December Newsletter

The River Valley season is well under way and we have so many things happening!   This week's newsletter has information regarding fundraising updates and opportunities, WGI information and Board of Directors updates. 

Wizards of Winter

Last Saturday, December 7th, the Wizards of Winter performed a benefit concert for the 728 Cadets at the Rogers Performing Arts Center.  The benefit was very successful and could not have happened without the help and support of so many of you.  Thank you for everything you did to make this event a success.  We have received wonderful feedback from those who went to the concert, many stating it was a great concert and that they hope the Wizards of Winter return again next year.  

Be sure to check out all of the amazing photos from the evening taken by Cadet Parent Kelly Jonason at K. Suzanne Photography.  These photos are available to all of you to download directly from the website.  

We also want to show our thanks to all of our sponsors.  Please be sure to share your thanks the next time you find yourself stopping in at one of their locations.

Gold Level Sponsor

Silver Level Sponsors

      
Bronze Level Sponsors

On The Schedule This Week

Lefse & Rosette Fundraiser - Orders Due December 15th.

Order forms and payments can be turned in to any Director, board member or you can text or call Tiffany Gruidl at 763-291-2804 to make arrangements directly.  Here are the links for the order forms.

River Valley Sound

River Valley Winter Guard

River Valley Percussion Theatre

Distribution of Rosettes and Lefsa will be held at the Elk River High School in the commons area on Thursday, December 19th from 5:30pm to 9:15pm.

Maynards Dine-In Event  

Monday, December 16th - 4pm to 10pm

On Monday, December 16th please show your support for the 728 Cadets Marching Band by eating dinner at Maynard's from 4pm-close. Invite your friends, family, neighbors, etc and share the event on your social media to encourage others to support us! 

Make sure to mention you are there to support the 728 Cadets, and Maynards will graciously donate 30% of your tab to the 728 Cadets Marching Band.

As many of you know, we’re a non-profit non-district sponsored program for all 7th-12th grade students within the 728 district. Community events and fundraising like this directly impacts our kids and the program, so please help us with promoting this event and also, come out for dinner to show your support.

Volunteer Opportunity

We need your help to greet patrons at the doors and tell them about our wonderful organization.  This is your time to shine, because only Cadets can fill these roles, so grab a friend from the group and sign up together! 

Tiffany Gruidl is your point person for the event, so find her when you get there or if you have any questions.  Click the link below to get signed up!

Maynards Volunteer Positions

Continuous Fundraising Opportunities

In addition to our special events that are held, we also have fundraisers that are always open throughout the year.  There are no deadlines for these fundraisers.

RaiseRight RaiseRight is a simple way to raise funds on items and services you were going to purchase anyway! For example: groceries, gas, home improvement items, gift cards for special occasions, etc! It adds up super fast, and today is a "bonus day" for certain retailers. Please use the below enrollment link to enroll your account to ensure the 728 Cadets Marching Band receives credit! In the application field titled “Who are you fundraising for,” please enter your student’s name. https://www.raiseright.com/enroll?enrollCode=7SL6HKRF54VB Tip: Download the RaiseRight app for easy access to purchasing the e-gifts to the retailer you’re purchasing from. Once purchased, it will be available in your RaiseRight app’s  “wallet.” You can add your bank account right into the platform for the fastest way to receive e-gift cards at only a 29 cent convenience fee. You can also use a debit card for a 1% convenience fee.	Give Freely GiveFreely is an extension for laptops or an app for phones that donates a percent of your purchases at eligible stores! All you need to do is create an account (a very, very simple process) and select  the 728 Cadets as your chosen nonprofit to donate to.  By searching for ‘728 Cadets Corp’, the organization gets $10!! Set it and forget it! When making online purchases with partners of GiveFreely, the icon will automatically pop up. To enable the donation (at no charge to you), select the icon when completing your purchase. Give Freely Website  App available for Apple users.	Sneakers4Good We've teamed up with Sneakers4Good for an athletic shoe drive through the end of January to help raise funds for our organization, which some of you know is a stand-alone, 501(c) (3) nonprofit. Plus, as an impact broader than ourselves, the shoe drive helps the environment and communities in need. Did you know the EPA estimates that 600 million pairs of shoes go into our  landfills every year? 100% of them can be recycled or reused.  Here’s how you can help: Start in your family’s closets and gather as many unwanted running shoes and sneakers as you'd like (preferably gently to moderately used); maybe the owner out-grew them, they're worn down, out of style, etc. Ask your neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers! Every pair counts, and our target is to collect 200 pairs- which is 2 pairs per person. Collections will be at each groups rehearsal (preferably before or after rehearsal). Please find the black 728 Cadets trailer, RVS red trailer, or guard's trailer. There will be a large Sneakers4Good collection box to drop them off in!  You can also find Tiffany Gruidl (Fundraising Committee Chair at RVS rehearsals), Jen Tostenrud (Event Planning at RVPT & RVWG rehearsals), Asher Kraabel (hornline), or another board member, to hand your shoes to. For additional information or to get more involved check out https://sneakers4good.com/ or contact Tiffany directly at 763-291-2804.

Welcome New Board Member

Please join us in welcoming our newest Board Member.  Tarah Davis has joined the Board to help with our Public Relations.  Tarah will be responsible for the external communications for the 728 Cadets promoting our program through local press releases, keeping our social media presence updated , as well as helping with the 728 Cadets websites and marketing materials and information booths for each season registrations and our Home Show materials.

Tarah has been with the organization since 2018, with this year being the first time as a board member.

Her daughter, MacKenzie Bosquez, was with the organization for 5 years.

Currently, her son, Dominic Bosquez plays Alto Saxophone with RVS and the 728 Cadets. She has two other children that will also participate in the

organization in the coming years.

Tarah is a supervisor over medical coding with a local Non-Profit Health System. In her spare time, she travels often, hiking at several National and State Parks across the United States.

“I am excited to participate in the organization in a board position! I hope to keep supporting and helping this organization in my role and work closely with the other board members to keep this a successful organization!”

Open Board Position

The board has an open position available for the Equipment and Props position.  Anyone interested in volunteering for this position, please reach out to Lori Motzko at Lori.Motzko@gmail.com by January 5th to be considered for the position.  Below is a link to provide additional details for what the position will encompass.

Equipment and Props Position Description 

WGI Updates

Here is a visual of all of the events the three groups will be participating in where parents will want to purchase event tickets if you plan to attend the events as well.  When you go to the WGI page to purchase your tickets, all of the events are listed for all three groups and all of the days so you will want to make sure to pay close attention to the events to ensure you have the correct ones selected.

Accommodations

We have 9 rooms blocked for each group under the name of Sarah Ahrens and/or 728 Cadets.  Below are the details for each group.  If you are interested in booking one of the blocked rooms, you can call the hotel directly to do so.  The hotel's information is listed below.

Last day to book is 1/31/25.  These rooms are a first come first serve availability.

Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Dayton/Riverside OH

4500 Linden Ave

Dayton, OH 45432

937-252-9700

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out via the Band App Chat or via email at 728CadetsMarchingArts@gmail.com.

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