving Page? AMAZING! Please pass this link on to ALL your friends! I also heard that if we could get to around 8000+ that would be AMAZING! We can't do it without ALL of you!Click Here - LIKE the Chase page and VOTE for the Spartans! https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/02-0352107?ref=6d38046d6dThese young adults deserve 3 seconds of your time - I know I used to be one! Marching drum corps (Yes - I marched BOTH - ECJ & Spartans) & BOTH have changed my life! I can't thank both teams enough for all the life lessons & skill sets I've learned!Marching & teaching the Spartans has shown me that hard work (very hard work) is the only way to live life to the fullest! I wouldn't be as involved with fall band, winter guard & drum corps if I hadn't had these experiences!Unfortunately, these activities are dying due to MAJOR budget cuts to music & the arts in the schools - this effects everyone - these cuts hurt creativity & without creativity - where would we be as a world?For the Spartans - fuel to move the buses (3- 54-seaters) & trucks (2- 18 wheelers) is almost $3.80+ a gallon, food to feed the members & staff is an enormous bill, not to mention we are in dire need of new uniforms to go along with the new percussion equipment we got a couple years ago & new horns we just got this summer. This is the ONLY way for us to stay competitive with the Open Class! Junior drum corps has dwindled to just a handful of Open Class corps - Division III no longer exists & there is a chance that someday - in our lifetimes - drum corps might not exist.Please help give the next generation a chance to learn what it means to march drum corps (regardless of what corps you marched - Music City Drum Corps from TN, Hawthorne Cabs, CT Hurricanes & the NH Muchachos also on this list this year please give your 2nd vote to one of them!!) - anyone who has EVER marched will tell you - Drum Corps has changed them! MANY of our former students have gone on to World Class Corps & done extremely well! Others go one to have music careers in both performing & education! Please help give the next generation a chance to experience all that is DRUM CORPS & the MARCHING ARTS!!THANK YOU FOR READING THIS & THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING DRUM CORPS!Vanessa Savy