Albert Lea High School students will find the road to band camp financially easier with the help of the Dale Danielson Band Camp Fund.

Makala Buley, Aubry Olson, Josselyn Hill and Tim Stoneking received more than $2,000 in awards to split between them to help attend summer band camps thanks to the endowment fund of the Education Foundation of Albert Lea.

&8220;It&8217;s a great opportunity for them. It&8217;s a great way to remember one of Albert Lea&8217;s fine band directors,&8221; said ALHS band instructor Scott Fitzsimonds. &8220;We are very thankful to his wife for initiating this endowment and this fund. It&8217;s a fund with a significant amount of dollars that can be given out to help students. And also thanks to Ralph Olson for finding additional donors.&8221;

The fund was initiated by Dale Danielson&8217;s widow, Norma, who also made the first contribution.

Dale was a band instructor in the Albert Lea school district for many years and taught all ages throughout his career.

&8220;She wanted to do that in his memory,&8221; said Ralph Olson, president of the Education Foundation of Albert Lea.

The band camp fund is in its second year and last year fully funded a student&8217;s trip to band camp. The Education Foundation has worked over the last year to raise funds so the endowment could sustain itself, Ralph said.

Students, from seventh to 12th grade, interested in attending band camp could apply for the funds through their band instructors. The application process included a questionnaire asking the student what he or she would do with the information attained at the camp.

Instructors were looking for students who would share their new knowledge and experiences with their fellow students. Instructors also wanted to know the student&8217;s long term plans for their instrument.

Once students return from camp Fitzsimonds encourages them to share their knowledge with their fellow instruments.

&8220;Really it&8217;s what happens away from me is some of the most significant stuff,&8221; he said, about the peer coaching and assistance. He said when students come back from receiving that level of instruction their abilities increase and their level of expectations goes up, which is a benefit for the entire band.

&8220;That&8217;s just kind of contagious,&8221; Fitzsimonds said.

All students who applied ended up having their entire camp paid for.

Stoneking is a percussion musician going into ninth grade, Aubry and Buley are both French horn players going into 11th grade and Hill will be in 10th grade playing the trombone.

&8220;It is the goal of the Education Foundation to provide resources for students outside of the budget of the school. So we&8217;re looking to those kinds of opportunities,&8221; Ralph said. &8220;We&8217;re delighted that we can do something and give students an opportunity that they would otherwise not have.&8221;

Other endowments through the Education Foundation include the Tiger Scholastic Achievement Fund, the Tiger Alumni Student Assistance Fund and the Tiger Education Enrichment Fund.

Ralph said all four funds could use additional help from those interested in aiding the enrichment of the lives of local students.