Rockin' the Red Cross Battle of the Bands

First Annual: Last year, the first annual Rockin' the Red Cross Battle of the Bands was held in April. The Youth Council consisted of about 15 teens at the time from Herkimer County and we were all so passionate about having this battle! We got funding from a local bank that believed in us and we were ready to rock n' roll! We took this project under our wings with little help from adults and counted on each other for it's success. We decided to focus on one branch of the Red Cross to donate the profit to and start a project for. Last year we focused on Disaster Services. We concurred to use the profits to make disaster preparedness kits to donate to low-income households in our area and housing projects. There was a $50 per band entry fee, half of which would be returned if the band used clean language and gestures throughout the night to keep it "family friendly." We charged $5 admission at the door or $3 if a disaster preparedness kit item. For example, band-aids, non-perishable food, drinking water, batteries, shampoo/conditioner/other hygiene products, magazines and board games, toilet paper, etc; anything that may be needed in a house if you are trapped for three days without electricity or running water! We sold t-shirts, had a concession stand, sound technician, great venue, and a lot of fun! We ended the night with 500 attendees, 1 grand prize winner that is now One Red Martian, a band touring in Texas!!, $5000 gross profit, 2 fights, one pass out, and one pair of "granny panties" thrown on stage! True story, but tags still on! We had three judges, 2 local adult musicians and one teen, and great prizes! First prize was a full day in a recording studio, second prize was a custom made professional banner with the "Rockin' the Red Cross" logo in the corner and first prize was a year long subscription to Rolling Stones Magazine with a cash prize of $50. There was a great response to the battle from the local media, the teens that attended, the bands, the adults that helped out, and National Headquarters of the American Red Cross! Our tiny local chapter from Upstate New York got recognized! It was incredible! Shortly after the battle the Youth Council met to make the preparedness kits. We ordered 150 kits from National that we were going to add to with the items collected at the door. We were amazed at how nice these kits were! They came with a fire extinguisher, 3 days worth of food, flashlights, and more! It all came in a hefty, water-proof, American Red Cross backpack! We were so excited, loaded up our cars, and car pooled to our first housing project. We knocked on doors and were so pleased to tell the residents that we had a gift for them. Most of them didn't believe that we were giving them something.. for free! Some had tears in their eyes, some hugged us, and some just said "bless you children" before closing the door. We did have the occasional man that told us we weren't allowed to solicit and shut a door in our face. But we persevered and kept delivering because it was so beneficial, not only to those we were giving the kits to, but to ourselves as well. We loved what we were doing so much we decided to do the battle again! Second Annual: This past November we held the battle at the college again, but had a different sound guy, different judges, different message, and different bands; but the same impact and same amount of fun! We decided to focus on Services to the Armed Forces and came up with the goal to send comfort kits to our soldiers fighting overseas in time for the holidays! We set up a holiday card writing table, had some Army ROTC students come and thank the attendees for what they were helping to do, collected items at the door again like magazines, books, DVDs, and beef jerky! We had a popular local band come in and do the ending set while the judges tallied up their scores. Most of the night was similar to the first year, which was great because it was again, so memorable! This year we had about 480 attendants and again grossed about $5000!! We brought it down to one fight, ZERO pass-outs, and ZERO pairs of underwear! Progress! After the battle we had some seventh and eighth graders from my high school write more cards and we shipped the comfort kits as well as over 800 cards to a platoon of about 75 soldiers in Afghanistan. This was again, so rewarding for the Youth Council as well as the soldiers. We wanted them to know we were thinking of them back in the states! The battle is a success every year and touches the lives of so many people! The teens in our area have something to do, the Youth Council has something to plan, and the bands have a gig! Not to mention the lives of those who receive the benefits afterward! The battle is something the Youth Council plans to do for a very long time, rotating the branch of the Red Cross that's assisted, and thinking of new exciting ways to keep the battle fresh!