FSCC band conducts 'Rent-a-Kid' program to raise travel funds

The Fort Scott Community College Greyhound band has been tuning up recently -- but not for a football game or a concert.

About 22 members of the FSCC band have been getting ready to participate in the "Rent-A-Kid" program, a fund raiser sponsored by the FSCC Music Department, in which students raise money for travel expenses and the music department, all at the same time.

Throughout the next two months, band members will rent themselves out to the community to perform basic chores for minimum wage, FSCC Band Director Betty Jo Laflen said.

The band has been practicing lately for a performance they will soon give on a national cruise ship and are trying to raise money to make the trip, Laflen said.

Laflen, who is in her fourth year as band director at the two-year college, said the fund raiser is important for her students, who must pay for their own expenses during most band trips and do not receive any financial assistance.

"Oh yeah, for these kids who are looking at making extra money -- it helps them," Laflen said. "On the cruise, they all have to pay their own way."

The "Rent-A-Kid" program has been successful in the past, and goes back to when former band director Ronda Bailey was in charge of all band activities, Laflen said.

The students will perform chores of various types, such as cleaning guttering, raking leaves, working in the garden, and even shoveling snow during the winter, and their wages earned will go toward their travel fund, she said.

"It's a great way for our music students to help people in the community," Laflen said. "It benefits the students, the person hiring them, and the department."

The amount of money students will work for varies, but students will typically perform the chores for low wages, Laflen said.

"We just ask that they (the person who rents) pay at least minimum wage," she said. "Of course, any donation is fine."

This year, travel plans for the band include an upcoming performance -- which is sponsored by the FSCC Performing Arts Program -- on board an actual cruise liner that is designed to accommodate musicians and other forms of performance entertainment, Laflen said.

The band has also performed in Wichita and plans to tour area schools for future performances, she said. Through the fund raiser, each student will usually earn varying amounts of money completing various tasks.

"I've seen some students earn $100 and I've seen other students earn $250," Laflen said. "It depends on how much they get to work with the work that comes in. It's kind of hard because most of them have another job."

Area residents who are interested in renting a music student to complete household or yard chores may call Laflen at (620) 223-2700, extension 562, and leave a message describing the type of job, when it needs to be done, and his or her contact information, and FSCC statement said.

Music department staff will return the call and arrange an appointment. All proceeds from the fund raiser will benefit student travel to educational workshops and upcoming performances, the statement said.