On January 20, junior Cannon Dunwoody and his father Joshua Dunwoody raised money for the Benson band Worlds of Fun trip in May.
Joshua Dunwoody graduated from Benson High School in 1995 after being a part of the band for all four years.
“He’s the mastermind behind fundraising for the band,” Cannon Dunwoody said.
The band will be performing for the Worlds of Fun Festival of Music. Groups from all over the Midwest get to compete.
With both band and orchestra students going on the trip, there must be enough money for 65 students to attend.
According to band director Andrew Brown, the trip is going to cost over $5,000.
“We’re getting there,” Brown said. “We have the money for the buses, we just need the money for the tickets.”
Cannon Dunwoody and his family have taken it upon themselves to raise as much money as they can with fundraisers and a Spring market that will be done in April.
“I’m pretty sure we’re raising the money ourselves,” Cannon Dunwoody said. “We made about $450 for the band.”
The Worlds of Fun Music Festival is meant to be a three-day event.
“There’s a couple people trying to raise money for a three-day trip but there’s no way it’s going to happen,” Cannon Dunwoody said.
According to Cannon Dunwoody, there are also plans for another fundraiser in February.
“We’re doing a thing called Free Bird-athon,” Cannon Dunwoody said. “We play Free Bird but people pledge money for every five minutes like a walkathon.”
The plan is to see how long they can go without stopping.
“I do a guitar solo for like two hours on the same song,” Cannon Dunwoody said.
Money is being raised in any way possible. According to Brown, other parents have been doing raffles for funds.
According to Dunwoody, Principal Tom Wagner has also been a big help.
“It’s cool having a principal that doesn’t give all of the money to the football team,” Cannon Dunwoody said.