The students who began Churchville-Chili Middle School’s seventh-grade band “After-School Practice-A-Thon” are now in 10th grade, said band director Shelley Sadler. “But the belief that music has the power to change lives continues to drive our 45 current band members, too,” she said.
“Our musicians promised to increase their practice times if sponsors made donations to the Christmas Shoes Project. They spent hours and hours working on their music, and raised enough money to purchase new shoes for 210 children living in poverty.”
Over the past four years, the seventh-grade band, with the generous support of the Churchville-Chili community, has helped 1,544 children in the third world receive durable, water-resistant shoes. Shoes may seem like a simple thing, but for many children who have never had them, a pair of shoes is transformational to their health and wellbeing.
Once this year’s band members learned about the difficulties many underprivileged children face, they became spirited advocates for the program, run by the Life Today organization.
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