Thank You

It has been such a pleasure to spend some time these last couple of weeks talking with those who gave to help us meet our Christmas goal. I was holding my breath throughout the Christmas campaign, hoping and praying that the struggling economy would not translate to us struggling to have the funding to provide people the help and relief they need. Fortunately, the community came through in a big way, and now that all the craziness of the holidays has died down, I've had the privilege of calling many of those who helped us meet that goal and thanking them for their gifts.

One specific supporter I spoke with told me that she had never given to The Salvation Army, and she was in a very difficult financial situation herself. She cut corners and scraped together $50.00 to donate to a charity during Christmas. After researching multiple non-profits, she decided to give her donation to The Salvation Army, telling me she decided on us because "I know you will stretch this gift to reach out to even more people in need, and that's what our community needs right now." Of course, I was touched by her generosity to give even when she was "hard-up" herself, but I was also pleased that our organization stood up so well to her research. I have always believed that it is incredibly important to be transparent to our donors, our volunteers, and the public in general, and I'm glad that we are accountable to our supporters to use their gifts in honorable and cost-effective ways.