Support us.

Volunteers are needed for the Colts and Colt Cadets during camps, spring training, and on tour to give these great kids the support they need and deserve! It takes a lot to make sure two drum corps run smoothly, and we need your help to make sure that it happens! The only qualification needed is your willingness to give your time and talent to support what we do! You can be a parent, an alum, a supporter, or a friend. You're qualified to help!

Sign up today! We start filling the calendar as soon as the schedule is known and are usually looking for help on nearly all days of the summer!

To those of you who help at camps or are already on the calendar, we send a giant THANK YOU! See you there!

The best advice we can offer people to prepare for travel is covered in the Colts Volunteer Manual or the Cadets Volunteer Manual. If you are planning to travel with the Colts or Colt Cadets this summer, please read the volunteer handbooks. The volunteer manual gives a good overview, but the best way to understand it is to experience it!

Please fill out the Adult Medical Release Form prior to arrival. This assures that we can serve all people on tour in a healthy and safe way. Also, familiarize yourself with the Personnel Policies For Seasonal And Volunteer Staff to understand the expectations we have for adults on the road.

We will prepare and serve around 800 meals a day for Colts and around 400 meals a day for Colt Cadets, travel thousands of miles for 70+ days this summer, from Memorial Day through DCI finals in Indianapolis, and sew and alter over 200 uniforms multiple times a summer. We take pride in providing one of the best volunteer programs in the activity. It's not convenient and it's not easy, but it's also not to be missed. No matter what it takes, find a way to volunteer. Ideally, try to arrange for a week, which quite often makes logistics easier, but even if you can arrange just a few days, it all helps. We can usually help get you on and off tour. We're there to make it work for you. Even if you can only do a day or two, stop in for a day when the corps is in your area. All is appreciated!

If you're a parent of a member, it's particularly important for you to spend time with the corps volunteering in some capacity. Hearing about your kid's standing ovation and being a part of it is the difference between sharing an important life-changing event with your kid or not. It's an amazing experience that can only be understood by living it. Chances to share something this important with your kid rarely come along, and you won't regret any of the inconvenience, sweat, sleep deprivation, or hard work. You will regret not finding a way to do it.

Parents, volunteers, alumni, and supporters are all welcome to help. You will see every performance, all at no charge, too!


Cook Truck

Just like at home, everything important happens in the kitchen!

Both corps serve four meals a day, prepared on-site from their specially designed kitchen trailers. The Colts have a full 48 foot converted semi-trailer and the Colt Cadets have a pull-behind trailer, affectionately called "The Chuck Wagon. Normally, there is a head cook who will plan a menu and help coach the rest of the team through food preparation, juice mixing, set up, and serving. Camps and spring training are the best time to learn the ropes without the challenges of travel. During tour, to travel comfortably for all, it is ideal to have no more than six individuals for the Colts cook truck and four for the Colt Cadets cook truck.

Want to spend every day on tour with the Colts this year, at least from in front of your computer? Check out the Colts Virtual Cooktruck. There will be something new from tour nearly every day as the Colts march their way through the summer. Daily menus. Schedules. Maps. Weather reports from the road. Tidbits and photographs.


Drivers

We are always on the move!

The Colts convoy travels with a total of four buses, two semis, and two vans with trailers. The Colt Cadets convoy travels with a total of two buses, two vans with trailers, and a dooley pick-up with trailer. Driving is a great way to volunteer over the summer! Responsibilities include driving from stop to stop at night and driving from housing site to show site in the afternoon. Drivers typically spend the day sleeping and are awake at night. No CDL is required to drive the vans but it is required to drive the buses and pick-up with Colt Cadets. We look for one to two drivers for every week for Colts and four to six drivers for Colt Cadets.


Red Team Thread Team

Looking for the perfect fit!

A necessary part of the Colts Youth Organization, the Red Team Thread Team handles all uniform fittings and alterations throughout the season to keep both corps looking good. They also are involved in many other projects that involve textiles: flags for the Colts and Colt Cadets, additions to props, and souvenir flags, to name a few. Experience with sewing and fitting is great but definitely not needed! Many jobs like pressing uniforms, seam ripping, and embellishing guard uniforms can be handled by people with no prior sewing experience whatsoever. The Red Team Thread Team is active during the audition and practice camp season with a wide variety of projects, the most important being initial uniform fittings and alterations. During tour, the Red Team Thread Team is usually on tour for about half the summer.


Sponsorships

Ensuring our legacy continues.

There are members who could use financial help this summer. For more information, please contact Colts Executive Director, Jeff MacFarlane, via email at jeff@colts.org or call 563-582-4872.


Donations

There are many ways to help!

We can always use the following items:

  • Time on tour with us!
  • Boxes of your favorite breakfast cereal (we use 500-700 boxes of cereal a year!)
  • Fresh fruits (like bananas, apples, oranges, watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, and peaches). The favorite is cleaned frozen grapes!
  • Fresh vegetables (like carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, and broccoli)
  • A grocery run when we are in your neighborhood – you must experience the thrill of purchasing 20 gallons of milk and 50 loaves of bread!
  • Coffee - definitely not decaffeinated
  • Foil roasting pans without handles, large (we use 250+ a year!)
  • Dish towels
  • Your time on the road with us!
  • Peanut butter (cans or plastic containers, please)
  • Grape and strawberry jelly
  • Office supplies (permanent markers, dry erase markers, pens, painters tape)
  • An RV for tour months
  • Gift certificates to major franchises (Staples, Walmart, Sam's Club, etc.)
  • Duct tape and WD-40
  • D, AA, and 9 volt batteries
  • Land for rehearsal space
  • Cans of white spray paint for lining fields (we use over 800 a year!)
  • A single head embroidery machine
  • Time on tour with us!

Looking to donate specific items? Check out our Warehouse Wish List, Cook Trailer Wish List, or our Summer Tour Wish List on Amazon.

Monetary Donations