Bell ringers rake it in
Salvation Army raises over $12,000 in town
It was a good year for the Salvation Army's efforts in Williams thanks to the hard work of a number of individuals and organizations in the Williams area. According to Carol Glassburn, Salvation Army representative, bell ringers in the area earned a combined total of $12,670 during the recent holiday season. Ringers were stationed at a number of key locations throughout the city, including Safeway, the Grand Canyon Railway and the National Bank of Arizona.
Participants in the program included children in the SOAR after school program, who were treated to a pizza party Jan. 3 in honor of their bell ringing efforts. Pizza Factory owners Chuck Coleman and Carla Ou treated the large group of children to free pizza during the event
"They all came down. We had pizza. They got small gifts, saying 'you are a star.' These kids really are a star in my mind," Glassburn said, extending her thanks to the many individuals who helped make the campaign a success.
"The Salvation Army Red Kettle bell ringing program was very successful in Williams this year. It takes about 50 volunteers to run the bell ringing and a lot of hours put in by a lot of people in the community. I want to thank National Bank of Arizona, Safeway and the Grand Canyon Railway. They let us ring the bell at their businesses. I could tell it was slower this year, probably due to the economic conditions going around, but still we were successful in town," Glassburn said. "All of that money stays in Williams to help people in this community or people traveling through that need help."
Glassburn said there was a big need in Williams for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle program.
"It's something that is very needed in our community and I hope to keep that program going every year," she said. "(City council member) Doc (James) Wurgler rang the bell at Polar Express every evening. He stood out in the cold. It was cold, wet, windy, but he was over there. He did real well with the bell ringing, because he kind of looks like Santa Claus. He dressed up, he had his hat on and he's got the beard and the kids just loved him. That's our biggest source of income in the bell-ringing program, other than from private donations. I would guess we raised about $5,000 ringing the bell alone, which is quite a bit of money for this small community."
Anonymous private donations, Glassburn said, made up a lot of the program's income for the year as well. Kids in the SOAR program also helped earn a large amount of money this year. The children rang the bell each Friday in front of Safeway.
"They made pine cones with glitter on them and when people contributed to the Salvation Army, they would give them a pine cone. They were very well received. The public just loved them and they did a nice job. It takes everybody to make this program work."
She added that a fundraiser is planned this summer to try and raise money during other parts of the year rather than just the holidays.
The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 by William Booth in London England. The group uses a military structure to fulfill its mission, hence the "army" portion of the name. The Salvation Army, in its many programs, partners with a number of philanthropic agencies and individuals worldwide to bring help to those in need.
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