By Darnell Burtin, Major Gifts Advisor/Executive Salvation Army
What comes to mind when you first see the Salvation Army logo? Perhaps, it's our uniformed officers ringing their bells and holding that familiar red kettle during Christmas time. Maybe you've visited one of our many thrift stores with the organization's signature red and white shield on the front of the building.
Let me assure you, the mission of the Salvation Army is far more diverse than that.
A History Lesson
You may be surprised to know the Salvation Army is one of the oldest human and social service agencies in the world. The Salvation Army is a faith-based, social service agency that has been meeting human needs since 1865. It started when British minister William Booth gave up his comfortable pulpit to take his message to the streets of London where it would reach a group of people who needed love and kindness far more than his parishioners: the poor, homeless, hungry and destitute.
Booth decided to found a church especially for them: the East London Christian Mission. Some 13 years later, Booth asked his son, Bramwell, and good friend George Railton to read a copy of the mission's annual report. At the top, it read: THE CHRISTIAN MISSION is A VOLUNTEER ARMY.
Bramwell strongly objected to this wording, because he didn't believe he was a volunteer. In fact, he was compelled to do God's work. So, in a flash of inspiration, Booth crossed out "Volunteer" and wrote "Salvation." That's when the Salvation Army was truly born. The Salvation Army eventually came to the United States in 1880 when a group of eight met in Battery Park, blocks from where the World Trade Center would eventually stand and, 121 years later, fall.
Since it began, the Army has worked to provide food, shelter and employment opportunities to the disadvantaged. Our mission to serve grows and changes depending on local needs but hunger, poverty, homelessness and addictions remain at the core of our work.
Our Growing Need
Last year, the Salvation Army's ministry throughout the United States brought to light a diverse army of Salvationists, volunteers and faithful donors, all committed to the fulfillment of our mission within a rapidly changing contemporary society.
With more than 9,200 centers and 45,000 employees, the Salvation Army touched more than 42 million people in 2003 through our integrated avenues of worship, social services and opportunities during our 123rd consecutive year of service to Americans all across the country. And our needs keep growing as unemployment, underemployment and homelessness engulf more people every day.
For example:
All of these are crucial social issues, especially if you live in the inner city. But, if you live in a small town, such concerns may slide under your personal radar. But I'm sure one very recent event--9/11--certainly didn't escape your attention. The Army has been on the scene to help victims and caregivers during almost every natural disaster in the United States, ever since the flood of 1900 devastated Galveston, Texas.
During 9/11, the Army established 21 stations to provide food, toiletries, socks and medicine to aid firefighters, policemen and rescuers, serving some 300,000 meals during the first 72 hours of the crisis alone, according to a 2001 piece in Worth written by novelist John Sedgwick. We took over 24 warehouses, including a hangar at Kennedy Airport to handle the deluge of donations from Americans like you who were willing to help.
And that's just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Here are some other examples of the many programs and services that the Salvation Army provides you may not know about:
Emergency Housing
Free temporary housing is available to homeless men, women and families in severe financial need. Low-cost housing also is available to men and women living on pensions or social security. Drop in centers and free meals are available year-round for the homeless.
Women and Children
The Salvation Army offers a wide range of programs for women and their children based on individual need. Services include HIV/AIDS counseling, transitional housing, outpatient care and parenting classes for teen mothers, vocational guidance, daycare for working mothers, foster care and adoption services and domestic violence support.
Youth Services
Nearly 100,000 children and teens visit Salvation Army community centers each year for after school programs and to participate in other educational, recreational, social and spiritual activities.
Family Services
The goal of our family services is to strengthen and unify the family unit, whether it is a traditional two-parent family, a blended family or a household led by a single adult. Program services are constantly expanding and include financial and utility assistance, relationship counseling and employment assistance.
Prison Outreach
Through cooperative arrangements with prisons' probation and parole officials throughout the country, the Salvation Army plays a growing role in prison rehabilitation and crime prevention. In some jurisdictions, prisoners are paroled to the direct custody of the Salvation Army. To date, more than 50,000 people on probation report annually to Army staff.
Seniors
Because Baby Boomers are the fastest growing group in the country, our programs for older adults are more important than ever. In our corps community centers throughout the nation, older adults gather to share interests, develop new skills and enjoy the company of their peers. Our Golden Diners program feeds seniors nutritional meals at area sites or in their homes seven days a week.
Human Trafficking
The Army is actively involved in fighting this international crime against human rights and providing services for victims. Nearly 1 million people are sold across international borders each year, having been bought and transported in slave-like conditions for sex and labor exploitation.
Our Work Continues
Internationally, the Salvation Army is committed to serve wherever disaster strikes and a need exists. We were on the front line when wildfires spread in Nigeria, when bombings occurred in Madrid, for emergency feeding in Lesotho, when severe floods engulfed areas in the Dominican Republic and when a volcano erupted in New Guinea. Closer to home, during the recent California wildfires and the Midwest tornados, our familiar disaster canteens were on site to deliver aid to victims as well as to emergency personnel.
Through thoughtful and generous contributions, it becomes possible for the Salvation Army to help so many people, dispensing both physical and spiritual aid. Not only did we help 42 million Americans over the past year, but we served more than 60 million meals, provided over 10 million nights of lodging, delivered basic social services to 22 million cases and welcomed more than 32 million individuals into a variety of expressions of worship.
Through years of generosity, it is a constant joy for us to bring light, happiness and hope to so many.
For more information about the Salvation Army, please feel free to contact me at my Chicago office or visit the Salvation Army's home page to learn more about the programs we offer near you:
Darnell Burtin Major Gift Executive Salvation Army Divisional Headquarters darnell_burtin@usc.salvationarmy.org 773/205-3538 773/456-3908 Cellular
One of my most favorite charities is the Salvation Army for several important reasons, as so clearly pointed out by Peter Drucker, longtime professor at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University:
According to a Forbes article in which Drucker rated the nation's top charities, he called the Salvation Army "by far the most effective organization in the U.S. No one even comes close to it in respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication and putting money to maximum use. They know how the work with the poorest of the poor and the meanest of the mean."
I encourage you to learn more about what the Salvation Army does at their Web site like I did. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
And if you have some extra money to spare after all the bills are paid, I'm sure the Salvation Army will put it to good use.