I Need Help! (so what else is new)

     The first thing you should understand is that this blogging thing is very new to me.  It has taken me most of the day to download and figure out (for all you yankees, figure out is a southern expression) how to make this work.  Part of the problem is my age.  I was born during the day of the manual typewriter.  You know..... when we actually wrote letters, so this is more of a struggle for me than for the average 12 year old.  None the less, I have accumulated a set of skills and knowledge both worthless and profound that the aforementioned 12 year old will never know.  I can sew a button back on a shirt, know how to use basic tools and remember what a vertical hold knob was used for.

     I am posting on a page established for the "Houston Band Foundation".  As most of you are aware, I retired in May of 2016.  At that time, I voiced my desire to set up a foundation that could give scholarships to graduating seniors to recognize both their contribution to the band program and their need going forward as they enter college.  The retirement "Soirée" given to honor everyone who survived 25 years of my foolishness resulted in some leftover funds.  These funds were supplemented by folks who made specific donations to the foundation.  The end result was enough money to give out a scholarship or two, but not enough to sustain the effort for the long term.  Therein lies much of the reason behind this epistle.

     To make this work on into the future, I need to raise some money.  Conventional (selling) fund raising could, in the paraphrased words of Otter from Animal House "Take years and cost millions of lives".  That leaves stealing and begging.  As time allows, I will set up "field trips" for those of you interested in knocking over a liquor store in the name of supporting the band at Houston.  In the meantime, I have placed a button at the bottom of this blog page that connects to PayPal.  Any donations you make would be very appreciated and passed along entirely to the cause of supporting kids.  If you avoid technology like I do and wish to mail a donation, you would make a check out to the Houston Band Foundation and mail it to:

                    The Houston Band Foundation
                    c/o Jim Smith
                    556 Grand Steeple Dr.
                    Collierville, TN  38017

     Donations are tax deductible as we are a 501c/3 organization thanks to work done by David Pickler.  The board of directors for this adventure consists of myself, David, Michelle Taylor, Aronda Thetford and Scott Lane.

     From time to time, I will post some memory about past band happenings or some opinion about what is going on in the world of education.  I hope that I can keep in touch with as many of you as possible while doing my part to continue supporting the band at Houston High School.

Me