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.

 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.

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!

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.

You’re among the first to know – we’ve exceeded our goal for the Tree of Lights campaign! (and we couldn’t have done it without you!)

In the face of a recession, lay-offs and home foreclosures, Hoosiers dug deep to help those less fortunate than themselves. You sponsored hours and called in your pledges during our WIBC Radiothon and helped raise over $223,000 in three days! You sent your support in response to direct mail and donated online. And no Tree of Lights campaign would be complete without our famous red kettles. Of the more than $2.77 million that’s been raised during this year’s campaign, over $789,000 was collected at the 140 Red Kettle locations throughout central Indiana.  So, thanks to all of you who allowed our bellringers to ring outside your stores and offices. Your participation is so vital to the success of the campaign!

So whether you gave $1 or $1,000, you were part of our own Christmas miracle. Through your support, we will continue to offer shelter and support to the homeless and abuse, a safe place for children through our after-school programs, compassion to our community’s seniors and hope and rehabilitation to the addicted. On behalf of the men, women and children we serve every day of the year, THANK YOU!

Look at that total – just a little over $46,000 to go until we reach our goal! Your giving is making it possible for The Salvation Army to continue providing coats to little girls like this one (above), shelter to moms and kids fleeing domestic violence, assistance to families struggling to make ends meet – doing the most good for those who mean it most.

But we’re not there yet. With over 83 cents of each dollar you give going straight to those who need it, that $46,000 will go a long way in meeting the needs of our neighbors. So if you want to give a boost to a mom looking for a fresh start for her kids, a warm meal to a disaster victim, you can donate here or send your support to our offices at 3100 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208.

She arrived at our shelter with nothing but a suitcase. She’d left everything behind – including her abusive husband. Her company had just downsized and she’d even lost her job. Donna was in desperate need of a safe place to stay while she figured out her next step. What she found was safety and compassion, a fresh start. Within days, she found a full-time retail job. And with the help and support of the counselors at our shelter, she put together a financial plan and had the money to support herself in her own apartment in just two month’s time. And even though she’s self sufficient, she’s not on her own. Donna continues to participate in the Continuing Support Program and meets with her case manager weekly.

You see, when you support The Salvation Army, your money helps women like Donna start over. Your donations aren’t paying for flashy offices or huge salaries. Your donations provide safe shelter for women fleeing domestic violence, a place for kids to go after school while their parents work, the resources for people who are struggling to get back on their feet. You’ll see it in the faces of the men, women and children we serve every day of the year at our Social Service Center, our domestic violence shelter, at Harbor Light or at any of our community Corps offices. That’s a better investment than Wall Street these days!

We’re just about $229,000 away from our Tree of Lights goal. To make certain our neighbors in need will always find help through The Salvation Army, please donate online or send your support to 3100 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208. Thanks for helping us continue “doing the most good” for those who need it most.

Well, that’s a good question. These goals seem like an awful lot of money to the average person tuning into a nightly newscast.  When an organization raises $2.75 million, the community SHOULD wonder (and get an answer to the question) where does the money go?

Well, in 2008, our partners (like you) made it possible for The Salvation Army to…

- serve 66,392 people by providing shelter and care

- provide 192,937 meals

- give winter coats to over 4,000 kids through Coats for Kids

- play Santa to 900 families through the annual Angel Tree collection & Toy Shop

- assist 1,286 people with substance abuse care

- sent 546 at-risk kids to summer camps

- ship 6,957 care packages to our troops through Operation Compassion

- provide $2.5 million in assistance, over 10,000 meals & 4,000 flood kits to Indiana flood victims

“Doing the Most Good” isn’t just a slogan for The Salvation Army. We’re serious about using the dollars you’ve entrusted to us to do the most we can do to make a difference in the lives of the men, women and children who come to us for help. And it’s not too late to help us meet our Tree of Lights goal for 2009. Just go here. Thanks for your support and continued partnership!

Applications for Christmas assistance are over double than last year. But, each of us can do a little to lighten the burden for struggling families. We’re offering you the chance to host your very own Salvation Army Red Kettle without even having to stand outside.  

This is the ONLY way for you to volunteer for The Salvation Army from the comfort of your living room.  The idea is simple:  Create and customize your own Online Red Kettle, then email your friends and ask them to donate to your kettle.  (And you won’t be caught digging for change at the mall.)

How do you get started?  Simply go to OnlineRedKettle.org, click “Start A New Kettle,” and follow the instructions.  If you have any questions, we can help.  Email us at ORK@SalvationArmyIndiana.org and we will help you set up your Online Red Kettle.

Your group, company, or organization can also form a team kettle.  Just click “Start A New Kettle” and then “Start A Team.”  You can set a team goal and members of the team can set their own individual goals.  Find out more about the team kettle here.

This year’s Tree of Lights goal is $2.75 million.  Sounds like a lofty goal, but if just 1,000 people set up an Online Red Kettle with a goal of $275 and they reach their goal, we can raise $275,000 online.  That’s 10% of our Tree of Lights goal.  So if you love The Salvation Army but you hate the cold, host an Online Red Kettle. 

And, of course, if you love The Salvation Army and you love standing out in the cold, contact our volunteer coordinator, Elizabeth, and set up a time to ring a real bell.

Through the Tree of Lights campaign and the generous support of Hoosiers, over 27 thousand people receive assistance from the Salvation Army last year. The goal this year is to raise 2.75 million dollars to once again help the thousands who are homeless, fleeing domestic abuse, overcoming addictions, or trying to get back on their feet after loosing everything in this summer’s flooding.

The lighting of our tree, the symbol of the Tree of Lights campaign, was once again made possible by a generous gift from Walmart.  Jason Wetzel, Senior Public Affairs Manager,  shared that the partnership between the Salvation Army and Walmart is the longest running Walmart partnership in the country.  Last year, more than a quarter of the money raised in Salvation Army Red Kettles was collected in front of Walmart stores.

Halvorson shared that last year the campaign raised enough to give toys to over 700 families through the annual WISHTree/AngelTree program and helped more than 1,200 people overcome their addictions. The He went on to urge everyone to “give what you can to help the Salvation Army during this holiday season.”

Halvorson also officially announced basketball legend and Pacers’ VP of Communications, Quinn Buckner will serve as this year’s WIBC Radiothon Chair. The three-day live fundraising event on 93.1 fm will go on the air December 12-14. Buckner introduced WIBC radio personalities Terri Stacy and Big Joe Staysniack as well. “It comes from our hearts when we do the Radiothon,” said Terri, encouraging the community to once again make the call and support the programs that provide shelter, programs for at-risk children and emergency disaster services. (To learn more about the WIBC Radiothon, or to become a partner visit WIBCRadiothon.org or call Kristen at 224-1019.)

Thanks to Dunkin’ Donuts for providing hot coffee and muchkins for all in attendance. And to the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary for donating the first contribution of the campaign. Thanks to all those in attendance and to all of you who support our mission to continue “Doing the Most Good” for those who need it most.