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Time to Lace ‘em Up for Music Education
Register now for the 2023 For Greater Bands 5K!
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By Jessica Smith, Programs Director, Tau Beta Sigma Alumni Association
Organized by the TBSAA Special Projects Committee under the leadership of Tamara Henry, the first For Greater Bands 5k was held on May 3, 2015 at the Symphony Woods/Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The event brought together several dozen people to raise money for music education. Finding it difficult to determine a physical location, the first virtual race was held on October 15, 2016. Runners and walkers from across the country helped raise $3,000 for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, sharing their involvement over social media to raise awareness. Subsequent virtual races were held November 4, 2017 and November 10, 2018 raising funds that were donated to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.
Upon a request from the TBSAA membership the virtual race was moved to the spring in the hopes of slightly warmer weather across the country. The 2020 virtual race was held on April 25th with over 80 participants raising $2,500 donated to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. Since COVID-19 protocols suggested social distancing and exercising outside while some parts of the country were still under lockdown this event became a great success. We don’t know if you participated because raising money for music education is a high priority, or to get out of the house and away from watching COVID reports on the news, but we thank you for your participation and support! The 2021 race was held on May 1st with 80 participants and $2,000 donated to MHOF.
The For Greater Bands 5K has become one of the hallmark programs of the Tau Beta Sigma Alumni Association. Through this program we are able to raise funds for music education programs across the country. We encourage you to visit www.mhopus.org to learn about how they use the money to continue the future of music in our schools. TBSAA is celebrating 15 years as an organization and we look forward to more philanthropy opportunities in the future. Join us for this year’s event on May 13, 2023.
Visit https://tinyurl.com/2023-4Gr8rBands5k to register or make a donation. Contact Jessica Smith, TBSAA Programs Director, at tbsaa-programs@tbsigma.org with any questions or for assistance with organizing your own local event.
