Glenbrook South students on the road to We Day

GLENVIEW (WLS) -- It's almost here. Students from all across the state have been working all year for those coveted tickets to We Day.

We Day is Thursday, April 28. It's a full day of concerts and motivation aimed at encouraging young people to give of themselves. We found one suburban school on the road to We Day, but for this group, helping others is nothing new.

They are striking up the band at Glenbrook South High School, gearing up for a big fund-raising celebration called "Keep The Band Afloat." Not their own band, but the band at Mark Twain Elementary in Chicago. These students in Glenview are raising money to help the younger band at another school - kids they don't even know.

"They are struggling because they are sharing clarinets and they are out of tune. They don't sound good and they are really in a hard place," said Marina Madsen, a sophomore.

So this week they are staging a cardboard regatta here at the pool, making human-sized boats from cardboard and duct tape.

"And then one of the team members is going to get in the boat and race across the pool and we will have prizes for different events to see who wins. Just as a way to fundraise for this band," said Lori Steffel, a junior.

It's the kind of thing the Key Club here has been doing all year. It's part of a culture of volunteering which has involved things from making lunches and reading to small kids, helping those with disabilities and seniors, and even a day set aside just for random acts of kindness.

"What they have that's most valuable is their time. They might not have the finances, but they have the time and we want to take that and change their prospective on what it is to serve," said Josh Koo, a teacher and advisor.

That has earned about 60 Glenbrook South students tickets to this week's We Day, the huge event which actually celebrates service.

"It's like a day of youth empowerment. And so we all feel so good while we are at We Day, by the time we leave, we have this long list of ambitions that we want to accomplish by the end of next year and into the future," said John Schure, a junior.

ABC 7 will have live reports from We Day starting at 5 a.m. on Thursday. Hosea Sanders, Cheryl Burton and Tanja Babich are looking forward to having a good time and meeting the students who really deserve such a day!