Salvation Army Drive Exceeds Goal

By Les Smith
Friday, December 4, 2009

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Even after a twenty year stint as a Salvation Army Christmas Red Kettle bell-ringer, it can still be said Memphian, Linda Bills, has her own rhythmic style.

But, she admits getting used to listening to those constant self-generated "ting-a-lings" didn't come easy at first.

Bills remembers, "When I first started....Oooh. It was a "bug-a-bear." I used to hear it in my sleep a lot!"

However, Bills dedication to her annual job has helped pay off in an over-the-top fashion for this year's Memphis Salvation Army's 30-day Christmas drive...and that's no "bug-a-bear."

What makes the effort so remarkable it is that it comes in what is still the throes of a snail-paced nationwide economic recovery. Just two years ago, the Red Kettle campaign fell more than seventy thousand dollars short of it's projected goal of then 250-thousand dollars. So, what's made the difference?

Memphis Salvation Army Commander, Major Mark Woodcock explains, "Good organization. Being out there giving the donor an opportunity to drop their change and drop dollar bills into our Red Kettle…this the Common Man's way of supporting this organization."

Bills, whose been posted at the Hobby Lobby on Stage, notes, "They just came. They care about a lot of people that don't have it. Some are more fortunate than others. They say, well, when I come out. We'll see when I come out of the store. So, I just leave it like that. And wait 'til they come out. But, I kinda remind them a little bit."

Which is a good segue, to remind us to remind you, of where all that money gathered from the Red Kettle sites at the 70 participating stores in the Mid-South is going to. Because Christmas comes just once a year...Life, good or bad, includes 364 other days for those who look to the Salvation Army for help.

Major Woodcock observes, "Any given night, there's 200 people sleeping in our shelters. We're feeding over five-hundred meals every night and the donations that the Red Kettles insure that we do this year round."

So, Linda, ring that bell until it all ends tomorrow afternoon.

But, next year, maybe we could add something different....like...more COWBELL, man. More COWBELL!?

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/tennessee/122309_salvation-army-drive-exceeds-goal

Les Smith
Fox13 News
December 23, 2009