The familiar sight of red kettles accompanied by a bundled-up volunteer ringing a bell is back again this holiday season, with The Salvation Army’s kick-off of the Red Kettle campaign in Mansfield.
Lt. Michelle Miller, assistant officer with The Salvation Army, said this year’s fundraising goal for the Red Kettle campaign is $130,000. Nationally, holiday fundraising is responsible for nearly 70 percent of The Salvation Army’s annual income, and nearly 5 million people are helped during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“We are fully prepared to use the money we raise to help those in our community,” said Miller. “Too many donors feel that their donations are going into a black hole and they’re not really making a difference. But let me tell you, your donations make a difference especially in this community, because we love to help those in need. When you drop your money in a red kettle with this year, expect a change.”
Miller stated that Red Kettle donations are used to give food and clothing to the needy, provide hot meals one week of every month, support elderly and youth programs, and give toys and gifts to impoverished families. Last year in Mansfield, The Salvation Army served 15,173 hot meals, assisted 667 families with Thanksgiving food boxes and gave 578 children toys during the Christmas season.
The Red Kettle campaign was just one of many Salvation Army highlights at their Annual Civic Breakfast on Wednesday morning. The theme of the day, as well as the theme of this holiday season, was to be extraordinary. One young woman who embodied that theme was Jenny Elliott, a senior in high school who attended the Salvation Army’s Dewald Learning Zone from a young age.
“This is a young lady who’s never had it easy,” said Brenda Nelson, director of the Dewald Communty Center. “But she never complained, and was always grateful. She loves to enjoy life, and values her family in friends. She was determined, a fighter. And she will graduate high school this spring.”
Elliott will be the first person to graduate in her family this spring. She spoke of how the Dewald center helped her not only in school, but also in life.
“The Dewald center has really affected my behavior,” said Elliott. “It’s given me a lot as a person.”
Elliott hopes to become a counselor someday and positively affect youth the way she was affected as a child. Touching on the approaching holiday season, Elliott also mentioned how Christmas was her favorite time of year.
“I can’t give a lot, but I give what I can,” she stated. “I can’t give money but I can give my time, and I think people appreciate that.”
Other extraordinary people highlighted on Wednesday morning included a group of Dewald Community Center students – first a taekwondo demonstration led by instructor Chris Hershberger, then a music and dance performance by the group Notes & Beats. The Salvation Army’s Corps Kids also performed a dance called “Doxology.”
Extraordinary businesses were also honored at the breakfast with the “Doing the Most Good” award, recognizing volunteer service. Local businesses Buckeye Bakery and Sandy Hill Fruit Farm were recognized for donating food to The Salvation Army’s feeding program, as well three local stores #518, #557 and #836 from a big corporation, Kroger. The National Association of Letter Carriers #118 were also recognized for their work in the holiday season collecting food donations along with the mail.
The mission of The Salvation Army is “to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.” One man who spoke of his journey with God was the breakfast’s keynote speaker Jon Sanderson, a 1997 graduate of Lexington High School and head coach of strength and conditioning for the University of Michigan’s men’s basketball team. After a few jests from the crowd for being from “that state up north,” Sanderson spoke of his own personal journey in his career, his troubled youth, and finding God.
“I did what I felt like I was being called to do,” he said of his coaching position in Michigan. “It started with the humility to not do what I wanted, but to do what God was calling me to do.”
The morning closed with a benediction from Major Suzanne Hickman, NEOSA director of women’s ministries, and the soft tune of holiday songs played by the Mansfield Senior High brass ensemble.
Last year in Mansfield, The Salvation Army served 15,173 hot meals, assisted 667 families with Thanksgiving food boxes and gave 578 children toys during the Christmas season.
