Good Samaritan…

On my way home for lunch today, I saw something a little unexpected.

Heading north on Meridian St., between The Salvation Army Divisional Headquarters and 38th St., a woman, clearly not dressed for a jog, was running full-speed up the other side of the street. At the next stoplight, I figured out why – her dog got away from her and was merrily on his way to the busy 38th & Meridian intersection. Not even phased by the traffic.

As I pondered whether I could help in this situation, being on the opposite side of the street in the right hand lane, it turned out I could have. The car in front of me pulled over to the left lane and turned left into a parking lot. The driver opened the car door just in time to swoop the dog up and carry him back to his owner.

I’m fairly certain these two people didn’t know each other before the Great Dog Escape of 2010, but how impressive is it that someone took that chance, put their own destination aside, and probably saved that dog’s life?

Just thought I’d share what wonderful people live in Indianapolis.

National Salvation Army Week…!

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower stated his support of The Salvation Army and created the first National Salvation Army Week.

Here we are, 56 years later, still celebrating the efforts of The Salvation Army. A lot of people know us as Emergency Disaster Services, red kettles at Christmas, and thrift stores to buy gently used items for a great price – but do you know all of what we do?

Do you know about the Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment Center run by The Salvation Army? How about the Domestic Violence Shelter for women and children with nowhere else to turn? Or about the after-school programs designed to further at-risk childrens’ education and keep them off the street? The senior citizen programs to reconnect seniors with their community? Food pantries, help with rent and electricity for those affected by the rough economy? Worship services held at their Corps? Spiritual counseling – free to anyone who wants it? Coats and Toys given to children in need? Visits to Veteran’s Hospitals? Delivering gifts to shut-ins?

The Salvation Army is all of that and more. We’ll be at BD’s Mongolian Grill, the Indiana War Memorial, Max and Erma’s, and Veteran’s Memorial Park during the week of May 10th – May 16th. Click here for specific information about our whereabouts and we hope to see you there!

Date Change – Coats for Kids

I know that Coats for Kids is quite a ways off, and that it’s time to be thinking about pools and sunshine, but we’ve had a significant date change.

We’ve been advertising Coats for Kids volunteer opportunities for October 16th, but the *real* date (after working things out with the Fairgrounds) will be October 30th.

This means we have an extra 2 weeks to collect coats for children in need. It’s always a stretch to meet the needs of the thousands of children who line up at the Fairgrounds, so hopefully the slightly chilly air that comes with the end of October, and the 2 additional weeks, will help us reach our goal.

All I wanted to do was let you know that if you’ve already marked your calendar, we apologize for sharing a date that didn’t work out – and we’re asking you to please help on October 30th!

Bounce House!!!

We did it. We found the ultimate bounce house – a 2 story tall Red Kettle! Safe as safe can be for your youngesters (Crissy and I personally tested it out) and ready for some jumping  action!

The Red Kettle bounce house will be premiering at our Eat Outside the Box event at Veteran’s Memorial Park on Friday, May 14th.

Speaking of Eat Outside the Box, we’re looking for willing volunteers to spend a couple hours any day between May 5th and May 13th to help pass out flyers during lunch time downtown! We’ll be promoting our 2nd Annual Eat Outside the Box event. What a great way to get some fresh air, help out a good cause, and meet a lot of people, right?

If you’re interested, you can sign up online, or you can just shoot me an email.

ChaCha Time…

Our efforts continue every single day to end homelessness in Indianapolis. Our shelters house those in need while providing programs, counseling, child care, job skills, food and safety. Our Corps have food pantries, case workers, after-school programs, and prayer.

And now, ChaCha is stepping in to lend their services to keep you informed of our progress and to let you know how you can help. All you have to do to stay connected is phone a question in to ChaCha by calling 1-800-2ChaCha, or texting your question to ChaCha (242242). Then, you’ll see a message about how you can help.

For more information, jump on over to our Homelessness Bites website!

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