By Laura Fitzgerald

The cost of marching band camp for many Port Huron families has been significantly reduced thanks to a generous anonymous donor and the Jeffrey Langolf Memorial Fund. 

Facilitated through the Community Foundation, A $10,000 donation will be used to reduce the cost of Port Huron High School Marching Band’s week-long band camp for participating families for summer 2024. During the week, students live at a camp north of Lexington to eat, breathe, and live all things marching band. 

“A lot of our kids need some help paying for band camp,” said Band Booster President Mary Jones. “So anything that makes camp something that all who wants to join can join, where cost is not the issue, that’s something that we’re extremely grateful for.”

Mary Jones said the donation will reduce the cost of band camp from approximately $385 per student to $250 per student. Families have additional costs throughout the band season, such as fees for uniforms, so reducing this initial expense makes the program more affordable for band families. The boosters raise funds throughout the year to help offset the cost of band camp, but Jones said the boosters can’t cover all of families’ cost. 

Students also receive scholarships for band camp through the Jeffrey Langolf Memorial Fund, a Community Foundation fund that was established to honor the memory of a band alumni who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 23. Mary Jones said the fund has benefited dozens of students since it was established approximately three years ago.

Port Huron High’s Principal Michael Palmer and Band Director Scott Jones said the away camp allows students to become fully immersed in band as they learn to march and play music. 

“Going away to camp is monumental,” Scott Jones said. “We wouldn’t be nearly as successful as we are if we ran it out of the school.”

Students Gain Friends and Learn Life Lessons Through Band

Starting at band camp and through the season, students form strong bonds with each other. They make lifelong friendships, learn how to work as a team, and gain a support system through their bandmates, which is especially beneficial for freshmen making the transition to high school, said Palmer and Mary and Scott Jones.

“For some of the kids, this is their safe haven. That’s where they can lean on people,” Mary Jones said. “We’ve got students that go through hard times, not unlike any other students, but at least with the marching band, they have at least 40 or 50 other people that they can turn to without question for support. And that goes beyond academics, that goes beyond their high school career. It’s a support system that’s priceless.”

Through band, students develop a strong work ethic and learn how to work towards a shared goal, Scott Jones said. These lessons will stick with students for a lifetime.

“It’s not just about band,” Scott Jones said. “I’m trying to teach them lessons about work ethic and interpersonal relationships with other people.”

More about the History of the Band

Dubbed the ‘Marching Machine,’ Port Huron High School’s marching band has a storied history in the school and the wider community. 

The band marches in local parades every year, plays a program at school football games, and competes against bands across the state in an annual Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association competition. Scott Jones said the band also occasionally plays for elementary school students as a reward for positive behavior. 

Palmer said the band has marched internationally in Canadian parades, and even marched in a competition at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. 

“This band has a long history of being a mainstay in Port Huron,” Palmer said. 

The Community Foundation is proud to support donors in giving back to their hometown and high school. Whether it’s an anonymous donation or a fund to support school activities, the Foundation can help donors give back in meaningful ways. Visit our giving center for more information.