BELLEVILLE – The Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois will host a dueling pianos fundraiser that aims to support their programs.
At 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2024, people ages 18 and up can enjoy the dueling pianos fundraiser at the Lincoln Theatre in Belleville. Tickets cost $25, and all money raised from ticket sales and tips will go back to the Girl Scouts. Loretta Graham, the CEO of the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, said the fundraiser will be an “unforgettable music showdown.”
“It’s definitely a fundraiser for our girls,” Graham said. “One of the things we want to do is make sure that every girl who wants to be a Girl Scout can be a Girl Scout. It costs $25 for each girl to be a Girl Scout, and guess what? That’s how much the tickets are. So if we get 100 people, wow, that’s a lot of Girl Scouts.”
Spanky Entertainment Dueling Pianos will provide the music. Graham explained that the pianists will compete and “dazzle the audience.” This is the first dueling pianos fundraiser that the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois have sponsored, and they are excited for the chance to start a new fundraiser for the scouts.
The fundraiser will support Girl Scouts programming, from STEM education to outdoor activities and camping. Graham noted that the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois program aims to empower participants. She said they hope to raise $25,000, which will go back to the scouts and fund different programs and projects.
“This is just another way of supporting the Girl Scouts, building those girls’ courage, confidence and character, who are already making our world a better place,” Graham explained. “The three keys of leadership that we teach our girls are discover, connect and take action. We can discover sometimes and a lot of times we’ll connect, but when it comes to taking action, we don’t always do such a good job. But our girls have the guts to take action to make this world a better place.”
This fundraiser comes after the cookie program, which is another major Girl Scouts fundraiser. Graham said that if you want to learn how to be a successful businesswoman, you can “talk to a little Brownie Girl Scout,” as the scouts “blew the cookie program out of the water” this year and raised a lot of money for their troops.
The dueling pianos fundraiser is another chance for community members to support the Girl Scouts. For more information about the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois dueling pianos fundraiser, you can visit their official website at GSofSI.org or check out their Facebook page.
“All of it is going to benefit the programs for the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois,” Graham added. “So whether you are a longtime supporter of the Girl Scouts or simply looking for a fun night, come on to dueling pianos.”
