The Salvation Army: Hope and Help for Our Culture and Our Needy

NewsMax.com ^ | Dec. 12, 2006 | Paul Weyrich

[kellynla]

Every year the retailers issue forecasts predicting sales. These projections are taken by many economists as leading indicators of the condition of the American economy.

Much less is heard about the contributions made during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons to the Salvation Army. That's too bad. The money and goods donated might be viewed as an indicator which signifies whether our country still hews to the Judeo-Christian value of looking out for one's fellow man.

The Salvation Army steps in to help people in countless ways. Whether it involves providing backpacks filled with school supplies for kids in Macomb County, Mich. whose parents have low incomes, to providing a married couple with a needed tank of gas so they could travel to their jobs, the Salvation Army is a continual provider of goods and services to many in need.

The Salvation Army does not turn its back on anyone who needs help.

Not everyone can become a Salvation Army officer. Each aspirant must sign the Salvation Army "Articles of War" in which the aspirant pledges belief in the Old and New Testament and to "uphold Christian integrity in every area in all my relationships with others, my family and neighbors, my colleagues, and fellow Salvationists, those to whom and for whom I am responsible, and the wider community."

That missionary zeal on behalf of Judeo-Christian principles is too often missing in our society, sometimes in our churches, synagogues, and charities.

One early mission of the Salvation Army was to prevent young women from becoming prostitutes. That missionary work continues with PROMISE — the Partnership to Rescue Our Minors from Sexual Exploitation. Believe it or not, the Salvation Army says, "In the U.S. an estimated 244,000-325,000 children are currently being emotionally, physically, and spiritually devastated through the sex trade, and very little is being done to stop it."

The Salvation Army's PROMISE model in Chicago seeks to galvanize the governmental and voluntary sectors of the community in a crusade to make the citizenry and also law enforcement more aware of sex trafficking.

Every month in Chicago members of a task force comprised of 22 governmental, law enforcement, and social service agencies meet in the Cook County Courthouse to discuss strategies and tactics to combat prostitution.

The Salvation Army promoted the concept of forming the task force and persuaded the different organizations and agencies to buy into it.

Many citizens fail to realize how widespread the prostitution business is or how brutal it can be, particularly for the children or young men and women recruited into it.

Often they are immigrants brought to this country with no real knowledge of English or they come from fractured family backgrounds. Unthinkable as it may be, some children can have their sex changed and then be "pimped out." Now court officials in Chicago are more cognizant that the truant from school or homeless person is a victim of the sex trade.

When they realize the underlying problem is prostitution the officials can provide help to the victim.

A Department of Justice grant announced late last week will help the Salvation Army expand nationwide the Chicago model of PROMISE.

The Salvation Army holds itself up to the standard of "doing the most good." The Salvation Army is one organization that says what it means and does what it says.

This holiday season there are many presents to buy. No gift stretches further than a modest gift in the kettle or donation at a service center. Keep the Army and the hard-working men and women in your prayers this holiday season. Let's not forget the forgotten, rejected, and impoverished in our society nor those who extend a helping hand to them.

[Mr. Lucky]

Thanks for the reminder.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

the whole charity dynamic went to crap since govt took over charity via the "Great Society" and committed our taxes to it.

[Cagey]

The Salvation Army is the only charity I mail a donation to. They do incredible work and there aren't any fat cats sitting in walnut paneled offices to count their huge paychecks as so many other charitable organizations do.

And, who doesn't enjoy dropping a donation into their kettle this time of year?

[meg88]

Exactly I don't donate to the Red Cross anymore, only SA. (after I found out their executives were clearing 180k per year)

[al baby]

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"The Salvation Army is the only charity I mail a donation to."

Me, too. The Red Cross can have my blood, but they no longer get my dollars.

MIL & I will be ringing bells again for the SA next week. We take a few of the Grandkids with us, and we always have a great time. :)

[posterchild]

I make sure I donate every year. I remember how well they took care of a relative on the days following the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Westbound transatlantic flights were brought down in Gander Newfoundland. Suddenly a town of a few thousand has tens of thousands of people to accomodate. These people arrived with no luggage and nowhere to stay. Salvation Army was a big help in housing and clothing people (or finding local people who would open their houses to them.)

[Churchillspirit]

And, who doesn't enjoy dropping a donation into their kettle this time of year?

Yes, indeed. Although I don't see so many of them in recent years. All this PC c**p I suppose.

[VOA]

The Salvation Army is the only major charity that gets money out of me.

They have steadfastly stayed on their mission and resisted most of the
assaults by the Politically-Correctness wackos.

[VOA]

...and there aren't any fat cats sitting in walnut paneled offices to
count their huge paychecks as so many other charitable organizations do.

I remember hearing a report about some convention for charity organizations.
The reporter mentioned the INCREDIBLE gap between the salary collected
by the head of the Salvation Army and the other major Charities
(charities for executives, if you ask me!).
IIRC, the head of the Salvation Army was collecting the sort of
salary that most graduate students would turn up their noses at.

It seems that this means that the Salvation Army attracts people
who are focused on their mission, not $$$.
And I suspect that also means they attract some very talented people
that have already made plenty of money in the early lives before
joining the Salvation Army.

[netmilsmom]

>>And, who doesn't enjoy dropping a donation into their kettle this time of year?<<

I don't carry cash. So I love to hear the bells to remind me to clean out the change container (ashtray) in the car and dig out the silver at the bottom of my purse.

The ringer at our local Kroger loves me because the ATM is just inside the door. I get a 20.00, buy milk and give him the rest!

God Love them!

[Cagey]

"Yes, indeed. Although I don't see so many of them in recent years. All this PC c**p I suppose.
"

---

It seems there's a shortage of Bell Ringers:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1753987/posts

[La Enchiladita]

It wouldn't be Christmas without the Salvation Army. I am always thrilled to see them and put some green dollars in the red pot.

:^)

[mdefranc]

I give to the SA, but these facts bother me:

The Salvation Army's national commander is a co-signer of the Evangelical Climate Initiative. While saying that its endorsers act individually not institutionally, the ECI site utterly fails to identify its funding sources. This is not good.

[Churchillspirit]

Thanks for the link.

Who'd have thought it?

[MEGoody]

Salvation Army is my favorite charity. I am always comfortable knowing that any donation I make will be used most effectively.

[Melinda]

To all:

The Simon Property Group that owns malls across the country has banned ringing the bell in their malls resulting in a decline in donations. Please contact them at www.simon.com (you can also contact your nearest Simon Mall on this site) and tell them this is wrong. People who complain about a great charity ringing a bell at Christmas time to call attention to their location in a crowd are just plain mean spirited.

[kellynla]

Thanks for the info.

I just emailed SPG and informed them that we will NO LONGER SHOP AT ANY OF THEIR PROPERTIES!