A Letter of Thanks

The calendar has turned to November, and the month of Thanksgiving and gratitude is upon us. As I am sure most of you do, I take time to reflect on what I am most thankful for in all aspects of my life.

With respect to The Cadets, there is so much to be thankful for, most especially for an amazing 2022 corps, a crowd-pleasing show, the return to the top six, and for all of the people who helped to make that happen. It takes a LOT of people! When we think of drum corps, we often think of what is on the field -- the corps members and instruments, the uniforms and costumes, the props and equipment, the music and show design. But for all of that to come to life successfully, we need board members and volunteers, educators and instructors, management and support staff, donors and sponsors, alumni and parents. Each and every year, more than 1,000 people who are not corps members work to produce The Cadets that we see each summer. And we want them all to be publicly recognized, as they permit, to show our appreciation.

I would especially like to recognize our 2022 volunteers and donors. An excellent Cadets corps requires time, talent, and money. We would be sorely lacking in these without our volunteers and donors. We had 132 volunteers this year, and without them, we simply would not be able to tour each summer. A heartfelt thank you to all of them. 998 people donated funds in 2022, and their contributions made up approximately one quarter of our revenue. Our profound thanks to all of them for their generosity!

The Dream that is The Cadets for so many – the dream to march with The Cadets, to work for The Cadets, or to simply see The Cadets live in a stadium - I sometimes think we take for granted. But remember, we are the dream-makers, and it takes all 1,000+ of us to make those dreams come true each and every year.

With heartfelt thanks,

Vicki Ferrence Ray
Interim CEO, Cadets Arts & Entertainment, Inc.
Cadets Cymbal Line 1992

FHNSAB