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PERIMETER BUSINESS
The Salvation Army raises
funds with red buckets, bells
They're a true sign of the holiday
season. The Salvation Army's dona
tion collectors, with their recogniz
able red buckets and ringing bells,
are taking to the streets again.
In this time of Internet fundrais
ers and gifts-by-Twitter, why do
they keep showing up in front of
groceries and malls to greet pass-
ersby and collect coins? Here's what
a volunteer bell ringer who stands
outside businesses in the Perime
ter and Buckhead and a Salvation
Army lieutenant who oversees col
lections in those areas
had to say.
Bell ringer Wal
ter Long, a tall, talk
ative 53-year-old, first
volunteered to col
lect for The Salva
tion Army last year.
This year, he'll be
back, manning his red
bucket and ringing
his bell about three
days a week at vari
ous locations around Buckhead and
Brookhaven. His enthusiasm for the
job shows. "I really enjoy it," he said
one recent afternoon as he collect
ed donations outside a Brookhaven
grocery. "It's a great way to volun
teer."
Q Why do you do
this?
A It can really be
** fun. You can
brighten up people's
days. People donate
and they know
they're helping. Peo
ple see this kettle and
it's nostalgic. I can't
tell you how many
come by this bucket
and say, 'This is my
Number One charity."
Q How do people react when
they see you standing here
with the bell and bucket?
Ninety-nine percent of the
** people love us. The other 1
percent love us, too, they just don't
know it yet. Half the people who
put money in this bucket they say,
"Thank you. Thank you for ringing
the bell.' For some people, who are
lonely during the holidays, this real
ly brightens their day... The smiles
you get. It can be rewarding. After
you do this for a day, you feel re-
Lt. Stephen Correira
Walter Long
warded. It's really refreshing."
Q What's the oddest thing
you've seen while collecting?
A Last week, there was a guy. He
** looked homeless. He was car
rying his backpack and he comes
and puts a whole jar of coins in my
basket. It's just amazing, the gener
osity. Beneath it all, we are soldiers
of Christ. You see it come out in peo
ple at this time of the year. It pulls
us together as a community.
It picks me up. Life's different for
everybody, but when you give to
others, it's a pick-me-
up.
Lieutenant Stephen
Correira works as an
assistant corps officer
for the Atlanta Tem
ple Corps of The Sal
vation Army. The
38-year-old watches
over red bucket col
lections at 38 loca
tions in the Perim
eter, Buckhead and
parts of DeKalb County. Last year,
the bell ringers collected $194,000 in
his area, he said. His goal for 2013 is
$200,000.
Q How important is the bell
ringer program to The Salva
tion Army?
/\ This is our sin-
** gle, largest an
nual fundraiser of
the year. The funds
generated at these lo
cations give us 80
percent of our total
revenue.
With so many
other ways to
collect contribu
tions, why continue
to do it this way?
This is nostalgic
for people.** They look for
ward to seeing the red buckets. Peo
ple are donating online as well, but
the vast majority of our donations is
happening at these kettles.
The need is great. The need for our
services keeps going up. In met
ro Atlanta alone, we served 104,000
nights [for homeless people]. We
helped 54,000 people with rental,
food, Christian assistance.
Q Don't the buckets and bells
seem a little old-fashioned?
/\ If it was old-fashioned and out
** of date, we wouldn't be stand
ing here.
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www.ReporterNewspapers.netl NOV. 29 —DEC. 12, 2013 | 11