Growing Scholarship Support for the Mighty Sound of Maryland

**An anonymous alum has agreed to provide a $20,000 matching gift once we have raised $20,000 for the MSOM Endowed Scholarship.**

Being part of the Big Ten is all about our collective SPIRIT for our alma mater. The Mighty Sound of Maryland (MSOM) helps bring that Terp Spirit to life each year. Now, you can help support their efforts with a gift to the Marching Band Student Support Endowment. 

In Fall 2022, Dotty Reitwiesner '78 helped to launch a first-of-its-kind endowed fund to support scholarships for marching band students from all majors. It is  now Dotty's hope that all members of the MSOM Community —  alumni, parents/family, fans, and students — will see this as a shared endowment. A gift of any size will help us to strengthen the Marching Band Student Support Endowment, so that generations of MSOM students of all majors will benefit from scholarship support year after year.

A personal call to action from Dotty: "For you who were marching in 1974, please consider giving one dollar a year to the scholarship for each of those 50 years since we first marched together. For the rest of you, please select a meaningful amount to contribute. Maybe it will be $1 a year since you graduated, or $5, or maybe a flat $100 or $50. Come up with your own calculation –how you may best express your gratitude for your own band experiences."

Dotty Reitwiesner '78

MSOM scholarship recipient statements from Fall 2024:

• "My membership in the Mighty Sound of Maryland has been the defining experience of both my time at the University of Maryland and my overall music journey. In just two years with the Mighty Family, I have a lifetime’s worth of memories for which to be grateful. Because of your generosity, I will be able to enjoy my Mighty Sound of Maryland experience without the stress of the financial burden of paying for my education alone."
  
  
• "With the assistance I was given, I was able to pay for my band supplies, groceries, and a meal plan. This gave me more freedom to participate in MSOM at my absolute best while worrying less about my financial struggles."
  
  
• “Receiving this assistance will allow me to be able to focus more on band while balancing my work and school life effectively. Because of it, I am able to work fewer hours at my job and feel confident that I am making the right choice.”
  
  
• "Without this fund, I would be set back even further financially to comfortably pursue MSOM and all the great experiences associated with it. Ultimately, the fund helps me pursue what I love and allows me to be surrounded by the people who help me thrive the most. I am deeply grateful that the MSOM funds exist!
  
  
• "When some of the financial aid I was relying on unexpectedly fell through, this funding helped cut into the deficit to make sure I could still adequately participate in MSOM while comfortably pursuing my degree. Funding will be used to pay for part of my tuition, with the other part being used to help pay for some of my rent costs. Without this fund, I would be set back even further financially to comfortably pursue MSOM and all the great experiences associated with it. Ultimately, the fund helps me pursue what I love and allows me to be surrounded by the people who help me thrive the most."

Thank you for your generosity, and for supporting future generations of MSOM students!

Check out a recent performance by the Mighty Sound of Maryland!

Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents.  Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.