Alumni, community leaders orchestrate unique fundraising project
When Christina Garcia, director of the Citrus College Foundation, was presented with the prospect of increasing the organization's support of veterans and active military, it was music to her ears — literally.
The opportunity arose when Citrus College alumna Sharon Lewis was given more than 3,000 high-end, individually wrapped Blue Danube harmonicas by her friends, James and Diane Wilkinson. Ms. Lewis, an avid fundraiser for the Foundation, believed the gift had potential.
"Ms. Lewis approached us with the 'Harmonica for Vets' idea," said Ms. Garcia. "Her concept consisted of two parts. First, we would sell the harmonicas and the proceeds would benefit the Citrus College Veterans Success Center. And second, for every harmonica we sold, we would give another to a current member of the military deployed overseas or to a local veteran, including student veterans."
The project, which was sponsored by the Citrus Alumni and Friends Association in cooperation with the Foundation and Veterans Success Center, was launched in November 2017 during the college's annual Saluting Our Veterans celebration. In the months since the launch, alumni and volunteers have hosted sales booths at nearly 30 venues, including community holiday, veterans and service club events.
To date, nearly $20,000 has been raised for the Veterans Success Center. In February, the Foundation hosted a campus tour for the Wilkinsons, during which members of the college community had the opportunity to express gratitude for the couple's unique gift.
"This has been one of the most creative gifts-in-kind that the Citrus College Foundation has ever received," Ms. Garcia said. "With each harmonica sold, we have garnered more interest and enthusiasm for music, Citrus College and student veterans. The response has been extraordinary."
This article originally appeared in the April 2018 edition of the Citrus View.