Brooklyn Park Lions Drum & Dance Team Turns to Online Fundraising

The cancellation of parades and events because of COVID-19 also cut out fundraisers for the Brooklyn Park Lions Drum and Dance Corps. About 60 youth, ages of 6-21, participate in parades and competitions with the group. They have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for uniforms, transportation and practice fees in lieu of in-person fundraisers at parades.

Lion Lyn Joyner and the late Lion Bruce Gurley created the group in 2008 to give young people a creative and productive outlet.

Brooklyn Park Lions Drum & Dance Corps set up GoFundMe account to offset fundraising loss.

“It keeps the kids busy, and it keeps them motivated,” said Evelyn Stevenson, director of the group. “We’re big on respect. We educate the kids. That’s our number one thing.”

The youth group had 15 parades or performances scheduled in 2020. Stevenson says the group wold collect between $500 and $800 in donations at each event. However, COVID-19 cut the number of events down to just three.

“It’s a big impact on us. We make a lot of our money through parades, and by everybody canceling, it’s messing with our funding because we’re a nonprofit organization,” said Stevenson.

The drum and dance team set up a GoFundMe account to offset the shortfall and raise $15,000. The money will go towards uniforms, transportation, practice space and competition entry fees.

Brooklyn Park