Rich South High School Band Invited To Play At London Olympics
RICHTON PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- The 100-member Rich South High School Band has been invited to perform at the Olympics this summer in London, in what they're calling the chance of a lifetime.
As WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports, the pride of the high school in south suburban Richton Park is being offered a world stage, with three performances at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
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Director Y.L. Douglas is using YouTube to make a pitch.
"We're asking you to sponsor a day where you can be a part of the Olympic experience with us, or sponsor a student," Douglas said. "They will be greatly appreciative."
The award-winning band needs $300,000 to make the trip.
Douglas says the chance to perform is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the band, the school and the whole community.
"We have an opportunity to represent our families, our schools, our community," he says in the video. "Representing the United States is a tremendous honor, and we're blessed that we have this bestowed upon us."
The band performed this past New Year's at the Chick- Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, for a modest cost of $650 per band member compared with the $3,000 per person needed to go to London, the SouthtownStar reported.
The band has also performed at the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Heritage Festival and Chicago's Bud Billiken Parade, the newspaper reported.