Celebrating Veterans

Let me first say "Thank you" to all our service men and women who have protected our freedoms. On behalf of the Tulsa Metro Salvation Army, we are deeply grateful and indebted to you.

The Salvation Army and the United States military have a long and mutually satisfying history. During World War I (the war to end all wars - so we had hoped), Salvation Army personnel were sworn in as Army Privates so they could serve alongside our fighting men in the European theater. Most of these "soldiers" were women. They were trained as nurses and sent to serve in makeshift hospitals behind battle fronts in France. They not only helped mend the bodies of wounded fighting men, they also brought healing to their weary, lonely souls. The Salvation Army "Lassies" sang to the troops, helped them write letters to home, prepared meals, and directed worship services. But the greatest spirit-lifter was the good old American doughnut. The "Doughnut Girls", as they became known, would fry up hundreds of these sugary pastries every day. Soldiers would line up and patiently wait for a taste of home.
During World War II many Salvation Army locations across the United States were used as local USO sites. Soldiers would often times go to the Salvation Army building for relaxation. Salvation Army personnel would play music, show movies, lead games, offer letter writing materials, and serve refreshments for free to help distract soldiers from thoughts of where they had just been, or where they about to go. It was a service that many said helped them get through the war.

Today, in some military towns Salvation Army canteens (mobile kitchens) greet returning soldiers as they disembark from overseas service, serving them and their loved ones snacks and beverages, and giving them "Welcome Home" gifts.

Numerous Salvation Army officers have been commissioned as Chaplains throughout the years and served alongside our soldiers bringing comfort and courage. It has been, and remains to this day, our distinct honor to serve those who serve this country.

Thank you all for your service.

God bless you!


Major Jim Taylor
Tulsa Area Commander

Youth sports + grants = a winning combination!

Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs Wanna Play

Mabee Red Shield Cowboys, right

A few weeks ago, Boys & Girls Club Executive Director David emailed me about a grant opportunity for the Boys & Girls Club of Tulsa for sports programming. Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA)and Buffalo Wild Wings has an "All Star" program which offers mini-grants to Clubs that have existing football and cheerleading programs, or that want to start one. After looking at each of our six area Clubs-- from Broken Arrow to North Tulsa-- I submitted the West Mabee Boys & Girls Club in West Tulsa for the grant. It would be primarily used to  buy new sports equipment such as football helmets and pads.

Boys & Girls Club basketball

We're also going to be applying for a "Wanna Play" mini-grant through the Major League Baseball Association's partnership with BGCA. Wanna Play includes weekly activities and a field day!

We're excited about the late summer/fall sports programs at our Clubs- they are a great outreach tool to the community and are super beneficial for the kids. Sports teach so much about teamwork, having a good attitude, and also get kids engaged in healthy movement and exercise.

I'm excited to hear back on these grants in the coming weeks!

-Vicki

~~~~
If you'd like to help financially support sports' programs at the Tulsa area Boys & Girls Clubs, you can call our Director of Development, Lindsay Sparks at 918-587-7801 to directly donate.

If you'd like more information on volunteering or coaching one of the Club's teams, call our Volunteer Coordinator, Jenny McElyea, at 918-587-7801, ex. 113.

If you'd like to get your child involved in a team sport, call the Club Admin office at 918-835-6902!

Comfort comes in many ways

One Salvation Army officer's experience in Moore

On Monday May 20, Salvation Army minister Sergeant Rob Daniels, was serving in Shawnee, Okla. following the tornado that hit that area the day before. His team was offering services to those affected when he heard on the radio that a large tornado was on the ground, headed toward the adjacent city of Moore, Okla. While his team took shelter in the basement of City Hall, stories started flooding in over the radio about the devastation in Moore: The hospital was gone, children were stuck in a school, and hundreds were without homes.

New disaster response orders rolled in from Emergency Disaster Services Director Steven Hartsook,  “As soon as it is safe, we need you in Moore.” Within the hour Sgt. Daniels and his team were racing to the hardest hit areas. As they approached the city via I-35, Sgt. Daniels was struck by the amount of dirt and debris--at least three inches thick--covering the highway. Seeing the remnants of what had been the Warren Theatre brought back memories of his previous disaster service after the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City.  “Everywhere I looked that day,” he said, “there were injured people seeking medical attention, begging for someone to help them. Medical personnel were scrambling to help as many people as possible.”

When he reached the emergency response command post at Plaza Towers Elementary, he saw many who were not hurting physically, but emotionally. Parents were pacing or lying on the ground, lost in a fog of emotions--wondering where their little ones were. “My mind raced back to the evening in 1995 when a firefighter, with tears in his eyes, told me they had finally reached the daycare,” he recalled. “I wondered if this night would end in the same way, with a brave firefighter crying on my shoulder for the children that were lost.”

Eventually Sgt. Daniels found himself among the first responders who had recovered the children lost from the rubble. They didn’t want a lot of people in the area; these brave men and women needed to process what had happened, but they also asked that one person stay with them. Sgt. Daniels stayed, offering to listen if they needed to talk. He was there with them until the medical examiner and mortician arrived. “My heart broke,” he said, “as I saw these men and women who have committed their lives to saving others watch the vans leave with those that they could not save.”

Sgt. Daniels has stayed in Moore since the tornado. He continues to care for those who are struggling, hurt, and emotionally drained from losses of homes, transportation, loved ones, and security.

Salvation Army officers are trained in emotional and spiritual care.  They  may not be able to heal a broken bone, but they step in when they can to help heal a broken heart; they do it with hot meals, cold water, a hug, and a prayer because they know that these small actions can be more powerful than they seem.

 Serving in Moore over the last week, Sgt. Daniels has traveled through the same neighborhoods over and over. The daily improvements aren’t drastic; they are slow and steady. The roads clear one day, as a few destroyed cars have been hauled off. The most common sight is homeowners sorting and cleaning, throwing out the obvious trash and keeping the items that might be salvageable--or are just too precious to let go. Salvation Army mobile kitchen units, like what Sgt. Daniels uses, drive up and down the streets, offering support—food, comfort, prayer, whatever is needed.

 Sometimes the impact of The Salvation Army isn’t seen but felt. One woman in her early 50s sat on her porch every day waiting for Sgt. Daniels and his canteen. Day after day she would only take a bottle of water or Gatorade and a bit of food . And she was always alone. Her home was standing, but there was damage all around her and large holes in her roof. When Sgt. Daniels asked if she needed anything--gloves, masks, or sunscreen--she said she was fine, but wanted to thank him for coming by to check on her. “She told me that as much as she appreciated the cold drinks and food,” he said, “we gave her something much more important; comfort and stability.”

"’I know that you will come by here at least twice every day, and whenever you come by, you will ask me how I am doing and how you can help,’ she told me. ‘While the rest of my world is turned upside down, I know The Salvation Army will always be right on time when I need you most.”

At the end of their daily conversation Sgt. Daniels prays with her, hugs her neck, and continues making  his way through the ruined neighborhood. - Lindsay
 

The latest news from Moore

Preparing meals in the canteen

Salvation Army Monitoring Oklahoma Severe Weather Forecasts, Planning for Public and Personnel Safety in Ongoing Emergency Disaster Services 

The Salvation Army’s tornado recovery effort continues in Oklahoma. With severe weather forecast for a widespread area around Oklahoma City this afternoon and evening, the Emergency Disaster Services team is closely monitoring weather conditions and making plans for today’s feeding, distribution, and emotional and spiritual care operations.

Safety is our top priority for all EDS personnel as well as the Oklahomans we serve.
We are enacting safety guidelines for all ongoing Salvation Army tornado response operations, which include instructions for all EDS staff to monitor weather radio for updates on ongoing weather threats and if severe weather moves into the area to seek shelter immediately at the closest designated safe facility.

For the safety of the public and EDS personnel, The Salvation Army is making the following modification to today’s services:

First responders wait for their meal

Plaza Mayor at Crossroads (Distribution Center/Warehouse)

· This location will undergo a close for distribution at 2:30 PM today (5/29).

All Salvation Army Fixed and Roving Feedings will be available today through 2:30 p.m.

The Salvation Army will continue to monitor the weather each day and make any necessary modifications to services, locations, and personnel that may be necessary for public and personnel safety.

Daily updates will be issued as necessary.

Since Sunday, May 19, The Salvation Army has provided 33,904 meals, 45,874 drinks, and 34,000 snacks, 18 Canteens (mobile feeding units), 978 Clean Up and 1,064 Comfort (hygiene) kits, and prayer with 4,033 persons since Sunday, May 19. Nearly 7,500 man-hours have been logged by volunteers, employees and officers.

For the most recent, detailed information, visit www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.

For those who would like to give to The Salvation Army, please consider a monetary donation. It is easy to give to The Salvation Army:

· By phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)
· Online at www.salvationarmyusa.org

· By mail: The Salvation Army - Disaster Relief P.O. BOX 2536 Oklahoma City, OK 73102. Please make checks payable to "The Salvation Army" and clearly marked "May 2013 Oklahoma Tornadoes."

· You can also text the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word “Yes.”*


Currently, The Salvation Army is not accepting in-kind donations from the general public for disaster relief operations. In-kind donations require sorting, boxing, palletizing, storage, and delivery to the disaster location. All of these activities can be costly and time consuming, and therefore may delay service delivery. Used clothing and used furnishings are not needed for disaster relief.
However, The Salvation Army depends upon your donation of used clothing and other items to support local programming. Please consider donating your used clothing to your local Salvation Army Family Store.

In the Oklahoma City area, in-kind donations will only be accepted at The Salvation Army’s location at 7th St. and Pennsylvania Ave.

How Tulsans Can Help with Moore Tornado Disaster Relief

 From Tuesday morning's press release:

https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/uss/eds/aok

Victor Higgins (left) and his wife Karen were the first people to donate items in Tulsa to help people in Moore.

In addition to taking a mobile feeding unit to Moore during the aftermath of the tornado, The Salvation Army Tulsa Area Command is collecting toiletries, hydration items and snacks to help people in Moore.  The Tulsa Area Command will collect the following items from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. TODAY (Tues., May 21)  in the west parking lot of their headquarters at 924 S. Hudson. 

UPDATE: Goods donations will be accepted through Friday- from 10am to 4:30pm on Wed and from 12noon to 4:30 on Thursday and Friday.
 

Bottled water

Gatorade

Wet wipes

Individually wrapped snacks

Hand sanitizer

Work gloves

Sunscreen

Heavy duty trash bags

Personal sanitation items, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant.

NO CLOTHING DONATIONS ARE NEEDED AT THIS TIME. Storage is limited and must be used for immediate needs.

Cash donations are preferred, as the funds can be used immediately where there is the greatest.

All items will be used locally.  

How to donate funds:

 

DONATE BY MAIL

The Salvation Army Disaster Relief

P.O. BOX 12600

Oklahoma City, OK 73157

Please designate Oklahoma Tornado Relief on all checks.

 

DONATE BY PHONE

1-800-SAL-ARMY

(1-800-725-2769)

 

DONATE ONLINE

https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/uss/eds/aok

 

TEXT TO GIVE: Text GIVE to 80888 for a $10 donation

Volunteers:

Volunteers are needed in Tulsa to assist with collecting donations.To find out more information about current and future volunteer needs, call 918-587-7801.

Booth Dinner to Highlight Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with the 2013 William Booth Society chairpersons, Charlotte and Wade Edmundson, and the remarkable dinner committee they have assembled to help make our 20th Annual Benefit Dinner a success. This year they will highlight our six Metro Tulsa Boys & Girls Clubs and I wanted to share some information about why our Clubs are essential for youth in our community.

I should also mention that this year we will have Bob Costas as our keynote speaker! As the face and voice of NBC Sports, Costas is best known for covering events seen by millions such as the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl and the Olympics.

Here are some interesting facts from a national Harris Survey conducted by Boys & Girls Club nationally.

Nationally, 1.3 million students in the class of 2010 did not graduate with a high school diploma: a graduation rate of 69%

Boys & Girls Club members graduate at a rate of 90%
15% higher average GPA than peers
87% fewer absences

Oklahoma spends on the average $36,500 per year for each child in juvenile detention

Boys & Girls Clubs spend $600 per child each year on programs and services that are proven deterrents to juvenile crime.

Check out this infographic with more: 

Source: http://bgca.org/whywecare/Pages/KidsInCrisis.aspx

The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs in Tulsa serve more than 5,000 youth annually. Our programs focus on physical fitness, education and the importance of being a good citizen, among other things. Our staff is top-notch with a passion for ensuring the kids in our Clubs don't just do well, they prosper and succeed, understanding that if they work hard nothing is out of their reach! If you would like to support The Salvation Army and our Boys & Girls Clubs while also enjoying a fabulous dinner and world class speaker, call Nancy Lloyd at (918) 587-7801.

See you there!
~Lindsay

The Salvation Army Fights Against Human Trafficking

I recently watched the much acclaimed "Half the Sky" documentary and was particularly moved by the Somaly Mam segment, wherein a former sex worker, Somaly Mam, now has a internationally known program that rescues underage sex workers from horrible, abusive situations in her native Cambodia, and across Southeast Asia. 

Many of her girls (literally, girls from ages 3 and up) have been tricked into sex work by the promise of a job in the big city or were straight-up sold into prostitution by their desperate, impoverished families.

Being sold or tricked into unpaid, unwanted sex work is called sex trafficking and it is a serious problem, not just in developing countries like Cambodia and Thailand, but also, here in the United States. 

What I didn't know, and was really excited to find out, was that trafficking was already on the radar of the Salvation Army. As we seek to 'Do the Most Good" fighting trafficking is a clear calling for us as an organization. We routinely feed the hungry, and shelter the homeless and minister to widows and orphans, but what about "freeing the captives"? Human trafficking has been called "modern slavery"; and the numbers support it. An estimated 2 million women and children are sold into sexual slavery around the world, every year. And even in the US, it is estimated that 14,000 to 17,000 victims are trafficked annually.