Happy Thanksgiving!
Tune in for the 15th Annual Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys football game Thanksgiving Day!
Virtual Bell Ringer Raises $28,000 for Salvation Army
Congratulations to Nick Pepperworth of Anchorage, AK, the winner of our Online Red Kettle Contest! Nick was able to collect donations from more individual donors than anyone else with a total of 38 contributors to his kettle by contest’s ending. Nick’s kettle is also in second place for highest dollar amount raised: $18,355 and rising! [...]
Minnesota Bell Ringer Breaks World Record
It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and Jeff “Jingle-Jangle” Olsen, of St. Paul, Minnesota is hardcore rockin’ his red kettle for The Salvation Army. The local broadcaster of KOOL 108 FM and Salvation Army volunteer is currently in first place at www.onlineredkettle.org, with a whopping $24,786.84 raised in donations so far!
Nearly a third of this amount was given by an anonymous donor who attended the Twin Cities Kettle Kickoff Event and handed Jeff a check for $8,000.
Check out Jeff Olsen’s KOOL Kettle online.
If that’s not enough, Jeff set a new world record for nonstop bell ringing for 30 hours straight outside of a local grocery store! Bear in mind, we’re talking about Minnesota in November here, folks.
“[It] is the least I can do for an organization that spends 365 days and nights insuring that the most vulnerable people in my community find comfort in a time of need. It is my hope that anyone who feels as blessed as me will use my record-breaking stunt as inspiration to volunteer or make a donation to The Salvation Army this holiday season. The need has never been greater.”, Olsen said on www.Kool108.com.
We’re absolutely amazed at the love and dedication of our supporters across the country. The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign funds the many amazing programs that help millions in need throughout the year: feeding the hungry, providing Christmas joy for disadvantaged children, and blessing families in need.
Do you think you can beat Jeff’s online red kettle? Virtual bell ringer Nick Pepperworth is currently in second place at $17,725. Check out the top ten kettles and start your own by visiting www.OnlineRedKettle.org!
A Special Message from Honor Society
The hit band is gearing up for The Salvation Army’s first ever Rock the Red Kettle Tour in support of The Salvation Army’s iconic red kettle tradition. The tour kicks off in Orlando, FL on November 26.
Along with performing hits from their latest album, A Tale of Risky Business, Pt. 2, the guys behind the band want to encourage their fans to volunteer in their communities and to give back to those less fortunate. The band’s message is no surprise: the guys are philanthropists themselves and big fans of giving back.
To RSVP to an event or to purchase tickets, please visit the band’s Events page on Facebook found here.
Click here for the complete list of shows.
Video: Holiday Giving with Square
Check out this video from a bell ringer in San Francisco collecting a donation via Square! The new mobile payments technology allows bell ringers at Salvation Army red kettles to accept credit card donations using smartphones. Starting today, the Squares are being tested at 10 locations in Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York via donated phones from Sprint.
In an increasingly cashless society, The Salvation Army hopes this new method of giving will make it that much easier for donors to support The Salvation Army’s efforts serving 30 million Americans each year.
Click Here to view the official press release.
Introducing Digital Donating with Square Technology
The Salvation Army is accepting mobile credit card donations via smartphones equipped with Square technology at its Red Kettles in select cities.
Happy National Philanthropy Day!
Today is National Philanthropy Day and as such, The Salvation Army would like to thank you for all that you do to make our work possible! We couldn’t serve others without our faithful volunteers and generous donors. The love and commitment of our supporters is evidenced every day. 25,000 volunteers give up their valuable time to ring bells at our Christmas kettles at this time each year. Our supporters, not thinking twice about it, drop extra change in the red kettles outside of the grocery store every day throughout the holiday season. We raised $142 million for the poor from red kettle collections last year alone!
We just couldn’t do it without you. Thank you for your support and dedication that helps us serve millions in need across the globe.
Bell Ringer Performs for 36 Hours Straight
Volunteer bell ringer raises awareness and $2,500 in donations by playing euphonium at red kettle for 36 hours straight.
Detroit: World’s Largest Red Kettle
Detroit resident builds world’s largest kettle as a thank you to The Salvation Army for the help that was provided to him.
Children’s Story ‘The Bell’ Teaches Lessons of Love & Compassion
Salvation Army volunteer Scott Cornwell was ringing a bell for Christmas kettle donations in 2005 when he was inspired to tell the deeper meaning behind the iconic red kettles. Collecting donations at the Mall of America, he realized his bell was broken and needed repairing. It was at that moment that Scott realized the broken bell was symbolic of the very people The Salvation Army helps to restore each day.
This realization helped him create the children’s story The Bell – an illustrative way to teach children the importance of compassion and to provide better understanding behind the holiday tradition of bell ringing.
The story’s main character is Bella, a broken hand bell who is certain no one loves her because she’s unable to make a sound. Bella is downtrodden and broken; representative of the millions of Americans The Salvation Army seeks to help each day. Thanks to a kind man, Bella is eventually restored and able to make music again.
Bella’s story is not uncommon. Through the generosity of donors and the loving hearts of faithful volunteers, thousands of broken lives are repaired every day. This is the purpose of The Salvation Army: mending the lives and spirits of people in need – counseling, rehabilitating, and meeting basic needs. This is why our red kettles started 120 years ago. Thousands of small donations really add up – $142 million last year from our Christmas kettles! Donations are turned right around to serve the community in which they were raised.
So as the holidays approach and you see that dedicated bell ringer outside of your local store, we hope you’ll remember the story of The Bell. By simply donating your extra change, you’ll help restore the life and spirit of someone who truly needs a boost.
If you would like to share this touching story with a child, order your copy by visiting http://thebellstory.com/book.php. A bonus: a portion of the proceeds from this book have been donated to The Salvation Army!
You can also visit The Bell’s Facebook Page by clicking here.
Are you looking for ways to give or volunteer? Please visit www.SalvationArmyUSA.org.
