Third-grade duo raise thousands
With the faces of angels and hearts that could melt glaciers, Brianna Pluff-Flanigan and Sydney Underwood masterminded a way to raise money to buy Christmas gifts for military children. Their idea, a song-and-dance routine, has taken on a life of its own.
“We wanted to raise money for the children whose moms and dads are out fighting in the war,” Brianna said before a show for her Hutton Elementary School contemporaries.
Neither Brianna nor Sydney, third-grade classmates and next-door neighbors, come from military families. With the guidance of Bill Flanigan, Brianna’s grandfather and guardian, the girls put together an act they call “Two Little Americans,” which pays tribute to American soldiers.
Flanigan downloaded songs of yesteryear such as George M. Cohan’s “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and Robert Crawford’s “Wild Blue Yonder,” and off they went to places such as the Veterans Affairs Hospital and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.
The girls were a hit with the vets. Dressed in Air Force uniforms before changing into Navy uniforms, they marched and sang to the beat of “The Marine’s Hymn.”
For eights weeks, Brianna and Sydney have performed 24 shows and raised more than $2,500 in donations from audiences and private donors. Their lofty goal is to raise $15,000.
Keeping up with the season, the girls have added Christmas songs to their repertoire.
Family Services of Fairchild will appoint a committee to buy the gifts, which will be distributed to the military men and women’s children through the base.
“I knew they are wonderful, wonderful girls,” said their teacher. Kim Yahne. “In class, they’re quiet and reserved, and here you see them in another way.”
Their kindness hasn’t gone unnoticed on the state level. At their school show, a representative from Gov. Christine Gregoire’s office presented letters from the governor to each girl.
A local nonprofit production company taped the 30-minute show. Flanigan said the plan is to have the production company make DVDs that also will be distributed to Fairchild Air Force Base Family Services and to troops in Iraq.
The girls don’t plan on stopping here. Next year, they’d like to make the show bigger and turn the performance into a USO-type show, perhaps with the accompaniment of a junior high school band.
Their big dream is to turn their idea into a national program, and they already have written Washington Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
People who want to donate should go to a Global Credit Union branch and inquire about the Two Little American Solders’ account.