You’ve got us on your calendar for lunch on Thursday, right?

Come and join us for Apple Fest on Monument Circle anytime between 10:30am – 1:30pm and forget about brown bagging it. It’s a no-guilt excuse to put those lunch dollars to good use – a fresh Applebee’s lunch for you and a donation to our women’s and children’s shelter. You can’t beat it! (And if you need lunch “to go”, we’ll be ready for you!)

We’ll have all kinds of entertainment and surprises with live music by Bandwagon and appearances by the Pacemates and more! And while you’re there, please stop by our sponsor’s booths. We’ll be hosting our campaign sponsor – Two Men and a Truck, apple cobbler sponsor – GFS Marketplace, apple sponsor – Adrian Orchards, media partners – WIBC 93/ESPN The Fan 1070/B105.7/HANK 97.1, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The American Legion, Dunkin’ Donuts, Comedysportz, Squish Designs, Indy Moms Like Me and folks from each of our Salvation Army’s nearby locations.

Speaking of apple cobbler…remember if you donate a new or gently used coat to Bob Gregory’s Coats for Kids campaign, we’ll give you a sweet reward – a FREE apple cobbler! Help us provide a warm coat to Indy’s children in need.

See you there!

Sign up now to “Bite Back”

Did you know that we served over 200 women and children at our shelter last month? That’s about 210 women and children who otherwise would have had no where to go to escape abuse or a night on the street. And that’s just a portion of the 1,500 kids who spend their nights on the street in Indy throughout the year! If we ignore homelessness, it doesn’t go away.

You can help us to provide shelter, food, and a fresh start to our neighbors in need by joining us on Thursday, October 1 at our 6th annual Apple Fest. The Salvation Army is inviting those who live and do business downtown to Eat in the Street for homeless kids. And we’d like you to join us.

Booth space is only $100 for businesses ($50 for non-profits) and the funds raised at this event – through sponsorships and lunch – will be used to offer housing assistance, resources and support to moms and children find themselves homeless due to a financial struggles and domestic violence. Read more

A special thanks to Nicki Laycoax and Squish Designs for helping us Bite Back! Not only has she been tweeting the cause of Indy’s 1,500 homeless kids, she’s created the official Twitter cause “twibbon“. Which is pretty cool since before I met Nicki, I didn’t know that was possible. See? That’s why Squish Designs can say that they truly develop your business or organization – everything social media from blogs to Twitter to facebook.

And speaking of facebook, due to the diligent promotion from Nicki and Squish (as well as our campaign spokesperson, Mel McMahon, and our own social media intern Deb) we’ve got 450 fans from here to Texas and back! Way to Bite Back!

Help out with Coats for Kids

Can you believe this year marks the 23rd year for Bob Gregory’s Coats for Kids? It’s true! Monday, September 7 marked the official beginning to the coat collection drive! We’re anticipating a much greater need for coats this year than ever before – in all sizes from infant to teen – so please be sure to bring (and encourage your neighbors, friends, family and churches to bring) new or gently used winter coats to any of the following locations:

• Tuchman Cleaners (25 area locations)
• Apple Fest – Thursday, October 1st on Monument Circle
• Lucas Oil Stadium – Sunday, October 4th

I know it’s still warm outside now, but it won’t be for long. We need to get winter coats to children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford one, before the chilly air hits. Before the first snow of the season. Before the 2 hour windchill delays.

If you would like to volunteer for this incredible event we can use all the help we can get (especially with set-up), call Elizabeth at 224-1010. Without organization, Distribution Day can’t happen.

Bells will be ringing…

Since there are really only two seasons for the Salvation Army, Christmas and NOT Christmas, it seems time to give you a preview of what’s to come for our 2009 Tree of Lights campaign. This is going to be a tough season.

We’re already experiencing a nearly 20% increase in requests for assistance for housing and food and the holiday season hasn’t begun.

 

We spoke with WTHR 13’s Angela Cain on Red Shield Radio this week. We have the priviledge of working with both Angela and with Bob Gregory on the Coats for Kids donation drive each Fall. And we agreed, with more parents struggling to keep and find jobs, the lines will be long at coat distribution day. If you’d like to make sure at least one child has a warm coat this winter, go here to learn more about Coats for Kids. We’re accepting donations now through October 5.

Right after Coats for Kids, we’ll kick off our Christmas season at our Tree of Lights Kick-off right here on the lawn of our headquarters on November 19. Our goal is $3 million this year and we’ll need everyone to dig deep and find it in their hearts and wallets to help those who are struggling to provide shelter and necessities for their families. The next day, we’ll begin the bellringing season at Celebrity Bell Ringing on Monument Circle. This is a perfect time to meet a favorite local celebrity and spare a few coins.

Then Radiothon is just around the corner on December 11-13. Join our 2008/2009 Radiothon Chair, Quinn Buckner of the Indiana Pacers as we support our programs for men, women and children right here in our city! We have opportunities for  hourly sponsors and volunteers to work in the phone bank. It’s a 55-hour Marathon of Giving, and our biggest fundraising event of the year.

And immediately following Radiothon is our Toy Shop at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. This is the week that all the toys from our seasonal toy drive will be distributed to families in need. To learn more about participating as a collection site, a set-up volunteer or as an event day volunteer, go here.

We can’t meet this kind of need without our volunteers. If you’re interested in ringing a bell, hosting a coat or toy collection drive, or participating in Radiothon, there are lots of ways to give of your dollars and your time. Please give Elizabeth a call at 224-1010.

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