Springfield Salvation Army reports on '09 red kettle drive success
Date: 3/3/2010
March 3, 2010.By Debbie Gardner
Assistant Managing Editor
SPRINGFIELD -- The familiar red kettles and brass bells have been safely stored with the rest of the Christmas decorations, but the revenue from the Salvation Army's annual holiday collection continues to improve the lives of local children and families throughout the year.
That was the message Capt. Kipp Allen, assistant corps office for the Springfield Citadel Salvation Army, shared with a gathering of this year's volunteer bell ringers during a thank-you party at the Pearl Street headquarters last Thursday.
Representatives from 10 local organizations, as well as several individual volunteers joined Allen, Salvation Army Advisory Board member Susana Hall and several program spokespersons for the reception and a brief update on the results of last Christmas' kettle drive.
According to Allen, the 2009 red kettle drive raised $9,340.77, which "makes up 15 percent of our total revenue for 2009."
Translating that $9,000 into a concrete picture of what the Salvation Army does, Allen said the monies will "allow us to provide food to 311 families through our pantry program, or put 12 children through our summer literacy program, or provide 31 families with fuel assistance."
But those examples were just a fraction of the work of the Salvation Army that Allen shared with volunteers.
He said the kettle collection helps support the Citadel's 12-week Bridging the Gap program for juvenile offenders between the ages of 10 and 17 and its four-week Adult Diversion Program for offenders between the ages of 17 and 24.
Both programs offer first-time offenders the opportunity to have their criminal records expunged if they complete the Salvation Army's rehabilitation program.
According to figures shared at the reception by Program Director Anthony Falvo, the Bridging the Gap program, which is a model for both state and national Salvation Army criminal intervention work, has an 85 percent success rate. The program has served more than 2,500 students over the past 14 years.
Danielle LatTaille, Salvation Army social services spokesperson, shared how the red kettle revenues are also crucial in allowing the Army to provide needy city residents with emergency services such as food, fuel assistance and help following disasters such as a fire.
"The kettle funds are huge in helping us [provide] clothing and furniture vouchers," Latelle said, sharing how she had just used a voucher to obtain a winter coat for a recent fire victim.
Commanding Officer Maj.Linda Jo Perks, who oversees the Citadel's after school programs, shared that the kettle revenues also help the Army continue its family-related programming, including a monthly "mom's night out" meal and family storytime, tutoring program, youth arts night and Friday evening teen program.
The revenue, she said, also helps the Army send inner city children to its annual summer camp in Sharon.
Allen closed the reception by challenging the volunteer groups to encourage friends and colleagues to join them in standing a kettle for the Salvation Army this Christmas. As an incentive, he showed off the Citadel's new bellringer trophy, which will be awarded to the group which collects the most through the kettle drive this holiday season.
"If we could get more groups to stand with us, we would be able to get 25 percent of our [program] income through the kettles," he said.
Groups standing kettles for the Salvation Army during the 2009 Christmas season included: the Agawam Rotary; Springfield Central High School's R.O.T.C.; Springfield Central High School's National Honor Society; Country Bank; Faith In Action; The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield; the Wilbraham-Hampden Rotary; Hampden Bank and personnel from both MassMutual Center as well as Springfield Armor basketball team.
