Tim Davis is moving from Ellis Middle School to Austin High School next year, and the only thing he’s sad about is that he won’t be able to take any new instruments with him.

Monday, July 16, 2001

Tim Davis is moving from Ellis Middle School to Austin High School next year, and the only thing he’s sad about is that he won’t be able to take any new instruments with him.

That’s because Davis recently completed a $16,158 fund-raising effort that allowed him to buy 10 new instruments: two oboes, bassoons, bass clarinets, and tenor and baritone saxophones.

"We got a couple things used and cut corners to spend what I had to spend," said Davis, who raised the money from seven different sources.

Davis received $6,000 from the Music Boosters of Austin, a group of parents of current and former students who raise money through coupon book sales.

The Ellis band also received $3,158 from the Southeast Minnesota Middle School Honor Band, a program that allows exemplary students from 35 regional schools to come to Austin and study band with local teachers and prominent educators.

Additionally, two local companies gave a combined $3,000.

Lori Wradislavsky owns the local McDonald’s and had a son in the Austin School District’s music program.

"When my son started, they just had the band, and now they have a jazz band and a percussion band," she said.

When Davis told Wradislavsky, one of the original members of the Music Boosters of Austin, she told Davis about her company’s charity.

"I told her what I was doing, and she gave me the paper work to fill out," said Davis, who received $1,500 from Ronald McDonald House.

"I’ve been trying to get the word out that there are these grants available," she said. "They will give grants if it will help children or kids."

Alice Holst, a former clarinet and flute player and current branch manger at US Bank in Austin, approached Superintendent James Hess when she realized that the US Bank Foundation had extra money to give this year.

"Children in a lot of families can’t afford instruments," she said. "My kids were always part of the music program, so i knew first hand how expensive it was but how much benefit there was."

She helped Davis complete the lengthy application process for the US Bank Foundation, and was very happy with where the money went.

"Sports programs have a lot less trouble getting financial help," she said. "I’m a musician and I know that the school programs always need money for instruments and music because it’s not part of their normal budget."

The remaining $4,500 came from the Austin chapters of the Elks and Eagles clubs, which gave $1,500 each, and the Austin Education Foundation, which provided a final $1,000.

Call Sam Garchik at 434-2233 or e-mail him at newsroom@austindailyherald.com.