Volunteers: Making the Impossible, Possible!

Food Packing Day

Impossible. That is what Christmas at The Salvation Army would be without volunteers.

This Christmas more than 1,800 volunteers provided 7,635 hours of service. That many volunteers is the size of a small army. Which is kind of perfect!


Volunteer Davey from Pepsi was up
to his ears in stuff animals!

As the volunteer coordinator, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who were willing to give of their time just so others could have a Merry Christmas. As I was thanking our volunteers it blew my mind when they started thanking me!

The people who stood on their feet all day in a freezing warehouse were thanking me for this experience? Wow. I thought the cold or exhaustion had finally started getting to them. Then I realized something that everyone at The Salvation Army already knew. We truly have the most amazing volunteers in the world.

Serving a holiday meal.

If you gave any of your time to us this holiday season or even this year, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We couldn’t do it without you!

Thanks, so much,
 - Jenny




Activity              Volunteers             Hours

Bell Ringing *                 304               1520
Angel Tree                      240                 960
Christmas Eve Meal         35                   70
Gift Sorting                    150                 600
Checking Bags                  30                 150
Distribution                     750                3000
Food Sorting*                   75                  375
Thanksgiving                    46                    92
Food Packing                 217                  868

Total Volunteers/Hrs  1847               7635

Toys Drives Galore!

As Christmas speeds towards us and the Angel Tree deadline approaches (this Friday, the 13th!), I want to highlight other ways to contribute to those needy children on the Angel Tree. If you can't afford to fulfill an Angel's whole wish list, consider purchasing 1 or 2 toys and drop them off (new & unwrapped) at a local toy drive! This year, we have 11 local toy drives, supporting the "Forgotten Angels" of the Angel Tree. With so many options, there's one close to you!

Our annual partner, Bank of Oklahoma, is accepting toys at each of their local Tulsa area branch locations.

Another traditional partner is Oral Roberts University (ORU); we love having this generous college community on board. Word on the street is that the college students love taking a 'trip to their childhood' when they go to buy Legos, Playdough and baby dolls!

This year, we are honored to have a number of local businesses join us for another year! Participating businesses include:

 Merritt's Bakery (all 3 Tulsa locations)

Tweet 4 Toys

The Alliday Show

Apsco, Inc.

Firstar Bank

Andolini's Pizza (both locations, Tulsa and Owasso)

Dilly Deli (downtown Tulsa)

 and we want to welcome Lakewood Park apartment homes on board as well!

Both Andolini's Pizza and Dilly Deli will make it worth your while to come in, offering a generous free pizza or 20% off (respectively) for the donation of a new toy! Sounds like a lunch date to me!

Andolini's in particular is collecting for older children (9-12), who are often considered 'more difficult' to buy for...good options for older kids include Legos, magic sets, craft and art sets, sports balls, journals, etc.!


Lastly, we are excited to renew our relationship with our old friends the Tulsa Oilers, as they host their annual Teddy Bear Toss at the December 21st game! Bring a teddy bear to the game to toss on the ice at half time; bears will be delivered to St. Francis Children's Hospital and to the Salvation Army's Joy Center! And say hi to our volunteer bellringers as you go into the game!

 Help make these community toy drives a success; donate!

~Vicki (aka Toy Drive Queen)

Hunger and the Holidays

Although we haven’t yet celebrated Thanksgiving, we are already being surrounded by the sights and sounds of Christmas. Music, advertising, decorations, gift guides; even the Salvation Army has begun its preparation for Christmas. From Angel Tree registration to Bell Ringing schedules and much more, we are well in the midst of our favorite season.

But what about those for whom the holidays aren’t that special: The homeless man crossing the street in the bustle of holiday shoppers; the mother in the grocery store among shoppers buying holiday specialties, while she cannot afford a loaf of bread or a jug of milk?

It is heart breaking to hear stories of Daniel, a single father of a 10-year-old boy who has been struggling since he lost his executive level job. He tells us he has no money and no food and that his electricity will soon be turned off. He is worried his son will spend Christmas sitting in a cold, dark house.

For Daniel, and thousands of families in our community struggling through personal economic crisis, hunger is a dark shadow, always looming. And during this festive Christmas season, it is even harder. Will this be the Christmas where there is no tree, no special dinner, no presents?

But you CAN help. You CAN hold a CANNED food drive to help stock the pantry of The Salvation Army so we can provide a basket of food to Daniel and the thousands of families who will come through our doors to receive Angel Tree gifts. Whether it is at your business, your church, your child’s school or even at your family’s Thanksgiving gathering, anything helps.

Or, you CAN hold your own private drive!

Help us turn this.....                                         

 .... into THIS!

It’s easy! As you go about shopping for Thanksgiving, your Christmas season dinners and parties or just your typical grocery shopping, pick up something extra. We need canned, non-perishable goods and we while we won’t be picky, we especially need canned vegetables, beans, pumpkin, fruit, soup and peanut butter.

Then, bring those cans of food to the west entrance of The Salvation Army Joy Center, 924 S. Hudson, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, (not Nov. 28 or 29!) through Dec. 6, you’ll be putting a little more “merry” into someone’s Christmas.

-DJ

Holiday Volunteer Opportunities 2013

Tis the season! 

 For many people the holiday season is still far, far away. But here at the Salvation Army we have been gearing up for Christmas since July! If you are like us and already have holidays on the brain, we are now accepting volunteers!

   Great for parents and kids to do together!  

Every year thousands come out and help us with a variety of volunteer opportunities, such as: Bell-ringing, Angel Tree Booths, Gift Sorting, Meal Serving, Christmas Distribution, Food Sorting, Food Packing and more.

We hope you will be one of them!

To register for any of these great opportunities click here!

2nd Annual Winter Wonderland Experience 

                            Toy Shop!                             

I am so excited to announce our Winter Wonderland Experience was a huge success last year and we are thrilled to be continuing it again this year! Every year hundreds of volunteers come through our doors during the Christmas season, but most only participate in one holiday opportunity and never get to see all of the efforts taking place to make Christmas wonderful for thousands of local families.

The Winter Wonderland Experience is a unique volunteer experience; you are able to choose how much time you'd like to give and we give you the opportunity to see what goes into creating Christmas joy for thousands in need.

Do you have a heart to serve a holiday meal, but would like to do more? Sign-up for our Snow Flake experience.

Outback Steakhouse employees serve Thanksgiving dinner!

Are you really excited about the season? Already started singing "Silent Night"? Then we have the perfect opportunity for you! Be our Snow Angel and kick off the holidays right with a wide range of holiday volunteer opportunities!

Check out the other wintery opportunities click here! to decide which best fits your holiday schedule. 

Each Winter Wonderland volunteer will receive a limited edition 2nd annual collectable t-shirt to wear while volunteering-- showing the world how special you are to us! You will also be invited to a VIP reception (in January) where you will be honored for your dedication to making The Salvation Army Christmas programs a success!

Spaces are very limited, so I hope to hear from you soon!

-Jenny

Tis the Season: Holiday Volunteer Dates!

HO HO HO! What? It’s just July, why are you talking like Santa? Well, because for us over here at The Salvation Army Christmas season has already begun and one of the most common questions we get is, when can I sign up for volunteering? Well, mark your calendars! 

We have the most-up-to-date list of our Holiday volunteer opportunities. Additional details will be announced on the September 9^th blog. 

August 19 ^th—September17 –Angel Tree Appointment Letters

September 18^th– October 11 –Angel Tree Registration

September 9-Thankgsiving Volunteer Registration Opens and additional details about volunteering will be posted on our blog!

October 1^st—Christmas Volunteer Registration Opens

November 22- December13-Angel Tree

November28-Thanksgiving Meal Service

December 2-18 –Toy Shop

December 7 –Food Sorting

December 14- Food Packing

December 19-21- Gift Distribution

If you are interested in volunteering for any of these opportunities contact Jenny McElyea, Volunteer Coordinator at 918 587 7801 or Jenny_McElyea@uss.salvationarmy.org

    ALSO: We have a large need for Spanish/English speaking volunteers! If you or anyone you know is bilingual please consider volunteering your talent this year!
-
-   --Jenny

Summer Day Camps in full swing

Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club members enjoying day camp
At the Mabee Red Shield Boys & Girls Club, members got a treat on Wednesday when supporters from JP Morgan Chase Bank representatives brought by summer supplies including water pistols,  Slip ‘n Slides, a wading pool, beach balls and pool noodles. Program Director Melissa Gruszeczki said the supplies fit perfectly with her once-a-week water games program called “Splash Into Fun.” The Mabee Red Shield members also swim once a week at Chandler Park or the Broken Arrow Boys & Girls Club.  In the photo at left, three club kids unpack the gifts as JP Morgan Chase bankers David Stratton and Kristin Bohanon watch.

At the Broken Arrow Boys & Girls Club, Director Janis Fraley said she has 153 kids in Summer Day Camp. The cost is $100 a week with a $5 deposit to reserve a spot. The club also requires the $45 annual membership fee that includes a T-shirt. This club takes kids on two field trips a week, to the movies, Incredible Pizza, Laser Quest, horseback riding, and even a float trip. Janis said one of the favorite features of Summer Day Camp is Fast Food Wednesdays, when parents who are tired of packing their child’s lunch can send money for the club to provide a meal from local fast food restaurants.

It’s hard to believe that Summer Day Camp in Sapulpa has already been going on for a month! Because none of the schools had to use snow days this year, several Day Camps started earlier than usual. Sapulpa Boys & Girls Club Director Jake Law said the club has lots of fun events and field trips planned. When I talked to him he was busy setting up “Tent Day” in the gym. He said kids bring in their tents and sleeping bags and set them up in the gym just as if they were outside. I love the creativity of our Boys & Girls Club directors!

Thank you volunteers!

The Police vs. Fire competition
is legendary.

Impossible. That is what Christmas at The Salvation Army would be without volunteers. This Christmas more than 2,000 volunteers provided 8,805 hours of service. Two thousand volunteers is the size of a small army. Which is kind of perfect!

As the volunteer coordinator, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who were willing to give of their time just so others could have a Merry Christmas. As I was thanking our volunteers it blew my mind when they started thanking me! The people who stood on their feet all day in a freezing warehouse were thanking me for this experience? Wow. I thought the cold or exhaustion had finally started getting to them. Then I realized something that everyone at The Salvation Army already knew. We truly have the most amazing volunteers in the world.

If you gave any of your time to us this holiday season or even this year, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We couldn’t do it without you!

Without our volunteer food sorters
our staff would have to work DAYS
to get the job done!

Type of Activity                   Volunteers        Hours Served

Bell Ringing                             403                      2250

Angel Tree                              196                      784

Christmas Eve Meal                  38                      76

Gift Sorting                               99                      396

Checking Bags                          33                     122

Distribution                              838                     3392

Food Sorting                           222                     667

Food Packing                          373                    1119   

Total Volunteers                    2,202                    8,806

Thank you so much!

 -Jenny

Shoeless child touches hearts

When you’re busy processing, packing and distributing gifts and toys for 9,500 people – mainly children – it was sometimes easy to get so caught up in “making it happen” that you forgot what you really were making happen.

On the first day of distribution the weather was bitter cold. I was helping a mother take her items to her car when her little girl who appeared to be about seven came running to meet us, hoping she might catch a glimpse of what was in “her” bag. (She couldn’t. The bags are opaque for that reason!) I looked down at her feet and saw that they were bare, leaned over and said, “Missy, what in the world are you doing without your shoes on? It’s freezing out here!” Still bouncing with excitement she said to me in a very matter of fact manner, “I don’t have any shoes anymore. Our house burned down the other night.”

 I looked up at the mother who shrugged her very weary shoulders and said, “We thought me losing my job was the worst thing that could happen before Christmas then our house caught on fire. We have nothing left and had no insurance. If it weren’t for you [The Salvation Army], we wouldn’t even have a Christmas.”

Angel Tree with the Least of the These

My daughter is a 'least of these'. She's actually my foster daughter and has been in DHS custody for over a year; she and her younger brother have been with my husband and I since July of this year. They were placed with us about a week after I started my job as a grant writer here at Salvation Army. These kids are hilarious, fun, exhausting and challenging; we love it, but we are finding that we have to be very intentional about teaching them "Life Lessons,"while we can.

My husband and I have always shopped for Angels off the Angel Tree in the past, usually one for him- a boy- and one for me- a girl. This year, we have 2 little ones to buy for already, but I was loathe to give up tradition. So this year, I decided to include our foster kids.

We made it out to the Angel Tree kickoff at Promenade Mall. At age 5, Miss M (as we call her in blog-land) was unimpressed with the kickoff in general--too loud. But she did like the girls' singing group, MP3, in their matching outfits and "shiny hair."

MP3 girls group at the Angel Tree Kickoff (11/17/12)

After Kickoff, we picked out a Angel from the big tree, just her age, named "Lisbeth" and set off to pick out some gifts for "her Angel."

At first, she did a great job of picking out toys. She "ennie meenie mineie mo'd" between which Baby Alive doll 'Lisbeth' was to get- Hair Salon Baby Alive or Magic Meals Baby Alive.

Hair Salon, duh.

But she struggled a bit with stocking stuffers, as we picked out Hello Kitty stickers and pencils and Disney princess playing cards. I gently asked her if she was picking out things for herself or for Lisbeth, and she admitted they were for her. But soon we were back on the right track. 
~~~~~~

Miss M's letter to her Angel.

Every time we added something to the bag, we would talk a little about what we were doing and why. In my own blundering, non-parental way, I tied to impress on her how it is important to share what she has, to be grateful for those who love her and that there is always someone who has less than you do. 

Miss M is pretty smart, but I think the literal and logistics of the Angel Tree, may have gotten blurry during our conversations. She asked me, the day I went to take the Angel Tree bag in to work, "How will she get them {the toys}, up in Heaven?" I stifled a giggle and tried to explain that our "Angel" was a real girl, just like her, and that she needed extra toys and we were like her personal Santa! How fun!

Santa, she understood.

And boy, I felt like Santa, when I went to check in shelve the Angel bag. I walked past row after row of shelves, 3 levels high, with toy bags packed in, till I found Lisbeth's family bag.

Turns out, she's the youngest of 4 girls. And her bag was the last one to be added to the families' bag. Those lovely little girls would all get all their hearts desired, thanks to people they didn't know.
As I marked the bag tag with a big "C" for  "Complete," I felt the warehouse dust prick my nose. And eyes. Lots of tear-inducing dust in the warehouse.
~~~~
 And I don't know about you, but I've been near tears many times since (including today, as I wrote this post), thinking about the poor babies in Newtown, Connecticut. So close in age to Miss M and Lisbeth and so many of my friends' kids. So close to Christmas. Lodged in our hearts and the back of our throats.

But as a donor said to me this afternoon, as I took her donation for the Angel Tree over the phone, "it's the least I can do for kids in need, especially this Christmas."

So, do what you can. Shine a light in the dark. There is always someone more in need than you. Miss M can attest.

--Vicki

A Special Thank You to a Special Group of People

 “ I really appreciate all that you do, and I’ll do what I can to help to make sure you help as manypeople as you can.  There are a lot of people who need what you have to offer.”

    These are very kind words from a woman who has been a loyal Salvation Army donor for several years. I got the pleasure of meeting her at the Donor Thank You luncheon held at the Tulsa Area Command in late November. 

    We want our donors to know how much their generosity helps our mission. Whether it’s a $5 donation or a $5,000 donation, all of our donors get a thank you card.  We also send thank you cards from Advisory Board members and staff to those who give a large donation. But we wanted to do more. That’s why our Donor Relations Committee, made up of eight Advisory Board members, wanted to do a Thank You luncheon. 

Arletta Robinson, Executive Director of the Center of Hope

    We invited a small group of donors to Area Command for a holiday meal, followed by a quick program. Arletta Robinson, Executive Director of the Center of Hope, told the crowd about her case workers.  These men and women deal with people needing help the most, hearing story after story that would break the hearts of many.  

The luncheon concluded with a tour of the facility, including our Joy Center, which is full of toys and food that we will hand out to thousands of people next week. One of the donors even shed a tear during the tour, getting a better idea of what we do, and who we help. 

    The luncheon was not a fundraiser, just a simple way to say thank you to those who make it possible for us to do our work. It’s always interesting to find out why people give and important to us to let them know that they’re appreciated too. 

-Carrie

"Getting It": Pre-teen Discovers Holiday Spirit

   “Look, Mom! This angel has my name and is exactly half my age!” My son had been scouring the Angel Tree at Woodland Hills Mall after the Kickoff ceremonies, looking for an angel of his own to adopt. Now 12, he announced he was old enough to pick his own angel and asked if he could spend some of his savings to buy the presents for his angel. This proud Mom said yes and gave him a big hug.

I was thrilled that he “got it.” He understood that while we might not be rich financially, we could help a child (six-year-old Riley) have Christmas presents under the tree that he wouldn’t otherwise have. (Did I say I was proud?)

Saturday, The Tulsa Area Salvation Army officially opened the Angel Tree programs at Promenade and Woodland Hills Malls. More than 12,000 angels will be up for adoption. The children and elders the paper angels on these trees represent are counting on people like me, my son, and you, the generous citizens of the Tulsa area, to help them have a Christmas. Not a great Christmas, not even necessarily a good Christmas, but a Christmas at all.

Will you join my son and me in this small act of kindness?  We’re going shopping for our angels this week so we can get them back to The Salvation Army by the deadline of December 12. 
We hope to see you out there too! 
 - DJ


Photos of the event, by DJ Morrow. 

Cash and Carry from K95FM and Lee Ann Taylor from KTUL/Channel 6 talk Angel Tree withMrs April Taylor at Woodland Hill Mass on Satursday, November 17th.

Girls Quintent "MP3" sang at both Promenade and Woodland Hill Mall Kickoff events.

Iconic Salvation Army brass band spread holiday cheer for all to hear!

Go to the mall... to help others!

Christmas is less than two months away, does that seem crazy to anyone else? With Christmas comes the joy of shopping and if you’re like me that means headed to the mall for a few hours. While you are at the mall why not consider volunteering for the Angel Tree? It’s a great way to get in the holiday spirit and a great excuse to spend a little extra time at the mall. Plus, helping people find the perfect angel is actually really fun!

For more information about volunteering at the Angel Tree contact Jenny McElyea, Volunteer Coordinator at 918-587-7801, Jenny_McElyea@uss.salvation.org or click here. 
 

Volunteers are needed from November 17-December 12 during mall hours shift times are: 10am-2pm, 2pm-6pm, 6pm-10pm (M-S) 12pm-3pm, 3pm-6pm (Sunday). 

You can choose Woodland Hills or Promenade Mall.

-Jenny