DELAND, Fla. – More than $20,000 worth of musical equipment was stolen from a nonprofit organization in Volusia County when thieves snatched a trailer.
The Volusia Community Arts said the theft, which occurred Wednesday, included essential items, including percussion instruments and musical stands.
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“There is nothing else here. There are no tracks,” the nonprofit’s artistic director Dr. Brandon Loos said. “There are no clues, no anything.”
Loos said the trailer, valued at $10,000, was kept at the West Volusia Shriner’s Club in DeLand.
“That trailer was everything we have for equipment at this stage,” Loos said.
The trailer was described as a white V-Nose trailer with the license tag LRI-I60.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the estimated $30,000 theft after organization leaders filed a report.
Volusia Community Arts is a nonprofit filled with volunteer musicians with a mission to bring the art of music to underserved parts of the county.
Loos said the only time they make profits are through ticket sales and donations.
“In this part of Volusia County over here, there isn’t any concert halls,” Dr. Loos said.
The nonprofit says they hope to fill that void, saying they want to expand and build a center, but now it may have to wait.
“Although we do have some insurance,” Traci Flumer said. “It’s not going to cover needing to replenish everything that we had.”
Traci Flumer is the executive director of the nonprofit and says the trailer has been stored at the Shriner’s Club for more than three years without any incidents.
Instruments inside the trail included timpani drums, xylophones, a bass drum, a Chinese gong, various bells and tambourines, plus instrument and microphone stands.
“Please keep your eye open for anything that looks suspicious, people trying to sell musical merchandise, stuff like that. Normally wouldn’t be selling that stuff,” Flumer said.
The symphony orchestra is already feeling the loss Saturday as they practiced without their percussion instruments.
“With not having equipment, they set up chairs to act as drums so they can just watch their parts. It absolutely breaks my heart that we don’t have it for them,” Loss said.
Loos said he wants to give this message to the thieves who stole their equipment:
“We just want our stuff back. Please, we want to continue what we are doing and this is a huge setback for us,” Loos said.
Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is looking into this situation, but in the meantime, Volusia Community Arts is leaning on their neighbors by setting up a GoFundMe to help them regain equipment so they can try and prepare for their spring concerts.
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