Happy Thanksgiving

This year has clearly been difficult for a lot of people, and I'm just as guilty as the next person of grumbling every once in a while about the economy, the weather, or just about having a bad day. But for me, Thanksgiving is always the loudest wake-up call there is to remind me that even in tough times, there is so much to be thankful for. Sounds cliché, I know, but it's true! This year more than ever, I've been touched by the amount of people who give of their time, money, and other resources, to try to improve the lives of others. I've been blessed to have the opportunity to take people on tours of the different Twin Cities Salvation Army facilities, and I love watching the progression of tour guests as they are inspired to get involved in the work The Salvation Army is committed to doing.

Just in the last week I've talked to several families who have chosen to spend their Thanksgiving serving food to the hundreds of homeless people who don't have families to spend the holiday with, a school who held a Mitten Drive and collected over 150 pairs of mittens to keep people warm this winter, and a group of 13 Girl Scouts who collected bags and bags of food to donate to the food shelf at St. Paul Citadel Worship and Community Center. All of these people came to a tour, saw first-hand how much need exists in our community, saw what The Salvation Army is doing to help, and chose to be a part of that. Instead of getting discouraged by the dramatic increase in need we've seen this season, these people have chosen to do something about it, and they are my inspiration and encouragement this Thanksgiving.

I met a woman at a Chamber of Commerce event last week who, once she heard that I work for The Salvation Army, told me point-blank, "The Salvation Army saved my life." She told me how she "practically lived" at the Salvation Army facility on West 7th St. (St. Paul Citadel Worship and Community Center) when she was growing up. "I had a very dysfunctional home life, and The Salvation Army was absolutely a safe haven for me and my sisters." She even spent her summers at Silver Lake Salvation Army Camp, where I worked for several summers of my own. Of course this revelation caused us to simultaneously break out into singing all of our favorite Salvation Army camp songs! She was so thrilled to hear that we still offer programs to give kids a chance to escape "the tragedies of their own lives," and I assured her that The Salvation Army definitely recognizes the importance of those programs, and there is no plan to stop offering them! This woman is now a successful owner of her own company, and she attributes much of her success to finding some source of stability in life, through the services The Salvation Army provided.

Meeting her was an extraordinary experience for me, because it was like flash-forwarding in time a few decades to see where all of those kids I met working at camp all those summers--whose stories broke my heart--will hopefully end up some day. I always dreaded the last day of a camp week because it meant sending the kids off to the same (sometimes toxic) environment that they came from, hoping that they'd gained some insight into their own worth as a child of God, as a person deserving respect and love, and with knowledge of the nearest Salvation Army facility to their home where they can find help and comfort. To see the long-term effects of simply offering a child a "safe haven," personified in this woman before me was the greatest blessing to me, and I hope it brightens your day as well.

Freeze!

What's more difficult to ignore while walking down the street than a person frozen in place, directly in your path? How about 100 frozen people? That's exactly what we did today as a part of The Salvation Army's "Ignore No More" campaign. 100 students from North Central University, along with many Salvation Army employees froze in place at the exact same time for exactly five minutes in downtown Minneapolis at 12:40pm. Every frozen person wore an Ignore No More sticker someplace on his or her body, which was the only clue about what was happening to confused passers-by.

Admittedly, I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to fully "commit," and actually remain still for five minutes without giving into my urges to step out of the way of all of the pedestrians barreling towards me. Surprisingly, it was not only easier than I thought, but it was also unbelievably fun. I decided to freeze in place while taking my umbrella out of its casing so that it would be clear that I was frozen in the middle of a task and not just standing still. The people walking past did double and triple takes, trying to figure out why I wasn't moving, and then looked around noticing the many, many others who were also frozen. I even heard more than one person say, "This is surreal..." Every person trying to walk down the sidewalk was forced to maneuver, swerve, and zig-zag around us, just to make it down the block!

The goal was to bring attention to Ignore No More by doing something impossible to ignore, and I definitely believe that that goal was achieved. When we broke out of our freeze after five minutes, we handed out stickers reading "Ignorenomore.org" and told them, "Curious? Check out the website." Are you curious about today's Freeze? Check out these pictures and the video below to see it yourself!

Coats for Kids

Last week I was able to participate in this year's Coats for Kids drive. This annual event distributes new or gently used coats, hats, mittens, and scarves to needy children throughout the Twin Cities. This was my first time being involved with this, and as soon as I arrived early in the morning to help hand out coats at St. Paul Citadel Worship and Service Center (one of several Salvation Army sites distributing coats that day), I was overhwelmed by the long line of parents patiently waiting for the "coat boutique" to open up. I made sure that they knew that it wouldn't be open for another couple of hours, and they assured me that they knew. "I just can't risk not getting a coat for my kids," the first woman in line told me. "Times are hard. Harder than they've ever been," she said, "I'm ashamed that I can't provide coats for my kids on my own to keep them warm during the winter. This way, at least they won't freeze, even if my pride is hurt a little."

I watched all day as moms and dads happily found coats for their kids, but unfortunately, the need is overwhelming, and the selection couldn't accommodate everyone. I helped one woman who had stopped by to find coats for her five kids over her lunch hour. We looked through all of the racks trying to find the right sizes, but in the end she walked away with only two coats. She told me, "I only want to take a coat if I'm absolutely sure that it will fit one of my children. I don't want to take a coat away from someone else who might need it." I was struck by her consideration of others, even when faced with her own needs.

I had the pleasure of spending the day volunteering with a group of employees from 3M. One 3M employee had coordinated with our Volunteer Services department to cover the entire day of volunteer shifts for Coats for Kids. What an amazing thing to do as a business--to give of your time together to help others. This group worked tirelessly with smiles on their faces. Over the lunch hour, we were able to talk about The Salvation Army, and I was able to answer questions, talk about various programs, and invite them to attend a Beyond the Red Kettle tour. This was such a kind, gracious group of people, and they kept saying over and over, "If only people knew. If only people knew." I assured them that that's the purpose of my job--to make sure that people do know about the extreme needs facing our community and what The Salvation Army is doing to try to relieve it. I told them that it's people like them that make my job really worthwhile; when I meet a group of people who become aware of the work to be done and jump on board to partner with us in that work, it is all the encouragement I need to keep spreading the word to the best of my ability.