Hello everyone. My name is Rhiannon Storm. I’m 17 and am going into my senior year at Milwaukie Academy of the Arts in Milwaukie, Oregon. I’ve been nominated for the opportunity to represent both Milwaukie and Oregon as an Ambassador of Music in OAM’s summer 2024 Europe tour. This fundraiser is to help make that opportunity a reality. First off, I think it’s important that you all know what Oregon Ambassadors of Music is. OAM is an organization created to help give kids with a passion for music the opportunity of a lifetime, performing in an ensemble with a group of other talented musicians in cities across Europe. This upcoming trip will take its participants to Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Not only do students get the opportunity to perform outside of the U.S., they also get to visit historic sights and expand their classical music history knowledge (which is really exciting for me not only as a musician, but also as a history and architecture fanatic. The thought of getting to see these cities in person is such a dream, it's hard to process that it's an actual possibility.) This trip is something out of my wildest dreams. If you asked me even just a year ago if I’d have the chance to perform in Europe, I’d never have believed it. I still kind of don’t. A trip like this would normally be entirely out of the question for my family; it’s way out of our price range. When I was two, my dad was diagnosed with leukemia. Thankfully he beat it, but the medical bills hit our family hard. My parents always put my educational needs at the forefront, but still, we’d never be able to afford a trip like this without support. I’ve been involved in the performing arts practically as soon as I had the opportunity to; first falling in love with dance, then theatre, then coming to the realization that it was music that was drawing me into both. I've always strived to learn and succeed in orchestra, and through thus, have been nominated for several honors orchestras as well as the UW-Whitewater String Camp. I was a member of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for three years, only stopping due to COVID. More recently, I was granted the opportunity to be concertmaster for my school’s orchestra last year. My director has put so much trust in me to help lead the group, especially considering I was only a junior, and I’m eternally grateful. Outside of orchestra, I also participate in my school’s A Choir and theatre department. This upcoming year will be my second year serving as Scribe on our Thespian Council, as well as my first year serving as Music Technologist on Choir Council, as well as being appointed alto section leader. My passion for music and sound design extends into theater as well. Recently, I was the sound designer for our school’s performance of Alice in Wonderland; the only student Technical Designer at our school at least in the past few years. It’s an honor that I’ve been granted the opportunities to participate in all of these activities which have inspired me, boosted my confidence, shaped my personality and determination, helping me to become the person I am today. Music has been a huge positive factor in my life, helping me not only to succeed in their programs, but also helped me find a community and support system that helped me get to where I am today, and I really hope to help provide that for others. That’s why I’m working with our music teachers, school board members, and other students to create a summer intensive program for kids in the lower grades to help keep them excited about instrumental music. My hope is that if we make a positive influence on the younger students, we can help keep the instrumental music program thriving. Due to COVID, our numbers unfortunately dropped pretty drastically, and I hope to help expand our program again so that more kids can receive the help and support I am so lucky to have. This trip is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’d do anything to be able to go. Being able to visit places that hold so much history and significance to music as a whole would mean the world to me. I’ll hopefully be picking up a part-time job over the summer as well as during my senior year. I will be trying to raise as much money as possible through bottle collection and other fundraisers, but they can only help so much. This trip costs $7,500, which covers the basic costs of the trip (flights, hotels, two meals per day, uniforms, etc). Realistically, if I only fundraised in person, there is little chance I’d be able to make all of the money by next year. That is why I am reaching out here through social media. We already have the down payment paid, but there are periodic payments we have to make throughout the year, the next one being $400, due in August, which is actually the lowest installment. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Even a few dollars is extremely helpful, and I’m deeply thankful to everyone who even took the time to read all of this. With all of your support, whether it be big or small, I might just be able to have this life-changing experience…and hopefully, use the wondrous inspiration I gain from it to inspire others. Here is a link to OAM's website for more information: https://www.oregonambassadors.com/
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