Jonesboro High School band receives $20K from Ebony Austin
JONESBORO – The Jonesboro High School band, the Majestic Marching Cardinals, warmed up with a number of songs before their special guest arrived at the school’s gymnasium on Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11. One of the songs they played that morning was “Back Stabbers” by the legendary group The O’Jays.
On Monday morning there was a lot going on but back stabbing wasn’t one of them. In fact, Ebony Austin, the owner of several area restaurants and a regular contributor to local fundraising drives and holiday gift drives, was doing the exact opposite. She was giving back.
A check for $20,000 was presented to Jonesboro High School Band Director Lynel Goodwin and the band a little after 9 a.m., during the first period. Jonesboro High School’s band has been recognized as one of the best in the state of Georgia, but they would be making their first trip to New York City to represent the Clayton County Public School during the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. While in New York City for the parade, there are also plans to tour Harlem, a visit to the Statue of Liberty, perform alongside the Rockettes, and have dinner on the Hudson River, according to Jonesboro High School officials.
“I just think it’s for the kids, they have a special place in my heart,” Austin explained. “We’re super-excited to be a part of this trip. In fact it’s an honor.”
All that is made possible by Austin’s generosity, said Goodwin.
“It means everything,” he said of the donation. “It’s the difference between us going and not being able to go. It’s major.”
Austin has never been a part of a band, but she shared a story of being a high school kid and being able to take her first trip out of town to North Carolina and how that made her feel important and well thought of. “Just being able to pour into these students is a big deal,” she said.
Goodwin said the trip to New York for the Thanksgiving holiday will be “life-changing” for the students involved with the band program. New York City may be hundreds of miles away, but it might as well be millions of miles away for Clayton County kids.
“A lot of these kids have never been outside of the city of Jonesboro,” Goodwin said.
The owner of several successful restaurants, Austin has been responsible for donating thousands of dollars to students for trips, scholarships, school supplies, and for Christmas gifts, as part of her Nouveau Christmas initiative. Her philosophy on giving is simple, she says. “Just having someone pouring into these students is a big deal, ” Austin said.
Austin’s restaurants are responsible for employing more than 100 people at metro Atlanta locations. Her personal brand of stone-ground grits, Nouveau Stone Ground Grits, are available in more than 150 Publix supermarket locations.
Majestic Marching Cardinals head drum major William Shelton, a senior, and dance captain Serenity Hudson, a junior, both believe this coming experience will change their lives forever.
Shelton, 17, called traveling to New York City with his bandmates, “mind-blowing.”
“Everything about it is wow,” he said.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Hudson, 16. “This is like a dream come true for me.” She said she grew up watching the Rockettes perform on TV and now knowing she will have an opportunity to perform alongside the legendary dance troop is beyond her wildest dreams.
Asked what they wanted to say to Austin about the $20,000 donation, Shelton said, “Thank you, not only for the donation, but for the hard work and dedication you have put into us. It really means a lot.” He added that for Black teenagers like him, particularly in Clayton County, this kind of opportunity doesn’t happen very often.
“As an African American woman, she is doing a lot of great things for the community because she is making a way for young ladies,” Hudson said. “We don’t really get recognized as much for what we can do and I just want to really thank her for showing me that I can do whatever I want to do.”
The Majestic Marching Cardinals have plans to perform in London next year and have performed on Thanksgiving Day in Chicago. Now they are off to New York City.
“It takes a community to be successful in what we do,” said Senior Deputy Superintendent – Chief of Staff for Clayton County Public Schools Dr. Douglas Hendrix. “This is about your lives.”
