一箭三雕

楊宇宸

我住的小鎮，每年九月，都會有穿著制服的學生在鎮中心向路人籌款。剛來時，我對此一頭霧水——他們怎么會缺錢呢？直到我也成了他們中的一員。

自從加入了學校的“軍樂隊”后，我經歷了許多新奇而獨特的事情，其中也包括向陌生人籌款。樂隊每年都有兩個全員參加的重大活動日——一個是洗車日，一個是“軍帽日”（Shako Day）。

洗車的活動在六月。我們舉著牌子和海報站在路邊宣傳，等車開進我們的場地后，便采用流水作業線的方式洗車。有人負責初次沖洗，有人負責打泡沫，有人負責清潔，有人負責擦干……樂隊指揮們努力讓工作進行得井井有條。

然而與其說是“洗車日”，倒不如說是“潑水節”。一見到水和泡沫，同學們紛紛變成了三歲小孩，又笑又鬧，往彼此身上潑水、抹泡泡、扔毛巾……“洗車”變成了“洗人”。十分鐘后，大家都渾身濕透，一個個成了小花貓和圣誕老人。

另一個籌款活動則是在開學后。九月初的周五晚上，結束了辛苦的排練，我們便開始張羅“軍帽日”的活動。同學們穿著統一的制服，兩兩一組分散在鎮中心的不同位置。有的在飯店門口，有的在禮品店旁邊，有的守在超市，還有的在電影院附近。之所以叫作“軍帽日”，是因為我們捧著表演時戴的帽子當“籌款箱”，向路過的人募捐，然后把募來的錢裝在帽子里面。我第一年參加時還覺得不適應——這樣捧著帽子站在街邊要錢，跟乞討有什么不同？但今年便覺得沒什么大不了的，多一些別樣的經歷有什么不好？

去年由于我是新手，缺乏經驗，一開始問的幾個人都拒絕了。我有些氣餒，與我同組的姐姐便給我打氣：“告訴你一個竅門兒如何？那就是——臉皮要厚！”

我聽后一笑，卻沒想到試著運用“厚臉皮”的訣竅后，成效立竿見影。一開始，由于不好意思向陌生人開口要錢，我沒有自信，說話時聲音小，所以自然不會有人愿意捐錢。而現在我擺出一副老手才有的落落大方的樣子，微笑著向路人介紹我們的樂隊，禮貌地募捐。沒承想，聽完我說的話后，人們紛紛慷慨解囊，我們組的帽子很快就被各種面值的紙鈔和硬幣給填滿了。從一美分到百元大鈔都有，很是壯觀。有一位女士捐完錢后還親切地對我說：“我知道你們，我和女兒在鎮上看橄欖球賽時看過你們的表演。她很喜歡，還說以后要加入你們樂隊呢！”

我很意外也很欣慰——沒想到我們的影響力這么大！活動結束后，我看著堆滿錢的帽子很有成就感，不禁想起我們教練常說的一句話——人生如戲，全靠演技！不管是不是新手，只要擺出一副自信而老練的姿態，就會讓人們刮目相看。很多時候，戲演著演著就成真了，而你也成了真正的“老手”。

類似的籌款活動還有很多，我們樂隊經費有三分之一都是這樣來的。這樣的活動不僅能快速而有效地籌到錢，還能宣傳我們的樂隊，而且增添了學生們社會實踐的經驗，簡直是一箭三雕。你怎么看這樣的活動呢？

英文版

In the town I live， there are students dressed in uniforms asking people for donations every September. When I just got here， I was confused about this - why would those students need money？ Until I became one of them.

Since I joined the school Marching Band， I experienced a lot of new and unique things， including asking strangers for donations. Every year， there are two major events that require everyones participation day - one is Car Wash Day； the other is Shako Day.

Car Wash Day is in June. We stand on the sidewalk and hold signs and posters to attract attention. When cars drive into our area， we wash them in an "assembly line". Some wet the car； some soap it； some clean the car； some dry it. The Drum Majors try to keep everything organized.

However， it is more appropriate to call it the "Water Festival" rather than "Car Wash Day". Once we see water and soap， all of a sudden everyone turns into three-year-olds. We pour water and soap and throw towels at each other while laughing and messing around. "Washing cars" turns into "washing people". Ten minutes into the Car Wash， everybody is soaking wet and looks ridiculous.

The other fundraising event is held after school starts. On a Friday night in early September， we start organizing the Shako Day event after working hard in rehearsal. We wear our uniforms and separate into twos， scattering ourselves around downtown. Some stand in front of restaurants； some stay by gift shops； some choose the supermarket； some stand near the movie theater. It is called "Shako Day" because we hold the shako hats that are used for performances and use them as a moneycollecting box. We ask donations from people and put the money into the Shako. In my first year， I was uncomfortable with it - holding a hat felt like begging people for money. But this year， I am fine with it - whats wrong with some unique experiences？

Last year because I was a rookie who lacked the experience， people I asked refused to donate money at first. I was a little discouraged. My partner， an older girl， encouraged me， “How would you like a tip？ Ill tell you - youve got to be cheeky！”

I laughed at that. But when I tried to apply this "cheeky" tip， it actually worked really well. At first， I was too shy to ask strangers for money， so I spoke in a low and hesitant voice - of course， no one would donate money. Now， I put on a natural and graceful mask and introduce our program to people with a smile， asking politely for their donation. Surprisingly， most people gave generous donations after hearing my speech. As a result， our hat was soon filled with bills and coins of various value. They ranged from pennies to hundred-dollar bills， quite spectacular. A lady spoke to me kindly after making a donation， "I know you guys. My daughter and I watched your performance in a football game in town. She likes it and wants to join your program in high school."

I was so shocked and happy - I didnt know we have such a huge impact！ After the event， I stared at the Shako filled with money， feeling accomplished. I suddenly remembered a quote from our instructor - life is a play； its all about the performance！ Rookie or not， you just have to fake the confidence that belongs to veterans， and people would be impressed. Many times， youll make it by faking it - thats when you become a veteran.

There are many more similar fundraising events， which are the source of one-third of the money our program needs. Activities like these not only gain money in a quick and efficient way， but they also propagate our program and build students social experiences - three benefits in one act. What do you think of these events？