MDT June 17, 2016

Sisters Maureen Wicks, left, and Kerry Callahan Bronson stand with an older taxi at the Havana airport in Cuba.(Photo: Photo courtesy of Maureen Wicks)

Ole!

Great Falls community activist Kerry Callahan Bronson excitedly announced Friday that a Montana nonprofit has raised enough money to bring a stirring Cuban choir to Montana, although additional donations are still being sought.

The first Montana performance by the young adult choir, Cantores de Cienfuegos, will be a free concert on Monday, July 11, at Great Falls College-MSU Heritage Hall, 2100 16th Ave. Festival Director Anne Marie Brinkman invited the Cuban choir to participate in the July 13 to 16 festival, offering to cover food, lodging and travel expenses while the group is in Montana.

The Montana supporters set a goal of raising $46,000 to bring the 23-member choir to Montana through the Missoula Community Foundation, Callahan Bronson said.

aWe are happy to report recent success in securing the necessary travel permits and visas,a Callahan Bronson said, and in raising enough money, including a loan from a benefactor, for the project to go forward.

aWe still need to raise about $20,000 statewide,a she said, adding she hopes to raise about $6,000 from the Great Falls area.

aWe feel it is important to bring this amazing choir to Montana so they can share their culture and story with us, something no Cuban group has been able to do for decades,a Callahan Bronson said.

She said sheas seeking businesses or individuals to sponsor a choir member, at about $2,000 apiece, but would appreciate smaller $10 or $25 donations, too.

aSo many Americans are able to spend thousands of dollars to visit foreign countries, seeing fascinating places and meeting great people,a she added.