Boise Straight Ahead is a jazz big band made up of volunteer musicians. This band seeks to rehearse and perform big band jazz music in the SW Idaho/Treasure Valley area. We have been an ensemble since late 1996 and Hewlett Packard has allowed us facilities use (for rehearsals and equipment storage) for much of that time. In addition to the camaraderie and the fun of playing this music, we seek to keep this sound alive and raise money through the contribution of our performance fees, for various local non-profit organizations. In the past, this has included United Way, Meals on Wheels, the Boys & Girls Club, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Multiple Sclerosis Society, among others. Our mission includes both the music and our charitable contributions. We do not take or keep any of the donated funds. We consciously seek to avoid competing with the professional musicians in the Treasure Valley and will decline higher paying engagements and ask those hosts to consider these local pros instead. In short, we look to play community shows where the hosts could not otherwise afford to hire a professional band. We have participated in many charitable auctions where our services were bid on by private individuals in support of different community organizations. Funds from these auctions have directly benefitted United Way, Boys & Girls Clubs, Riverstone International School, and the Idaho Botanical Gardens. To date, the band has donated, in cash or with in-kind donations, over $75,000 to these organizations.