Startup drum and bugle corps groups from throughout the United States and Canada, and those considering the possibility of starting a group in their communities, will gather in Philadelphia on Saturday, Nov. 13 to give flight to Drum Corps North America (DCNA), a fledgling organization which according to its charter members will endeavor to "promote the rebirth and growth of 'hometown' corps throughout the United States and Canada."



"Our plan is to assist in establishing small local units throughout North America," said Roger Exposito, event co-organizer. "These groups can then grow, mature and become financially responsible, and then can continue on to take part in the Drum Corps International Tour, if they so choose. We know that we have to be able to manage our organizations as effective not-for-profit businesses and to grow them carefully and with great attention to detail. We need to ensure that our programs are in fact "Major League" enterprises before we endeavor to head out on the road as touring ensembles. Through the creation of DCNA, we intend to do just that."



Craig Coldren, founding member of DCNA, echoes Exposito's sentiments. "We want to create an atmosphere which allows youth of all skill levels to participate in the drum corps activity, and we want to make sure that we're establishing a financially responsible climate which promotes healthy corps growth and business operations every step of the way. We intend to establish a partnership with Drum Corps International right from the very start, and are hoping over time to introduce many more young people to the exciting world of competitive drum corps. We started this as a Facebook page a few months ago, and our following has rapidly grown to over 600 members. Once we see who wants to be a part of this, we will establish timelines and put the wheels in motion to begin to build for the future."



Agenda items for the debut session include a variety of topics of interest to newly formed organizations, such as:

• Providing service to the youth of your local community

• Establishing an identity in the community

• Fundraising and financial considerations

• Short term and long term plans



"We are very pleased to be assisting Craig and Roger and everyone who is stepping forward to help DCNA get off the ground," said Bob Jacobs, Director of Marketing for Drum Corps International. "A fundamental element of DCI's strategic plan is to engage more young people in the drum corps activity. We hope to lend a helping hand to those who will be starting organizations as a part of DCNA and intend to contribute the best practices of many organizations to lessen the learning curve from the start, and do what we can to provide opportunities for collaborative efforts down the road."



Details for the Philadelphia meeting which will be open to the public, are as follows:



Meeting registration: http://tinyurl.com/DCNA-NovMeeting



Date: Saturday, November 13, 2010



Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.



Location: Hampton Inn Philadelphia International Airport

8660 Bartram Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19153

215-966-1300



Hotel website: http://tinyurl.com/HamptonPHL



For additional information:



Craig Coldren: ccoldren AT satx.rr.com

Roger Exposito: starcrossdirector AT gmail.com

Herschel Vaughn: h.vaughn AT networkcityyouth.org

John McKivigan: johnmckivigan AT yahoo.com



Learn more on the DCNA Facebook page.