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Page 8A The Braselton News Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Social Bells and kettles distinguish Salvation Army’s holiday charity drive GIVING TO SALVATION ARMY Greeted by bell ringer Robert Scot, Hamilton Mill Wal-Mart shopper Melanie Scott of Isle of Palms, S.C. puts a donation in the Salvation Army kettle after celebrating Thanksgiving with her daughter in Auburn. For more than 100 years now, the Salvation Army’s handbells and collection ket tles have become a holiday tradition as familiar world wide as Santa Claus himself. The Christmas carol, “Silver Bells," first sung by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the 1951 movie “The Lemon Drop Kid,” was inspired by the orga nization’s bell ringers standing outside department stores every year. And the Beatles’ song “Strawberry Fields Forever," released in early 1967 was prompted, by the work of the Salvation Army’s Strawberry Field Children’s Home in Liverpool, England. Described as a unique combi nation of a Christian charity, a church and a paramilitary orga nization of sorts, it was founded in 1865 by William and Catherine Booth in London, England “to bring salvation to the poor, desti tute and hungry by meeting both their physical and spiritual needs." And today, this army’s occupation includes 113 countries requiring communication in 175 different languages. Although you’d think with numbers like those, you could find Salvation Army (SA) carol ers, bell ringers, and brass bands at multiple shopping centers in the greater Braselton area, I had trouble locating more than a few collection boxes for canned goods at a sampling of popular local stores. But, after driving around for a while, I finally succeeded in locating a traditional red kettle on a tripod with a bell-ringing attendant in front of Wal-Mart in Hamilton Mill. There, I met 18 year-old Robert Scot, a Buford-based seasonal employee casually attired and wearing a SA apron instead of the traditional uniform. Projecting a winsome smile and ringing that bell for all he was worth, he seemed to really enjoy greeting customers as they entered the store. “How did you get hooked up with the Salvation Army?” I asked. “I’ve had a pretty rough past, realized that I made a lot of mis takes, and decided that I really needed to do something worth while to even the score,” he said. “What a great example of real Christmas spirit,” I thought after hearing how the SA had inspired this young man to turn his life around. Scot told me that he dropped out of North Gwinnett High School, hung around with the wrong crowd, and suffered a few run-ins with the law as a result. But, he recently got his GED and now hopes to attend a technical col lege to learn the skills he needs to become an electrical engineer. Meanwhile, he lives with his uncle in Buford and, thanks to his association with the Salvation Army, has a very positive out look on his future. And he cred its both his uncle and parents for helping him make this con nection earlier this month. According to a spokesman with the SA state headquar ters in Norcross, the traditional kettle collections are conducted at more than 200 locations in the greater Atlanta area, locally at a number of Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, and Kroger stores as well as at various locations in Simon Malls. Funds collected from these sta tions are used to assist children and families in need throughout the year. In addition, the SA is the designated recipient of TV Channel ll’s annual Can-a-thon, providing canned food for the hungry for 25 years. At specific times at various locations in our general locale, the spirit of Christmas may be further enhanced by the Salvation Army’s musical ensembles. The organization’s Norcross head quarters provide brass bands and choral groups for a variety of holiday special events where their collection kettles are welcome. In a nutshell, the SA prides itself in being one of the world’s largest providers of social aid, with annual expenditures includ ing operating costs of more than $2.6 billion. But not all of this funding comes from holiday kettle collections. The organization’s charities also benefit from generous contribu tions by various individuals and corporations, the U.S. record for which was a $1.5 billion donation bequeathed to the SA in the will of Joan B. Kroc, third wife of McDonald’s founder and former CEO Ray Kroc. Historically, this donation remains one of the larg est individual gifts ever given to a single organization. Although most of us think of the SA as a non-governmental agency that helps individuals in a personal one-on-one fashion, the organization is also credited with considerable disaster relief on a much broader scale. Its first major accomplishments in this regard began in response to the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the San Francisco earth quake of 1906. More recently, the SA provided on-site disaster aid following the Indian Ocean tsu nami of 2004, hurricanes Hugo, Andrew, Katrina, and Rita and, just last year, to the victims of the Indonesian earthquake in May. Few charitable organizations have done more for mankind for such a long time and, therefore, it’s certainly no wonder why we associate the Salvation Army so intimately with the true meaning of Christmas. Let’s all remem ber that the next time we leave Wal-Mart with a pocket full of change we could donate to a wor thy cause, and hear those familiar handbells on the way out. Fil Jessee lives in Braselton, where he works as a freelance journalist. F[e can be reached at filwrites @ aol. com. ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ program seeking volunteers HELPING SENIORS “Be a Santa to a Senior” provides gifts and companionship to more than 1,000 seniors in several Northeast Georgia counties. The program will be collecting items through mid-December. The “Be a Santa to a Senior” pro gram, sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care, will provide presents to seniors who otherwise might not be remembered this holiday season. “We see many older adults who have no one during this festive season and that makes for a very sad and lonely time,” said Joe Ward, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office in Bogart. “Whether they are in a nursing home or in their own homes, where more are choosing to stay, it’s important to reach out those who are usually overlooked during this special time of the year,” he said. The Bogart Home Instead Senior Care office, whose caregivers provide non-medical home care and com panionship to seniors in Northeast Georgia, has partnered with the Athens Community Council on Aging and two Athens merchants for its fourth annual “Be a Santa to a Senior” program. Where Lower Overhead = GA's Lowest Prices Guaranteed! Smhj J^eUmcpcdic # Queen Sets Starting at $19900 $29900 ] t 3 I jA L X&rSf/A' Plush, Firm special buy I special buy Or Pillowtop Posturepedic I p °sturepedic _ _ .. Ultra Plush, Firm $ 497°° or piliowtop rsisr" Queen Set *599“ King Set Queen Set $ 697 00 King Set I MemoryFoam & Latex (Firm or Ultra Plush) s 597 00 Queen Set $79700 King Set | $ j j 97°° Kin 9 5et Laraest Selection - Over 70 Styles \ Georgia’s Lowest Prices! / Mrtam Guaranteed!!! ™ I Hh IKi'Mh.i: 1IF tun [ HFJPJIft r Stearns & Foster 1 Last year, area volunteers delivered 5,000 gifts to 600 seniors in Bogart and Northeast Georgia. Ward hopes to serve even more older adults this holiday season. “Our goal is to deliver gifts and pro vide much needed companionship to at least 1,000 seniors this year,” Ward said. “We hope that the community will support our efforts as a way of giv ing back to the older adults in our area who have given us so much.” The “Be a Santa to a Senior” pro gram serves Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Madison and Oconee counties, among others. From now until Friday, Dec. 15, shoppers can select ornaments from the “Be a Santa to a Senior” trees at Hodgson’s Pharmacy, 1220 So. Milledge Ave„ Georgia Square Mall, 3700 Atlanta Highway and the Athens Community Council on Aging, 125 Hoyt St. Each ornament lists the first name of a senior in need, along with gift requests. They can then purchase items and return them unwrapped to Home Instead Senior Care, Hodgson’s Pharmacy or the Athens Community Council on Aging along with the ornament. Home Instead Senior Care enlists community volunteers, includ ing members of the Georgia Gym Dogs gymnastics team, to gather, wrap and deliver the gifts. Businesses, churches and other groups and organizations are encour aged to contact the local Home Instead Senior Care office about adopting groups of seniors. A wrapping party is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 12. Deliveries will take place Dec. 17. Anyone interested in wrapping and delivering gifts can contact Tanya Woods at 706-613-2224. Additional information can also be found at www.beasantatoasenior.com. There is no better time to come to Freedom Bank. 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