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

Youth Champion of 2009

Jake Iery has the heart of a servant and he showed it  when he organized a community toy drive last Fall. Read more on our volunteer blog.

Our partners, our champions

Reaching out to our neighbors in need takes a team effort – from businesses, our volunteers, our staff, our community. On Wednesday night, we paused to take a few hours to honor some of our team, our champions, who have really gone above and beyond to make a difference in our city. All of our partners play a vital role in how we reach out to those in need, so it was difficult to choose just two to honor, but that was the plan. So, our deepest thanks and congratulations to Reach USA/ValPak and Two Men and a Truck for your work in 2009.

Reach USA/ValPak and Jim Brantley – We honored them for helping us get the word out. In our efforts to use our donor support to do the most good, The Salvation Army uses less than 1/2% of our budget to advertise and market our organization and services. Reach USA/ValPak works with us to get the most out of those dollars, offering reduced rate and sometimes even free space in their publications. And in 2009, Reach USA/ValPak was our WIBC Radiothon Phone Bank sponsor – donating their dollars and their employees’ time answering phones and helping out at Emmis. Jim offers his time and talent serving on our Advisory Board and Development Committee as well. Thanks, Reach USA/ValPak!

Two Men and a Truck and Drew Werling – We honored Two Men for all of the support their offer by transporting coat and toy donations during our annual Coats for Kids and WISHTree/Angel Tree collection drives. That’s no small task to pick up thousands of coats and toys from locations all over the city and get them efficiently to us to distribute to thousands of families in need. Two Men is also a title sponsor of our Homelessness Bites campaign for homeless and abused women and children. Drew believed in us when the campaign started and has supported us every step of the way. And we can’t forget the dozens of boxes they’ve donated to ship Operation Compassion care packages to our troops serving overseas. Thanks, Two Men!

And finally, a special thanks to our Advisory Board Chair, Diane Nichols (Perkins Nichols Media) for her tireless efforts to promote the brand and cause of The Salvation Army.

We are so appreciative that we could share the evening with friends from Kroger, WISH TV-8, the Northwest Indianapolis Kiwanis and Tuchman Cleaners as well. Thanks for taking the time to see how your support changes lives.

If you’d like to partner with The Salvation Army, give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

Mom Squad to ring for homeless kids

It’s in a mom’s nature to step in when there’s a need – especially if it involves kids. Once again this year, Indy Moms Like Me is joining us during the Christmas season to help raise some funds for our programs at the kettles – theirs is pink, by the way. And also, at our WIBC Radiothon during the Saturday Kids Day on December 12. The Moms are supporting our Homelessness Bites campaign to end homelessness for the 1,500 kids who spend their nights on the streets with their moms due to domestic violence or financial difficulties.

Indy Moms Like Me is a social networking group here in Indy where moms can come together and discuss all things “mom” – from parenting to support groups to volunteer opportunities and recipes.

Are you an Indy Mom? (If not, you can join here) If you are, join The Salvation Army group and encourage others to join us on Monument Circle on Saturday, December 12 to ring bells at the kettles and bring a toy down to donate for Angel Tree.

Bikers donate over 700 toys

This weekend, over 350 motorcyclists delivered toys to The Salvation Army as part of the 15th annual Circle City Toy Run. About 200 cycles shook the street as the giant convoy, which required a police escort, traveled from Zaines Too Bar & Grill to The Salvation Army’s Headquarters at 3100 North Meridian Street.

The bike enthusiasts brought with them over 700 toys which will be distributed to children in need during The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree distribution at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in a few weeks. Last year, over 13,000 toys were collected and distributed to families in need through Salvation Army toy programs.

The organizer of the Circle City Toy Run, Ron “Bumber” Herron says that he runs the annual event in honor of his Mother, Dorothy Herron, who was big supporter of The Salvation Army. Captain Marcos Ramirez expressed his gratitude for the generous gift as he spoke to the participants. “Your generosity is going to make a difference in hundreds of children’s lives. You’ve warmed my heart today,” said Captain Ramirez.

You can find out more about The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree and WISHtree programs by visiting IndyWISHTree.org.

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