Why Hawai’i?

• Hawai’i is a popular tourist destination for west coasters, so with some comparative research this past spring it wasn’t hard to find a competitive, all-inclusive tour package - airfare, lodging and meals for 6 nights and 6 days, excursions, all fees and on-island transportation associated with the competition.

• The Hawai’i Invitational has been in existence for over three decades, and is the perfect option for Division I groups such as OVHSEC because we can pick and choose which venue we’d like to compete in: a parade down Kalakaua Avenue along the famous Waikiki Beach, as well as color guard, drum line, jazz band and concert band events.

• The competition will be during our students’ spring break – from Saturday April 16 through Friday April 22, 2011, so it will not require any time away from school.

________

What's the hurry, if the competition isn't until 2011?

The competition is 18 months from now, which means that our initial deposit of $100/student will be due in June of 2010, with additional installments due in the fall of 2010, and the balance due by the end of January 2011. So in actuality the funds need to be fully raised in the next 15 months. While some marching bands go on trips to Washington D.C. or New York for well over $2500 per student, the Hawai’i Invitational will only cost $1500 per student.

________

What are my student’s fundraising and other options to pay for his/her trip?

Student Savings through OVHSEC - Your student can begin placing his/her own savings into their “Hawai’i Trip” account with OVHSEC immediately. For example, if your student sets aside $50/month beginning in January of 2010, s/he will have the final $600 (approximate) payment due in January of 2011!

Fundraisers with direct credit to your student’s account - Beginning very soon, your child will have numerous opportunities for participation in fundraisers that will take place over the next 15 months. Some of these will run continuously (e.g., OVHSEC cookbook sales), while others will be one-time or seasonal (e.g., selling flower lei’s for graduation, soliciting ads from local businesses for inclusion in our Christmas and Spring Concert programs). Monies raised by your student will be held in their individual “Hawai’i Trip” account and you will be given regular statements so you know how your child’s personal fundraising effort is going. [Please note: These fundraisers will be separate from the regular Holiday Greenery sales and car washes which are for the purpose of helping students cover their ASB student fees for OVHS Entertainment Corps].

________

That’s nearly $50,000 total that must be raised for a band of 30+ students.
Will flower leis and rummage sales really be enough?

We need to solicit corporate sponsors!

If you have any corporate or vendor connections which you can provide us, please contact Noelani, our committee chair, ASAP with contact names and/or phone numbers.

General trip funds raised through corporate sponsors will allow us to help those students who have worked every fundraiser but are still a bit short at the end of the fundraising period… and will allow us to bring along our all-important Director, Mr. Combs (of course!)

________

What do we expect from our OVHSEC students and parents at this point?

We are enclosing a “Hawai’i Invitational 2011 Commitment Contract” which we’d like you to review with your student and return to Mr. Combs by the end of October. Our role is to make it feasible for every student to go to Hawai’i in 2011. Your role is to facilitate your child’s participation in our fundraisers, and encourage him/her to utilize the student savings account option for the next year too. If you have any questions about anything in this letter, or the Commitment Contract, please don’t hesitate to phone Noelani, or Mr. Combs (our contact information is provided below). We don’t want anyone to be confused or concerned about this process. Our goal is to provide a terrific, educational, once-in-a-lifetime experience for your student with minimal stress for your family.

________

Can I help out in any other way?

We’re glad you asked! You can join our Hawai’i 2011 committee, and/or you can help organize or assist with one of our fundraisers. Those of us on the committee are not experts at this and we’d love to have more parents join us. So when you turn in your family’s Commitment Contract, please take a moment to also complete the “Hawai’i 2011 Kokua Page”, and indicate on there if you have any particular expertise, connections, or ideas you’d like to see happen.

________

I have a ton of questions! Who do I contact? And how?

The names of our committee members-so-far are listed below. Contact information is included for our committee chair, and of course Mr. Combs. If those two can’t answer your question, they’ll direct you to the person who can.

________

Mahalo for taking the time to read this. Please review the "Kokua Page" and review and return the Commitment Contract, if you haven't already done so. We look forward to working with your family to make these coming months, especially the Hawai’i tour, a thoroughly enjoyable experience for everyone!