Twelve-Hundred Dollars Later

Luis Sanchez’s dreams came true when he got a $1,200 trumpet for free.

Twelve-Hundred Dollars Later

Allison McCrary

On Feb. 10, junior Luis Sanchez was bidding at an auction to buy himself a trumpet with money he had been saving for four years. However, he did not have enough money and the trumpet sold for $1,200. The thing that happened next blew everyone in the room’s mind. The winner of the trumpet, Gian Montesini, walked over to Luis and placed it in front of him.

Luis has been playing the trumpet for 8 years, but does not have his own. Luis uses one of the school’s beginners trumpets. Being an advanced player, Luis wanted and needed a new trumpet and had been looking in the market. Four years later, he had raised $600 from washing cars, mowing lawns and helping people move.

“I didn’t use any of it. I told myself I wasn’t going to use anything… I saved a lot, I limited a lot,” said Luis.

On the day of the auction, Luis walked into the auction with his $600, ready to bid it all for the trumpet being auctioned. It wasn’t too long after the bidding had started that the amount went up above $600 and people started to help.

“Her name was Liza Douglas, I’ve known her for a long time and she told me ‘Luis, I will give you one-hundred dollars, just put in another hundred’….and then another parent went up to me gave me another hundred dollars…and then one of the girl’s ran up to me and said ‘my dad will give you another one hundred dollars.”’

More and more people started offering Luis money until the price got up into the thousands and people stopped offering money. The winner of the trumpet was Gian Montesini, who bidded $1,200 to win the trumpet.

Lalique Montesini, Gian’s daughter stated that, “It was kind of a spontaneous decision…there was another couple that was bidding on the trumpet when all of the sudden my dad was like “I’ll give $1,200 for the trumpet.’”

Luis said he was disappointed he had not won the trumpet, but felt that Gian deserved it, “but then [he] walks over to me and just hands me the case and walks away.”

From there, things got very emotional as people at the auction, including Luis and his family, began crying. Gian paid for the whole trumpet, leaving Louis with the $600 he had started with.

Now that Luis has his own trumpet, he can continue with his plans to attend Sacramento State University, major in physical therapy and take part in their musical program with his brand new trumpet.

Thanks to the kindness of Gian Montesini, Luis will finish his high school career and start working on his college career with a trumpet to call his own by his side.