Celebs ring on Monument Circle

 If you’re in downtown Indy this afternoon, you’ll notice it sounds a lot more like Christmas. Today is Celebrity Bell Ringing Day in front of Emmis studios on Monument Circle. Some of our more recognizable friends are giving an hour or more of their time today to ring bells and collect some of the first donations of the season.

So far today, we’ve had the priviledge of ringing with some of the lovely Colts cheerleaders, WISH TV-8 personalities, our WIBC Radiothon Chair (and Pacers’ own) Quinn Buckner, Darth Vadar, Boomer, Trucky and Big-E-Foot. We’ve also had some fun previewing tomorrow’s Turkey Bowling event with GFS Marketplace.

Speaking of turkey bowling, if you’re out and about on the west side tomorrow, stop by the GFS Marketplace on Rockville Road for their Thanksgiving sampling day and Turkey Bowling. We’ll be there and we hope you’ll join us in packing the pantries at our community centers.

Tree of Lights Ceremony Kicks off Season

WISH TV-8 anchorman, Eric Halvorson kicked off his fifth season as Chair at our Tree of Lights ceremony this morning. Community leaders and volunteers gathered to show support in raising this year’s campaign goal of $3 million – the largest goal ever set by The Salvation Army in Central Indiana. That’s an ambitious goal in a tough economic climate, but with requests for assistance soaring, we will need every last dollar to continue to provide food, shelter, utility and holiday assistance to our neighbors in need.

Walmart has generously agreed to once again serve as our Tree of Lights tree sponsor. Also joining us at this morning’s kick-off event was our 15th annual WIBC Radiothon team of Radiothon Chair and Pacers’ VP of Communications, Quinn Buckner and Terri Stacy and Joe Staysniak of the WIBC Morning Show. And special music was provided by the St. Richard’s singers and The Salvation Army Brass Ensemble. Our Divisional Commanders Majors Richard and Vicki Amick encouraged each of us to help our communities in need – if just one in ten people in Marion County could donate just $30 each, we’d collect that $3 million by Christmas! Now that’s not so unattainable.

We’d like to thank our corporate partners for their attendance and support this holiday season – Jerome Rauch – Walmart, John Elliott – Kroger and Jay Ricker – Ricker’s Oil and am/pm convenience stores and Two Men and A Truck. Thanks to Dunkin’ Donuts and GFS Marketplace for providing coffee and hot cocoa to all. Of course, we couldn’t have a tree lighting ceremony without our partners at Barth Electric. Thanks to the folks at WISH TV-8 for loaning Eric to us and for hosting and promoting the WISHTree toy collections throughout the season and at the December 13 Colts game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Of course, this is just the beginning of the season for us. If you’d like to involve your business or organization, we’d love to have you join us! WIBC Radiothon hourly sponsorships and in-kind sponsorships are still available at WIBCRadiothon.org. Or, you can become a toy collection site and host a collection box – last year we were able to play Santa to over 900 families because of donations collected in offices and store fronts across Central Indiana! Ring a bell, host an on-line red kettle or just drop a few bucks in the kettle as you go by. With a $3 million goal, we can use all the help we can get!

Help us play Santa to Indy’s kids in need

Once again, we’re teaming up with our friends at WISH TV-8 to provide Christmas gifts to area kids in need. As you’re out shopping for gifts for your loved ones, pick up an extra toy or two and drop it in one of the many WISHTree and Angel Tree collection boxes throughout the city. The Salvation Army will use that gift to make a child’s Christmas wishes come true.

We began accepting applications for Christmas assistance at the beginning of November. This year, we saw a 150% increase in requests in the first day! We need your help to meet the need. In 2008, we were able to help over 900 families through the support of our community. With so many more in need, we know our goal has to be higher – you can help.

We’ll be collecting toys throughout the city from now until December 14. You can also host a collection drive at your office or storefront. Just give Crissy a call at 224-1017 and we’ll get a collection box to you right away! You can also bring a toy to the WIBC Radiothon on December 12 on Monument Circle. Or even drop off a toy on the way into the December 13 Colts game at Lucas Oil Stadium. (The folks at WISH TV-8 will be passing out Colts collector posters to all who donate that day.)

If everyone gives what they have, no one goes without!

JCP.com lets you adopt an Angel this Christmas…in your pj’s

JC Penney and The Salvation Army are joining forces this Christmas season to give joy to families in need through a national online Angel Giving Tree program. From now until December 14, for the first-time ever, customers can adopt and shop online for Angels at www.jcp.com/angel, providing tens of thousands of children and seniors facing hardship in communities across the country with Christmas gifts.

“In a year when so many need help, the new online Angel Giving Tree program will extend our reach and make it easier for our customers and Associates to give back this holiday season,” said Mike Boylson, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for JCPenney. “By leveraging the strength of jcp.com, we are helping to modernize an American tradition – the Angel Tree program – and creating an innovative way to help families in need in our communities across the nation. Launching this program with The Salvation Army allows us to elevate our support for a cause that is extremely important to our customers and Associates, underscoring our focus on the ‘Joy of Giving’ this holiday season.” Read more

Grant opens Resource Library at Eagle Creek Center

Thanks to a $25,000 grant from Target stores, The Salvation Army opened a new Library/Media Center at its Eagle Creek location on the Westside of Indianapolis. The grand opening (this past Thursday, November 5) began with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony which featured local author – Lorene Burkhart,  Douglas Hairston – Director of the Mayor’s Front Porch Alliance, and Major Richard Amick – Divisional Commander for the Indiana Division.

The $25,000 grant was part of a $1 million donation to The Salvation Army to revitalize the organization’s libraries, media centers and educational facilities across the country.  The Salvation Army used the money to refurbish a little-used room in their community center.  The remodel included new lighting fixtures, flooring, bookshelves, plenty of books, and workspaces. The space includes computers and a smart board, and will give kids a place to study and learn during regularly scheduled after-school activities.   Also available will be Rosetta Stone software which will help with The Salvation Army’s ESL (English as a Second Language) classes.  “This is a wonderful thing that Target has done.  Our business partners around the community are stepping up and helping our youth and our seniors and it’s great to see,” said Douglas Hairston.

The new facility is just part of Target’s support or local communities.  “At Target, our local grants are making a difference in the communities we serve,” said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. “We’re proud to partner with The Salvation Army as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work.”

In addition to the grant, Target also provided a crew of volunteers to help with the labor and get the room ready for its unveiling. Adrianne Billafana, executive team leader for Human Resources at a nearby Target store, helped organize the employee-volunteers to complete the work. Although Target does many volunteer projects in the community year-round, this one has more interest for many of the volunteers.  “This is really cool,” said Billafana. “This is the first project where the money for the work comes from us, and we get to come in and do the work. It’s full circle.”