Moms and Money: The Salvation Army

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - It’s a familiar sound, a sign that the Holidays are here.

“I think, you know, it gives that warm feeling of helping your neighbor,” said Major Jon Augustine with the Salvation Army. “I think it is a way to spread Christmas cheer. It’s a way to connect with people.”

Augustine has been working with the Salvation Army since he was 11 years old.

“My dad wasn’t in the house,” said Augustine. “My mom had five boys and the Salvation Army became like a lifesaver for me. A place I could go where I could find hope and purpose.”

The Salvation Army has 18,000 hours of bell ringing to fill for this year’s Red Kettle Campaign and they are in need of volunteers.

“You know, every kind of person we’ve had volunteer,” said Augustine. “We have senior citizens, a lot of senior citizens who’ve maybe been helped by the army and they’ll give hours and hours of their time meeting people and helping collect money for us.”

Augustine said it’s a great way for tomorrow’s generation to learn what the Christmas Season is all about.

“It’s very easy for Christmas to become commercialized, and it’s about what am I going to get and how many gifts and this is a kind of flips the script,” said Augustine. “It’s like how can I help someone else have a warm place to sleep, food to eat, or even gifts for a child at Christmas, who maybe wouldn’t get gifts otherwise?”

A way to give back to our own community.

“So this money stays right here in the Springfield area,” said Augustine. “Wherever you see a kettle, it stays in that area to help those people not just at Christmas, but 365 days a year. We’re gonna raise a third of the money for our budget during this season.”

The Red Kettle Campaign bell ringers will be out until Christmas Eve, you can donate online until December 31st. To learn how to volunteer or to donate click here.

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