New Year's Resolutions

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to volunteer for "Stuff the Bus," a Salvation Army event that allowed people to donate toys right outside of Wal-Marts throughout the Twin Cities by putting them on a big bus parked outside of the store. The goal was clear: to stuff the bus full of toys to give deserving children a great Christmas. I was at the Wal-Mart in Apple Valley, and was overwhelmed by the generosity of those donating. Some gave bags of toys, some gave just one toy, but all were digging deep during a difficult economical time to help others.

One donor in particular still sticks in my mind: A little boy and his mom approached the big bus, and as they came closer, I could see that his mom was crying. The little boy held a bag full of toys and as he offered it to be placed on the bus, we (the staff on the bus) asked her what was wrong. She told us that her son had been saving his allowance for months to throw a pizza party for his friends. It took him a long time, but he had finally saved $60. When they came to Wal-Mart that day, he saw the bus and his mom had explained to him that there were lots of children who wouldn't get any presents that Christmas, and that people were buying toys and putting them on the bus to help out. He told his mom that he wanted to help, and instead of buying one toy to give away, he spent his entire $60 on toys, and donated them all. His mom was so overcome with emotion, seeing her son spend every penny he had on children he didn't even know, that she couldn't stop crying. The rest of us were holding back our own tears as he put the toys on the bus and walked away, seeking no recognition or thanks for his self-sacrifice.

Last week during Christmas I kept thinking about this little boy, and how simple his touching example was: He saw a need, asked himself what he could do to help, and gave of himself in a sacrificial way. As I gave and received presents from friends and family, I asked myself how sacrificial I’ve been lately. Do I give, volunteer, serve others, etc. only when it’s convenient or would I follow this child’s example and allow myself to be inconvenienced in a significant way to help others?

As we go into the New Year, this is something I will be thinking about and working on in my own life. I guess you could even call it a resolution! And I encourage you to think about how you and your family can also strive to be more like this little boy throughout 2009 and in the many years to come.

Update!

As you read in my last post, we challenged the community to a half a million dollar possibility by matching a $250,000 pledge on December 23rd. I am thrilled to report that the community surpassed that goal and responded with a Million Dollar day!

Tuesday's online donations, checks, pledges and a Fox 9 phone bank topped out the scale at $296,535 - more than enough to receive the matching gift.

Then came the gift to make Tuesday Dec 23 a record breaker - a $500,000 contribution from Cargill.

This brings Tuesday's total to $1,046,535. This amazing number doesn't even include the money pouring into red kettles all day long. That number will likely not be calculated until the end of the day today which is the final day to donate to the kettles this season.

With this record breaking day The Salvation Army is closing in on the $8.5 million Christmas Campaign goal with a total of $6.1 million.

"We need to keep this momentum alive," says Major Darryl Leedom, Salvation Army Twin Cities Commander. "As we prepare to serve in 2009 we fully expect continued increases in need. It is imperative we have the means to extend compassionate care to hurting families."

Donations may be made at red kettles through Wednesday, online at www.thesalarmy.org, by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or mailing a check to 2445 Prior AVE N, Roseville MN 55313.

Have I got a deal for you...

An anonymous donor has pledged to match up to a quarter of a million dollars for any gift made, designated, or postmarked December 23rd for this year's Christmas campaign. What does this mean for you? If you put a quarter in a red kettle on December 23rd, it automatically becomes 50 cents. If you write a check for $100 and write "match" in the memo line, it automatically becomes $200. $1000 becomes $2000, $10,000 becomes $20,000...you get the point.

During such tough economic times, what an incredible opportunity to let us literally double the amount of money that you are able to give this year!

What can you do?

1. Spread the word! Tell everyone you know about this great opportunity!

2. Adopt a Kettle: Offer to do your own match up to a certain dollar amount for a specific kettle location. Then every cent put in that kettle will actually be tripled! (Matched once by you and once by our anonymous donor.) Let me know if you're interested in this lynnea.erickson@usc.salvationarmy.org

3. Donate money in a red kettle, online, by calling 800-SAL-ARMY, or by mailing a check to 2445 Prior Ave. N., Roseville, MN 55113. Write "match" in the memo line of a check for your donation to be matched. (All donations made on 12/23 will automatically be matched)

Grand Meander

In an effort to get to know the St. Paul community better, I spent some time at the Grand Meander in St. Paul on Saturday. I met some great people at the various events--pancake breakfast, trolley rides, etc.--and was able to learn about what others are doing in the area to help those in need. It was great to be able to share information about my role at The Salvation Army and all of the different programs we do during the Christmas season to try to provide some relief to others, while also hearing about what else is happening in St. Paul and throughout the twin cities in other organizations.

I also had my very first bell-ringing experience, and it was cold. We had red kettles all the way up and down Grand Avenue for this event, and I took my bell-ringing post on the corner of Snelling and Grand from 3-5pm. As the sun started to set a little after 4:00, it got colder and windier, and my shivers were strong enough to make the bell ring in my hand without any help from me! I think that I elicited more sympathy than dollars and coins from the passers-by, but all I could think of, while my eyes watered in the wind and then froze to my cheeks, was of all of the people who were out in the cold with nowhere to go. I was counting the minutes until I could get into my warm car and go home to my warm apartment, but not everyone is that fortunate. I am so thankful for The Harbor Light and other shelters in the Twin Cities, because this was definitely a reality check for me to get a very small glimpse in to what it is like for those with no home to stay safe and warm in during these bitterly cold winter months.

Adopt-a-Family

Hundreds of families will have a much merrier Christmas this year because they have been "adopted" by generous families throughout the Twin Cities who have committed to providing them with kindness, warmth, groceries, and gifts to open Christmas morning. Yesterday at 5:00a.m. we kicked off our "Adopt-a-Family Radiothon" and set out to match almost 700 needy families of all sizes--from families of two to families of 12--with those willing to bless others in this unique way. I was fortunate enough to volunteer for this event yesterday, and was amazed to watch the number of families left to be adopted shrink dramatically throughout the day and into the evening as people called in to sign up to adopt. One woman called in near the end of the day and asked how many families hadn't been adopted yet in Anoka county; when we told her there were five left, she said, "I'll take them all," and adopted all five families! Others who called in explained that their entire extended families had decided to forego buying presents for one another this year, and each one of them adopted a family instead.

These acts of generosity amaze and inspire me, but I was equally impressed by how many volunteers came out to help make this daunting endeavor a success. Entire companies came in together to answer phones, mail out "wish lists" to adopters, and happily perform whatever tasks were assigned to them. Other volunteers used their vacation time at their jobs to take the day off and help us out. All of their sacrifices were worthwhile, because although the Adopt-a-Family Radiothon was scheduled to go through the rest of day, by 10:00 this morning every single family had been adopted. Now, in hundreds of households throughout the Twin Cities, there will be presents under the tree where possibly for years before children had gone without, and there will be food on the table that was previously bare. Thank you for making this possible.