My Thoughts

Serving the Needs of Others

Major Mark Woodcock
Area Commander, The Salvation Army

On any given night in Memphis, more than 200 people in need reside in Salvation Army facilities. These men, women and children turn to The Salvation Army for help when they are at the lowest point in their lives. When they reach out to The Salvation Army, what do they find? The short answer is simple - they find hope. The hope that they can break the cycle of homelessness and work towards permanent housing; the hope that they can beat their addictions; and the hope that someone cares about them no matter how bad things seems.

When the tornados swept through the Mid-South on February 5, The Salvation Army didn't hesitate - we mobilized our staff and volunteers. After 108 years of service in Memphis, the Salvation Army philosophy of serving others first in times of emergency and worrying about making ends meet later is ingrained in each of us.

We partnered with other not-for-profit agencies to provide disaster relief efforts to people from the heavily damaged Hickory Hill area. Our volunteers lent a helping hand to those who needed food and water, emotional reassurance to souls battered by the storm and spiritual guidance to those who wanted it.

While we focused our efforts on serving those who needed help, organizations and individuals from around the area and even around the country, called The Salvation Army hotlines with pledges of money, gifts of time and messages of support. Our community was almost overwhelming in its desire to help those who had lost so much in the storms. "How can we help you?" and "what do you need" were the questions numerous Memphis corporations asked us. Without even sending out a call for help, we were provided with the resources needed to do what we are called to do - serve others.

WREG - News Channel 3, Bank of America and FedEx were among the first corporations to send support. Local company Sedgewick got very creative in the way it raised money to help the tornado victims. Instead of just asking employees to donate, on the Friday before the Memphis - Tennessee basketball game, employees were allowed to wear clothes supporting their favorite team, as long as they made a donation to disaster relief efforts.

As soon as the tornados had passed, volunteers from First Evangelical Church helped us with our disaster relief efforts. Last year, The Salvation Army ran a disaster training course for members of First Evangelical Church, to train them on how to help others in times of emergency. The tornado response was the first large disaster these volunteers faced, and they were invaluable to us as they manned our canteen and helped provide physical, emotional and spiritual help to those who needed it. If you or your organization is interested in becoming a trained disaster relief volunteer, please call The Salvation Army at 901- 543-8586.

In today's society, so much attention is focused on what is wrong in our community. And yes, at The Salvation Army we do see a lot of the bad. But, we see so much good as well. Following the tornados, we saw the wonderful things a community can do when it comes together to help others. We see this 'can do' attitude daily in the volunteers who give so much of themselves to help The Salvation Army. Last year nearly 7,000 people volunteered with us. These people took the time to make a difference in a life; from ringing the bell for an hour during our Red Kettle Campaign, to sticking labels on Angel Tree tags, to mentoring women in our homeless shelters. This army behind the army is a large part of how we are able to help so many people throughout the year.

I would like to thank everyone who has donated their time, talent and treasure to The Salvation Army. Your support allows us to house the homeless, offer drug & alcohol programs for men, women and their children, send inner-city children to summer camp, provide quality child care in a Christian setting, and most of all, provide hope for those who have lost all hope. We believe in serving the needs of others everyday of the year. Our supporters enable us to do so.

CONTACT:
Abby Turner
Thompson & Berry PR
(901) 328-5233

Elizabeth Duncan
The Salvation Army
(901) 260 -9130