Letter from the President - August, 2009

August 4, 2009

    Greetings! I hope this letter finds all of you, the alumni and friends of the Million Dollar Band, doing well and ready for another exciting season of Crimson Tide football! With the approach of the new season, the time has come to join or renew your membership with the Million Dollar Band Association. Your contributions directly support our endowed scholarship fund, which is currently over $450,000.00 and growing. Dozens of marching members of the MDB benefit from the scholarships made possible by your tax-deductible contributions. UA President Robert Witt recently acknowledged the success of the MDBA and its scholarship fund. The President's letter and a listing of the students who received scholarships will be posted on the MDBA website, www.uamdba.org, in the near future.

    I know, quite well, that the rigors of the daily grind and the current economic conditions tend to bump charitable donations down the list of priorities, even to recipients which we hold near and dear, such as UA and the MDB. Now, more than ever, the scholarships made possible by the MDBA are needed and will be greatly appreciated by the current and future members of our MDB. Thus, I encourage you to join the MDBA either by using our website, or by submitting a completed application along with your contribution via U.S. Mail to P.O. Box 1758, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-1758. Your check may be made payable to The Million Dollar Band Association. Be sure to provide us your email address, as the MDBA will begin to communicate with members through email as much as possible.

    Our annual alumni band will take the field during the homecoming game against South Carolina in Tuscaloosa on October 17. Please check the MDB website, www.mdb.ua.edu for detailed information about the homecoming schedule, and instructions and an order form to purchase homecoming football game tickets and t-shirts, and to reserve your place in the alumni band. As we have all experienced over the past few years, game attendance and interest in football tickets has increased dramatically, with more and more and more reserved and dedicated seats being added each year. Those factors, along with the fact that the Homecoming game this year is an SEC contest, have significantly affected the amount of game tickets made available by the University to MDBA members. Although Dr. Ozzello and the band office have worked hard this summer and through band camp to reserve as many tickets as possible for the MDBA, ticket availability is limited this year, and we cannot guarantee that all orders for tickets will be filled.

    Based on comments we have received, and the increased activity and excitement on campus prior to home games (especially at homecoming), we will have a Pottery Grill plate lunch available this year after alumni band rehearsal, in lieu of a reception. Each $10.00 plate will include a choice of pork or chicken, along with baked beans and coleslaw. If you are interested in this lunch, please complete the appropriate box on the above-referenced form located on the MDB website and submit your payment to the band office with the order form/alumni band reservation. There may be a limited amount of plates available for purchase without a reservation, but please do reserve yours ahead of time when ordering your tickets and registering for alumni band.

    Thank you in advance for your contribution. I look forward to seeing everyone for alumni band and homecoming. Whether or not you have participated in the MDBA or the alumni band in the past, I encourage you to join the association, and to be a part of the alumni band on the field this homecoming. Your involvement strengthens our association, the MDB and the University of Alabama. Roll Tide!

    Sincerely,

    Chris Schwan