To the Editor:

I ask that we support Franklin resident and Lakeland High School Band Director Alvin Wilson with his effort to represent the region in Washington, D.C., this Month.

The Lakeland High School Marching “Quiet Storm” Band has been honored with an invitation to participate in the National Memorial Day Parade, which will take place in Washington, D.C.. Only one high school band per state receives an invitation, and Lakeland has been selected to represent the state of Virginia.

The parade will be televised worldwide. Under Wilson’s leadership, Lakeland’s band program has received numerous awards, including first-place awards in local and state “high-step” competitions, top honors in local parades, as well as excellent and superior ratings at concert band festivals.

The band program at Lakeland is continuously growing in quantity and quality.

At this time they are in the process of fundraising to participate in the National Memorial Day. The total cost of the trip is $27,000. They are in the process of soliciting donations, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

All donations can be sent to Bayport Credit Union, Attention: Lakeland High School Band Booster Parade Fund, l463 N. Main St., Suffolk, VA, 23434.

Wilson lives in Franklin and is a former director of the Franklin High School Band. He has been an unselfish consultant and is willing to roll up his sleeves to help make Franklin a better place to live for all of us, and I hope we can help him get to Washington.

We also need to rally around and help the Rev. Carlton Lowe. Rev. Lowe has been out fighting for us. He has done a lot of heavy lifting for our children, and he needs our support with the sponsoring of a Learning Entrepreneurs Getting It Together chapter in Franklin.

L.E.G.I.T was established October 2003 under the direction of Terry Kelly. Kelly’s mission was to develop an after-school program to teach entrepreneurship to youth ages 9-18, which he has successfully done.

The local Ministers Alliance is working with Kelly to do the same thing in Franklin. Each minister’s church in the alliance will sponsor two children in the program.

And lastly, I want to say we should do all we can do to support the Black Achievers. I greatly appreciate everyone in that organization, and I want to put a statute up in one of our city parks in honor of Judge Alfreda Talton-Harris for all she has done.

Let us come together, chip in when we can, support those who need us, look for hard work to do and accomplish great things for our town.

Thomas Council Jr.

Franklin