During World War I, the phrase “Buffalo Never Fails” was coined. More than 100 years later, it still applies. Buffalo never fails to show its passion and its support. Buffalo never fails to answer a call for help. Whether it’s your neighbor, your charities, or your cultural organizations that need you, Buffalo always, ALWAYS sees it through!
The BPO started the month by asking for your support of our Poland trip. Board member and Poland Tour Ambassador Cindy Abbott Letro and Francis Letro threw down a challenge to the entire region: if you can give $30,000 in the next 30 days to support the BPO’s first international tour in 30 years, we’ll match it dollar for dollar. Quite a challenge!
You might wonder: were the musicians, staff, and board of the BPO nervous? Did we wonder if anyone would support this tour, with so many other worthy causes out there and so much else to distract people? The short answer is no. We know how passionate Western New York is about the BPO. We know how much pride exists for our region. We know that once people heard that we planned to represent the entire region in a country to which Western New York is deeply tied, they would want to be a part of our endeavor.
We were right. Once again, Buffalo saw it through. In only 14 days, the challenge was been met. With $30,000 raised from the community and matched by the generosity of the Letros, we are that much closer to our overall fundraising goal for this trip. We are so grateful to the community, and we thank everyone who has donated!
That doesn’t mean we’re done, though. We still have around $27,000 to raise in order to make the trip a financial as well as an artistic success. For $1000, you can sponsor an individual musician to go on the tour. About half of the orchestra is sponsored already. Some musicians are sponsored by individuals, some by companies, and some by groups of people. If you sponsor a musician, you’ll get an invitation for one to a VIP reception where you can meet your musician, an invitation for one to the sendoff party and March 10 concert, a thank-you note and souvenir from your musician, and communication from your musician during the tour. Perhaps best of all, when you hear about this tour on the news or on social media, you’ll have the knowledge that you helped to make it happen. To take part in this historic opportunity, contact Wendy Diina at wdiina@bpo.org or (716) 242-7826.