Radiothon Finishes Strong

The 16th Annual WIBC Radiothon to benefit The Salvation Army wrapped up on Sunday after 58 hours of programing which encouraged listeners to pledge their support. At the end, $141,164 was raised at the event.

This year’s final total was a little behind last year’s, but it still translates to more than 31,000 meals and more than 1,500 safe nights of shelter for those in need in our community. Of course The Salvation Army would not be able to provide these needs without the generosity of everyone who called in and made a pledge. Thank you! Read more

JCPenney supports Salvation Army Angel Tree program

Thanks to JCPenney, we can now share our angels with the entire country online! As the exclusive online destination for adopting Salvation Army Angels, www.jcp.com/angel allows customers to select an Angel anywhere in the U.S. — making it easier than ever to buy and ship their Angel gifts free from the convenience of their home, office or anywhere in the world.

What’s Angel Tree? Families who request Christmas assistance through The Salvation Army can complete a wishlist of clothing and gift items that are then turned into angel tags. People in the community can then adopt that angel and purchase items on those lists and return the gifts to The Salvation Army for delivery. For thousands of families, this adoption process has become a Christmas giving tradition in their communities. Through the JCPenney partnership, angels can be adopted and shopped for online at their website or through their facebook page.

“In the first year of introducing this program online, nearly 40,000 Angels from across the country were adopted last Christmas,” said Thomas M. Nealon, group executive vice president. “Now, more than ever, customers want to make a difference during the holidays. Read more

Coats for Kids provides 9,300+ coats to Indy families in need

We’ve all heard the saying, “it takes a village” and that was certainly true this October. The Salvation Army has been priviledged to partner with Tuchman Cleaners and Bob Gregory and our friends from WTHR-13 for the past 24 years to gather, clean and distribute coats to kids in need. Hoosiers are a generous group of people donating enough coats (and dollars to buy more coats) to clothe all of the kids who attended Saturday’s distribution day at the Fairgrounds.

So, we’d like to take a moment to thank all the people and businesses who make this event a success. Read more

Keith Urban To Kick-Off Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign

 

Three-time Grammy Award winner Keith Urban will be the featured performer at The Salvation Army’s Kettle Kickoff at halftime of the nationally televised Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game on November 25, 2010. Charlotte Jones Anderson, Executive Vice President Brand Management/ President of Charities for the Dallas Cowboys, made the announcement on ESPN’s Monday Night Football this evening.

As part of the Kettle Kickoff promotion, fans will have a chance to win an expense-paid trip to the game in Dallas versus the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints by signing up to be an Online Red Kettle virtual bell ringer at OnlineRedKettle.org. The game will air on FOX starting at 3:15 p.m. CST.

Keith Urban’s halftime show will mark the 14th year that the Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army have partnered together to raise money for people in need in communities across the country. During the Thanksgiving Day performance Urban is expected to play a number of his top hits, including his latest single “Put You in a Song” from his forthcoming CD Get Closer (in stores on November 16th). “I’m really honored to be a part of this great tradition and great partnership between the Dallas Cowboys and the Salvation Army,” said Urban. “It’s gonna be amazing playing in Cowboys Stadium in that environment at half time of the Thanksgiving game!”

As part of this year’s Kettle Kickoff, two fans will have the chance to win a trip to Dallas to see the game, by signing up to host an Online Red Kettle at www.OnlineRedKettle.org. The contest is free to enter and allows participants to work as a virtual bell ringer, recruiting friends, family and colleagues to support people in need across America by donating online. Fans who collect the most donations have a chance to win. Fans can sign up beginning October 25, 2010 and winners will be alerted on November 21, 2010. Complete rules and contest details are available online at OnlineRedKettle.org.

“This year, Keith Urban, one of the most popular music artists in the world, will kick-off the Red Kettle Campaign in style and we couldn’t be happier,” said Charlotte Jones Anderson, recently announced as the new Chairperson of The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board. “We know Keith’s drive to share his voice with others, will connect with and encourage the American public to give generously and support the important work being done by The Salvation Army.”

Over the last 13 years, the nationally televised halftime performance has become an annual Thanksgiving tradition for fans in attendance and viewers at home. The Red Kettle campaign has raised more than $1.3 billion since the partnership began in 1997 and has helped The Salvation Army to serve 30 million people each year nationwide. Last year, the red kettles raised a record $139 million. Previous celebrity halftime performers include Daughtry, Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Destiny’s Child, Toby Keith, LeAnn Rimes, Creed, Jessica Simpson, Billy Gillman, Clint Black, Randy Travis and Reba McEntire.

“The partnership between The Salvation Army and the Dallas Cowboys is one that comes from the heart of the Jones family as part of their commitment to help  those in need during Christmas and year-round,” said Major George Hood, National Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army. “Every year the opportunity for Salvation Army beneficiaries grows thanks to this great relationship, as well as the support of great musical talent like Keith Urban, allowing the Army to provide food, utility assistance, adult rehabilitation from alcohol and drug addiction, disaster relief and other services to nearly 30 million individuals in more than 5,000 communities nationwide every year.”

From its original beginnings as a fundraiser started by a Salvation Army captain in San Francisco in 1891, the Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States. As part of the campaign, more than 25,000 Salvation Army workers and volunteers spread throughout the country to ring bells daily and solicit spare change donations to the iconic red kettles from holiday shoppers. In 2009, the campaign raised more than $139 million nationwide, a new record supported by the public’s  nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars, credit cards (and the occasional diamond ring or gold tooth) all collected and used to help people in the communities where they were raised. Last year, the funds helped The Salvation Army provide food, clothing, toys and other assistance to nearly 30 million Americans in need.

In addition to physical kettles, donors can contribute online at SalvationArmyUSA.org or through a virtual red kettle on any number of corporate or individual websites and Facebook pages.

Lumina Foundation supports Coats for Kids

Their $500 donation will help us give kids in need coats, hats and gloves before the snowflakes fly! And there’s still time for you to help, too.

• If you’re a parent, please check your closets at home for gently used coats that your kids no longer need. And please encourage your friends and family to do the same. You can drop off coat donations at any Tuchman Cleaners.
• Make a secure donation on-line here.
• Volunteer to set-up for Coats for Kids by calling Elizabeth at 224-1010. It takes an organized team to distribute thousands of coats.

Hoosiers have never let their neighbors in need down. We’re counting on our community to come out in full force to make sure that no kid goes without a coat this winter. And thanks again to the Lumina Foundation for supporting Bob Gregory’s Coats for Kids campaign!

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