Learn from this and march forward

Opinion

August 8, 2010

Anonymous THE GOSHEN NEWS The Goshen News Sun Aug 08, 2010, 08:03 AM EDT

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If you know anything about our local high school marching band programs, you know how hard they work. Summer practices are long and unrelenting, as are program fundraisers. Drive around Goshen, Middlebury or Nappanee and its hard not to bump into band members waving signs, washing cars or selling chicken to help pay for the season ahead.

Pretty much every substantial school sports team or club at a high school must raise money to help make its own ends meet. Meals, uniforms and special instructors are often some of the expenses booster clubs help pay for over the course of a season. And the receipts can add up quickly.

Late last month, just as the Goshen High School Crimson Marching Band was starting its annual summer band camp, the program hit a very flat note. On July 19, band booster treasurer Vincenta Linda Barrios, 33, was arrested on suspicion of embezzling more than $10,000 from the boosters’ account at Interra Credit Union. Barrios has since been charged with four counts of theft with a plea bargain deadline of Oct. 18. The amount of money that is suspected to be missing has also grown, according to sources close to the situation.

Our entire community is affected by this terrible situation. Anybody who has given money to support the band’s cause must feel cheated, and rightfully so. The alleged theft is a slap in the face of those who care deeply about this program and trusted it with their money, whether services or goods were rendered or not.

But make no mistake; the true victims of this incident are the members of the Goshen High School Crimson Marching Band. The band finished strong last year, qualifying for the state finals for the first time in several years. They deserved to be rewarded for their hard work, not robbed of it.

Still, both the school and its booster clubs must learn from this and require stronger oversight of the money coming in. Any amount of revenue demands several sets of eyes and safeguards when it comes to the accounting. It should be extremely difficult for $10 to disappear, not to mention $10,000. We trust that will happen, but the immediate health of the GHS program has been severely compromised and must be addressed now.

It is a true testament to the character of the people in the program that the band will march on this season. It will no doubt be a major challenge. There are things GHS will not have this year that other band programs – smaller programs – will. That will hurt.

It is the hope of The Goshen News that our caring community will make the distinction between the alleged crime of one and the admiral commitment of many. Now, more than ever, this program needs our help. Let’s be there for these kids.

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