Help Odd Fellows give the gift of music

The Mountain Home lodge of the independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), Lodge #19, wishes to extend its sincerest thanks to members of the local community for their participation in our first yard sale aimed at raising funds for our new instrument scholarship program.

The program, Instruments Provided to Local Area Youth, or IPLAY for short, plans to donate a musical band instrument to one or more local 6th-8th graders in hopes that it will encourage youth to participate in band.

On May 11, members of the community visited the yard sale and generously purchased items, donated cash and even donated instruments. One clarinet and one oboe, donated in loving memory of Mary Nave, will be cleaned and readied for use this summer so that students can begin the application process early in the 2013-14 school year toward obtaining the instrument that they would like to play.

To apply for the instrument, interested students and parents in Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry middle schools will be able to obtain a scholarship application this fall from an IOOF representative. Applications may also be available at some schools.

Each student will have an appropriate amount of time to complete the application and turn it back in. A short (less than 1 page) description from the student will accompany each application, describing their interest in music and why they play. In a nod toward the program's name, each description will begin with "I PLAY because...." The first recipients will then be chosen and presented with the instruments early in the beginning of the school year.

Thanks to the community's generosity, IPLAY is off to a promising start, but it is not done there. As this is its first year, costs to run the program are still being estimated and donations are always appreciated.

The IOOF will be holding additional yard sales throughout the summer at its 155 N. 3rd E. location with the goal of obtaining enough money to purchase and/or clean and repair more instruments.

This is the perfect time to pull out that old trumpet, saxophone, flute, and the like, dust it off, and provide it to a youth who can experience the joy of music as you once did with it.

Anyone wishing to donate funds, instruments, or items for the yard sale, in becoming a sponsor of IPLAY or knows someone who may, can do so by contacting Kathryn Smith at 208-995-9989.

The IOOF Mountain Home Lodge #19 thanks you for your support of IPLAY and our local youth!

Applications for membership to the lodge are always available as well and we would love to have you come join us in helping to make our community a better place to raise our kids!

-- Marlene Osborn