(Libby) Evans
Gulliver Prep’s nominee for Silver Knight in music and dance is Elizabeth (Libby) Evans. Evans has been in the chorus most her life. She is also a member of the Gulliver Music club, as well as the Junior Opera Guild and Symphonettes. Because of her commitment to volunteering, she has approximately 900 hours of community service.
She has been in the Junior Opera Guild for four years and is corresponding secretary this year. The group ushers at the Florida Grant Opera and they do community outreach about the opera.
“We work at the Girl Scouts at a one-day workshop at which we educate them about opera,” Evans says. “It’s actually how I learned about it. I went to the workshop. We all got into JOG.”
Her sister was the first to join and she recruited Evans who then recruited her fellow Girl Scouts.
“We also raise money for opera education by selling raffle tickets and such,” she says.
As a Girl Scout, Evans went for her Gold Award, which is equal to Eagle Scout for Boy Scouts.
“I fundraised for a non-profit,” she says. “I bought durable medical supplies.”
She raised money at a big garage sale, selling items donated by members of her church, family and friends.
“Some were moving and I asked if they had any items they wanted to donate,” she says. “We just had one sale. The rest of the items we had we donated to the junior opera guild sale which was the next week.”
She spent approximately $3,000 she raised at the garage sale and through donations and purchased a Tifton chair, a ball pit and a light simulation lamp that were donated to the organization, Patches.
“My sister, when she got her Gold Award, she helped Patches. I fell in love with the organization,” Evans says. “Thankfully Girl Scout Council approved it.”
She spent several months pre-planning and by the end, had spent 200 hours planning and executing her Gold Award project.
Despite being busy with her Gold Award, Junior Opera Guild and Gulliver chorus activities, Evans also found time to participate in Symphonettes, a community service club with an emphasis on music programs. Symphonette members usher at various music events and they also do community service at Fairchild Tropical Garden.
“I’ve worked at Fairchild in the kid zone and at festivals,” she says.
The club also raises money that is donated to music programs and other causes.
At Gulliver, Evans is in the chorus. She gets Advanced Placement credit for her music class. For that class, she has to sign a music contract and she has to compete in the Florida Vocal Association competition. She did and scored excellent.
Evans is on the board of the music club.
“We volunteer at nursing centers and rehabs centers,” she says. “We’re trying new things this year for this club.”
Next year Evans expects to be away at college studying communications and science. She wants to take science courses so she can go to medical school and become an orthopedic surgeon like her father.
Because music has been so important in her life, she hopes to pursue it as a minor and join a music club or two as well.
— By Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
