Jake Iery and his family pose with Majors Keith and Sherrie Welch. Jake won the Youth Champion of the Year Award.

There were champions among us this past Wednesday evening, at the First Annual Salvation Army Victory Dinner held at Riverwalk in Broad Ripple. Attendees gathered on this beautiful evening to celebrate the efforts of a few fine citizens and businesses who had sacrificially earned that title through a variety of ways. Focusing on the 2009 Christmas season, these volunteers and supporters of the Army’s programs really were what made this year’s Tree of Lights events successful. In spite of not reaching the monetary goal, countless lives were significantly touched by these people and their service. Keeping in mind the mission of The Salvation Army, it was an honor to recognize these special individuals for meeting human needs on behalf of the Army.

Major Richard Amick, Indiana’s Divisional Commander, started off the evening with some encouraging words while directing our attention to the many ways the Army has been blessed this past year. This was followed by a video, “A Year in Review” highlighting the Army’s work throughout 2009.  Continuing with the theme of “The Power of One”, inspirational speaker for the Colts, Josh Bleill gave an outstanding talk. Bleill, an ex-marine who lost both legs from an explosive device while serving in Iraq, uses his experiences as a platform to share with others about how they too can make a difference.

Saving the best for last, the night culminated with the presentation of awards to the champions, whose hard work served men, women and children. Of special interest was Zionsville Middle School student, Jake Iery, who was recognized as Youth Champion of the Year. Learn more about what Jake did for children in need on the volunteer blog, www.savolunteer.org/. Also honored individually was Iris Bouchez, as Volunteer Champion of the Year, in addition to Northwest Kiwanis Club, Two Men And A Truck, Reach USA/ValPak and Response Church. Salvation Army staff was excited to be able give each award recipient a specially handmade plaque, created by some of the kids who reside at our Women and Children’s Shelter.

If you’d like to join the ranks of champions and/or for more information, call Elizabeth Wilhelm- Volunteer Coordinator at 224-1010.

Thanks so much to all of our hourly and in-kind sponsors – to Emmis Communications and the amazing men and women who produced the -athon, the programmers, the personalities, just everyone who’s made it easy to call Emmis’ lobby home for the past 55 hours. We would not be able to do what we’ve done without their dedication and enthusiasm.

And here are the teary thanks, so buckle up – Thanks to our Radiothon Chair, Quinn Buckner and the Indiana Pacers. You set the tone for giving before the event went on the air! Thanks to Walmart for that incredible demonstration of support! Not only did your $100,000 bump that total, but it went a LONG way in encouraging our listeners to step up and make the calls. Thanks to our Phone Bank sponsor, ValPak and REACH magazine for your generosity and the manpower to keep those calls a’comin. And we can’t forget the folks at Markey’s Rental and Staging for the donation of our big screens – the tote boards are so vital in communicating with our phone bank and with the studio.

On behalf of all of the men, women and children we serve, THANK YOU for your support! This weekend, you’ve truly made a difference right here in Indiana!

Thanks to all of the staff and volunteers from WTHR-13, Tuchman Cleaners, and our own Salvation Army team for their dedication to keeping kids warm this winter! Continued thanks to the fine folks at Two Men And A Truck who gathered and delivered all the coats to Tuchman for cleaning.

The 23rd annual Coats for Kids distribution will be this Saturday, October 10 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Last year, more than 4,200 kids received coats through Coats For Kids, an increase of 15% over the previous year. And, this year the need is expect to be even greater due to the poor economy and a rise in unemployment.

There’s still time to help. You can give a kid a new coat by making an online donation. Or, you can take your new or gently used coats to any area Tuchman Cleaners through the rest of today.

Thanks to a group of dedicated sponsors and volunteers, our “Eat Outside the Box” picnic to end homelessness was a huge success!

So, we wanted to take a minute to share some photos and say a special thanks to those who made it happen. Our friends at All American Picnic Company grilled over 500 hot dogs and Costco provided chips to make it a meal. Bandwagon kept the crowd moving with their toe-tappin’ performance. Blue entertained the crowd while his friends from the Colts shared the Vince Lombardi trophy. Lunchgoers also enjoyed shootin’ some hoops at the Pacers Fan Van while some of the Pacemates handed out posters and give-aways for fans. Long-time partners Two Men and a Truck gave away a free 8 hour move as Trucky mingled with the crowd.

We had a great booth sponsor turnout as well with representatives from the University of Phoenix, Keller Williams Realty, HIP, Indy School on Wheels, the Avenue, Trina’s Treats, The Indianapolis Star, HVAF, and the American Legion.

When 1,300 of our youngest citizens spend their nights on the streets, we have to do something about it. And yesterday’s event was another way to educate Hoosiers that they can make a difference by supporting the services that The Salvation Army already has in place. To learn more, visit HomelessnessBites.org

And don’t forget to mark your calendar to join us for our 6th annual Apple Fest on Monument Circle on Thursday, October 1.

So, if you’re looking for a place to take in a game or just enjoy some excellent game food (the blackened chicken quesadillas were amazing!), stop by Blue Crew. And make sure to let them know that you appreciate their partnership with The Salvation Army!

With about three weeks left in the Tree of Lights campaign, we’re about 85% of the way to our goal. Want to help make a difference in the lives of those struggling right here in our community? Donate on-line or give Kristen a call at 224-1019 to discuss an event or partnership opportunity.

Some of our very own Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders kicked off the event this morning at 6am. We also expect our 2008 Radiothon Chair (and Indiana Basketball legend) Quinn Buckner to ring and meet and greet at 10am. Our friends from Dunkin’ Donuts are sponsoring lunch for our celebrities and volunteers and will have their Cup and Donut mascots passing out some gift cards. After lunch, the Pacers mascots – Boomer and Bowser, and the Pacemates will join us. The mascot fun continues with Blue – Indianapolis Colts Mascot, Truckie from Two Men and a Truck and IUPUI Mascot Jawz. The Salvation Army Brass Ensemble & Donut Girls will take the afternoon shift. On-air personalities from WISH-TV8 will also join us throughout the day.

Yesterday, Eric Halvorson challenged 100,000 Hoosiers to each give $5.50 a week til Christmas to help us meet our Tree of Lights goal this year. Today’s a perfect day to come over and start by giving to those who have none.

But, no worries – if you can’t make it to Celebrity bellringing, you’ll have the opportunity to give at over 140 locations throughout the city through December 24th. And, of course, if you’re interested in volunteering this season by ringing a bell at a red kettle location, or by hosting your own on-line red kettle, go to indykettle.org or give Elizabeth a call at 224-1010.

Due to a dramatic increase in requests for assistance, food pantry reserves throughout Indianapolis are critically low. We’ve seen a 23% increase for assistance at our Social Service Center in the first six months of this year! So, this past Friday, Mayor Ballard held a press conference to urge Hoosier individuals and businesses to host food drives to help re-stock our city’s food pantries. “This is about helping our neighbors get through an economic downturn this winter,” said Mayor Ballard.

Our own Indiana Divisional Commander Major Dick Amick also spoke at the conference, urging the community to come together and make certain that no one in need is turned away this winter. The Salvation Army will gladly accept donations any of our locations.

And in true Hoosier tradition, our Indianapolis Colts and Meijer have teamed up to “put a hit on hunger” with their Sacking Hunger campaign at the Colts/Houston game on Nov. 16. Anyone who brings food to the game will receive a limited edition Colts poster. And for those unable to attend the game, you can stop by your local Meijer make a donation – for each donation or $10 gift card purchase, you’ll receive a limited edition Colts poster as well.

And for you basketball fans – in addition to the Pacers’ generous $5,000 contribution to Pack the Pantry, they will be hosting a food collection drive at Conseco Fieldhouse until the end of the year. When you drop off items for the city’s pantries, you’ll receive a discount coupon towards a game ticket. 

If your company would like to partner with us to Pack the Pantry by hosting a food collection drive, please give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

Colts Placekicker Adam Vinatieri will kick off Tuesday morning on Indy’s south side, meeting fans and pouring coffee to help raise money for our programs that benefit homeless kids.

Beginning at 10:15 tomorrow (Tuesday 10/28) morning, Dunkin’ Donuts will donate $5 for every cup of coffee Vinatieri serves at the newest Southside Dunkin’ Donuts, located at 7853 U.S. 31. So, stop in, have some coffee, and help provide shelter, food, and social services to the 1,300 Indy children who face homelessness each day in our city. For more information about our Homelessness Bites campaign, visit HomelessnessBites.org.

Our long-time friend, Bob Gregory brought his WTHR family out to meet, greet and collect coats for our city’s families in need. I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Bob, Chuck and Mary Lofton and Angela Cain as fans dropped off coats and posed for camera phone pictures with a news team that seems like family.

We were touched by how many Colts fans pushed through the crowds to drop off a brand new coat or throw a few bucks in the kettle. It was shoulder to shoulder right at 4pm, so fans passed bags through the crowd. Angela and I would just yell “thank you” into the sea of blue, and fans would shout back “no, thank you!” Not too easy to remember to grab a parka when you’re wearing a t-shirt, so thanks to all of you Colts fans who donated coats or cash to make a difference in your city.

And since we couldn’t do this without our business community - we’ld like to take a moment to thank our partners. 

 - Thanks to Bob Gregory for being the face of Coats for Kids year after year. And thanks to the team at WTHR for giving us a few hours on your day off.

 - Thanks to Mike and the crew from Tuchman Cleaners who came out with carts and signs and for cleaning all these coats in time for distribution.

 - Thanks to the guys from Two Men and a Truck for loading nearly 1,300 coats into their truck on the street outside the stadium (and for taking them all to Tuchman’s for cleaning).

 - Thanks to the event staff at Lucas Oil Stadium for allowing us to collect before the game and for being such gracious hosts.

 - And, thanks to all of our volunteers who stood in the blazing sun to accept donations.

And to those of you who have not had the opportunity to donate, there’s still time to help.

 - Drop off a new or gently used coat at area Tuchman Cleaners through October 6th.

 - Want to take up a collection at your office? Let us know and we’ll arrange for a pick-up. 

 - Don’t have a coat/the time to buy one? You can donate online - your $25 donation will purchase a brand new coat for a little boy or girl this winter.