Skip to content

Please note that our office will close at 2:00 on Friday, April 18. We will resume regular business hours on Monday, April 21. Please feel free to leave us a message or send an email, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Aurora American Legion Band Fund

Established 2017

Sponsorship Opportunities

The Aurora American Legion Band Fund was created to commemorate the Band’s 80th Anniversary Season in 2017.  The Fund supports the operation and mission of the Band.

Band History

In 1937, a pair of World War I veterans from the Roosevelt-Aurora American Legion Post 84 in Aurora, Illinois formed a Cadet Band comprised of high school musicians that was sponsored by the Post.

During World War II, the Band’s activities were temporarily halted. After the war, the Band reformed in 1946 with veterans of both World Wars and later, veterans of Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, and more recent conflicts joined the ranks.

Today, just as it was 80 years ago, the Aurora American Legion Band is an organization that encourages student musicians to develop a lifelong love affair with music while providing veterans, those currently serving our country, and adult musicians the opportunity to continue playing and performing, wherever they are in their musical careers. The Band continues to be true to its patriotic roots, performing in parades, concerts, and other observances in and around the Fox Valley.

The Aurora American Legion Band is entirely self-supporting; subsisting on donations and earnings from appearances.

YEP has made me realize the importance of being involved in my community, and how to make a difference. There are a lot of problems in the world but if we can do everything that we can to help the world will become a better place. YEP has helped me realize this and encouraged me to help more people in the future.

Madi Porter

YEP Member

Grant funds from the Community Foundation helped provide updated technology. These upgrades were transformative. By creating new time saving processes, it turned us into a more efficient organization.

Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry

Grantee

Being a part of the Community Foundation scholarship committee is the highlight of my year. For many, a scholarship from the CFFRV is the reason they are able to continue reaching for their dreams and changing the future of our world. I hope each recipients knows just how inspirational they are to those of us who are lucky enough to read their stories.

Jessica Breugelmans

Scholarship Committee Member and Board Member

Education is important to us. We support causes that touch our lives and align with our values. We believe in paying it forward. We are here for a short time,, and it is the next generation that will take on what we leave behind.

Michelle Emanuel

Donor and Past Scholarship Recipient

Give your gift of time and see what it means to the people you impact. Helping others is what life is all about.

Neal Ormond

Donor & Fund Advisor

I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Zari Foundation Scholarship and the Community Foundation in supporting my education. I am majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institue of Technology. In my spare time, I volunteer on campus, in the community and I’m also the principal violist in the symphony orchestra. I hope to make an impact on the next chapter of space exploration by eventually working at a groundbreaking aerospace company such as SpaceX or NASA.

Taytum Newell

Albert M. Zari Scholarship Recipient

YEP was a great experience to have in high school. I became a more confident person, someone with a lot more perspective. Coming from a small school, YEP allowed me to branch out into my community, meet students from other schools, and learn about their backgrounds. I made some great friends and still keep in touch with them today.

Abby Vagnoni

YEP Alumni

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

Install Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

Install this application on your home screen for quick and easy access when you’re on the go.

Just tap then “Add to Home Screen”

Accessibility Toolbar