On Saturday, May 16th, Crusader Nation came together to celebrate our first Giving Day. On what was supposed to be an exciting move-ins weekend, family, friends, and alumni instead joined together virtually to celebrate the corps of past, present, and future. Through a series of live streams throughout the day, the entire Crusader community was able to join together as one and raise over $94,000 from 325 donors to propel the corps into 2021.

To kick off Giving Day, festivities began and closed with throwback watch parties on Facebook. Over 12,000 BAC fans tuned in to these livestream parties which featured BAC shows from the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s, and 10’s. All day long alums were logging on and reminiscing on summers past.

For prime time, Executive Director of the Boston Crusaders Chris Holland took to the internet to kick off the official Giving Day Livestream. Reporting live from BAC’s hometown in Hyde Park, Chris brought fans on a journey through the corps’ recent history while highlighting the strengths, and struggles, of a season off the road. Dozens of key players from the corps history called in to give their own account behind the scenes of the corps’ most pivotal seasons. Thank you to all of the featured guests including:

• Heather Graham, Guard Designer
• Alex Beltran, Battery Manager
• Dan and Melissa Greer, Former Directors and Hall of Fame members
• Howard Weinstein, Former Director and Hall of Fame member
• Mike Corrigan, Alumnus
• Michael Woodall, Executive Board and Hall of Fame member
• David Simon, Executive Board and Hall of Fame member
• Ryan George, Composer and Arranger
• Keith Potter, Artistic Director
• Michael Townsend, Lead Designer & Choreographer; Guard Director
• Maryl Harris, 2020 Brass
• Daniel Gutiérrez, 2020 Battery
• Sierra Bennett, 2020 Color Guard

Check out the full broadcast below!

In just 24 hours we succeeded our goal of 300 donors! Thanks to the generosity of 325 donors, our final total for our first Giving Day was $94,565! These donations will help close the $500,000 gap left without summer revenue. Thank you to all of the donors, both big and small, for helping BAC move into 2021!