Empire Statesmen Christmas Cheer Campaign

Rochester’s Empire Statesmen will again be helping to stage a full-scale Christmas celebration for needy families in the city.

This holiday season, the corps will be working with the Salvation Army to adopt a few needy families who have asked for help. Since the corps was founded in 1983 by the late Vince Bruni, the Empire Statesmen have always "given back" to the community through various means, including benefit concerts and performances. The Christmas campaign allows every member of the organization to contribute, so that even a small individual donation helps deliver a huge portion of Christmas cheer.

Last Christmas, the Empire Statesmen paid for all the clothes, toys and food the four families the corps “adopted” had on their wish list.

All corps members are expected to bring at least one non-perishable food item to the Thanksgiving weekend camp on Saturday, November 25. A donation basket will also be available at the annual banquet to be held the same evening.

All those belonging to the Empire Statesmen family recognize that many members of their community do not have enough food to feed their families. Area food pantries are already reaching out for donations of everything from canned goods to household necessities including bath soap, toilet tissue and other items that food stamps do not cover. The demand for Christmas aid is expected to be high this holiday season, as gasoline prices, a tight job market and medical expenses have created real financial hardships for many area families.

The Empire Statesmen organization offers opportunities for community involvement, beyond participation as a marching member, support staff or committee volunteer, in one of North America’s most popular drum and bugle corps.

The Statesmen also operate the Empire Cadets youth marching band for area boys and girls as a community outreach program. The corps is also currently undertaking a major capital fund-raising campaign to provide the long-term financial support required to maintain various programs of both the Statesmen and the Empire Cadets.

The Statesmen will be sponsoring the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) world championship tournament on Labor Day weekend for the second year in a row in 2007. Preparation for next year’s event has already started.

The Empire Statesmen drum and bugle corps is a self-supporting independent group that represents the city of Rochester across the United States and Canada and as far abroad as Europe, the Caribbean and South America.

To contribute to the Empire Statesmen’s Christmas campaign or capital campaign, or to get information about membership and volunteer opportunities, call (585) 266-2232 or visit the Empire Statesmen Web site at: www.statesmen.org