EDS Alert: Salvation Army Work in Branson Continues

The Salvation Army continues to provided needed assistance to those in the Branson area that were affected by Wednesday’s damaging storms.

A Salvation Army mobile feeding unit, or canteen, is currently stationed outside the Branson Mall and providing food, water and snacks to anyone in need. Emotional and spiritual counseling is also available. This canteen will remain at the Branson Mall until approximately 4:30 p.m. and then begin traveling throughout the Branson area providing services.

Currently, trained Emergency Disaster Service volunteers are at the Branson Corps preparing tonight’s evening meal that will be distributed on the canteen. They are preparing enough meals to feed approximately 200-250 people. However, Incident Commander, Major Robert Meyer, said The Salvation Army is capable of preparing and serving many more meals if necessary. In fact, this particular canteen is capable of preparing and serving 150 meals an hour if need be.

Tonight The Salvation Army plans to first provide canteen service to the residential areas near the Branson Corps, which were among some of the area’s hardest hit. Then the canteen will travel in a counterclockwise pattern around Branson beginning near Highways 76 and 65 delivering service directly to individuals.

So far, The Salvation Army has provided assistance to nearly 400 individuals and will continue to provide assistance for as long as there is a need.

How to Help:
Monetary donations are the most critically needed resource, as supplies and personnel are mobilized.

Help provide immediate assistance by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or by visiting http://www.STLSalvationArmy.org to make a secured credit card donation. Please mail checks to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 21787 St. Louis MO 63109 – designate your gift by writing “Storm Relief” on the check. Mobile and Smartphone users can text the word ARCH to 80888 to make an instant $10 donation.

Please remember that due to the high expense and amount of time associated with delivering in-kind gifts, such as gently-used household items and clothing, The Salvation Army cannot guarantee at this time that any individual donated gifts-in-kind will be sent to the disaster area. During times of disaster, The Salvation Army is able to meet the need for these items from its thrift store’s existing, pre-sorted stock. Therefore, by continuing to donate gently-used household goods to your local Salvation Army thrift store, you not only help your local community, you help The Salvation Army prepare for future disaster relief needs. To locate your nearest Salvation Army drop-off location, please visit http://www.satruck.org.

About The Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 82 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to http://www.salvationarmyusa.org.

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Leap Day Storm Relief Continues

The Salvation Army canteen was on the move prior to sunrise in Harrisburg, Illinois Thursday morning.

In the wake of the Leap Day storms that tore through Kansas, Missouri and Illinois Tuesday and Wednesday, Salvation Army disaster crews responded swiftly to aid first responders and survivors in affected areas.

Crews in Branson focused primarily on meeting immediate needs of those most heavily damaged areas of Branson, along Highway 76. A canteen crew provided snacks, drinks and meals to survivors, first responders and clean-up crews. A Salvation Army canteen is presently feeding those affected at the Branson Mall parking lot. Branson’s Mayor Presley visited the canteen and publicly thanked The Salvation Army for their response in the wake of the storms on her Twitter page.

In Harrisburg, Illinois, approximately 100 homes – about forty percent of the city – were affected, and there were six confirmed fatalities. The Salvation Army was at work as quickly as possible in this remote area, and served hot meals at the Walmart on South Commercial Road, to first responders and those affected. Food was provided by a local school where it had already been prepared for the school day. The canteen was back in action at sunrise on Thursday morning.

The city of Harrisburg has requested that The Salvation Army take charge of feeding those displaced by the storm and first responders, while the American Red Cross provides shelter.

Additional efforts are being undertaken in Kimberling City, Missouri, which is dealing with a water crisis after their water distribution tower sustained significant damage.

For the latest, visit www.stlsalvationarmy.org, or follow us on Twitter!

Charitable Gift Annuities, A New Option for Your Retirement Plan

By: Tim Henry, Director of Planned Giving

The nation slowly continues the long road of recovery from the “The Great Recession”, or the other assorted names it has been known in news headlines, but average Americans care little of the names used by the media they care about the impact the downturn has taken on the financial security their families.  As the country starts this economic recovery, one of the main areas of damage the average American is trying to repair is the damage done to their retirement plans.  However, uncertainty in the stock markets and low return on investment offered by investment vehicles like, five year certificates of deposits and 10 year Treasurys, both of which currently have rates of return around 2% annual percentage yield, have left many looking for a suitable alternative to traditional investment opportunities.  One such alternative option is a Charitable Gift Annuity, while not an investment but a gift, it can be used to provide a measure of income security during one’s lifetime and leave a charitable legacy.

A Charitable Gift Annuity as the name suggests is a combination of an outright charitable gift and the purchase of a fixed income annuity contract.  The terms of the annuity can be set to either provide immediate payment of income to the donor or defer payment of income for a period of time, for when a donor expects he or she will need additional income, such as during retirement.  Another, important factor to understand about a charitable gift annuity is that in order to qualify as a gift the rate offered by the charity must be lower than the rates offered by commercial insurance annuities. However, when compared to the rates of return of some commercial investment opportunities, charitable gift annuities provide attractive rates, as well as providing the donor the opportunity to donate to a cause in which they believe.  To paraphrase St. Paul’s sermon, “‘tis better to give than to receive,” and by making a gift though a charitable gift annuity you can both give and receive.

While calculating gift annuity rates is individualized to each donor, standardized rates based on age are set by the American Council on Gift Annuities, currently those rates provide a higher (4.7% for a person age 65, 6.8% for a person age 80) annual percentage yield rate than the 2 percent presently received by investing in certificates of deposit and Treasurys.

The current American Council on Gift Annuities rates took effect on January 1, 2012, however, the Salvation Army is still offering the higher 2011 American Council on Gift Annuities rates. Thus, under the current Salvation Army Charitable Gift Annuity rates, subject to individual circumstances, a person 65 years of age giving a single life charitable gift annuity could see a income return of 5.3%, and  a person 80 years of age giving a single life charitable gift annuity could see a income return of 7.5%.

It is important to act quickly to take advantage of the current rates offered by The Salvation Army Charitable Gift Annuities as the rates will be adjusted later this year to match the rates published by the American Council on Gift Annuities.

By taking advantage of the current rates and making a gift to the Salvation Army through a charitable gift annuity you will be able to both give and receive and help the Salvation Army with the mission of Doing the Most Good.

For information concerning current rates and other options related to charitable gift annuities please contact the Salvation Army Midland Division Planned Giving Department at 1-800-533-6865

Current American Council on Gift Annuity Rates for Single Annuity Age Rate Age Rate Age Rate 5-10 2.0 50 3.7 73 5.5 11-15 2.1 51-52 3.8 74 5.7 16-19 2.2 53-54 3.9 75 5.8 20-23 2.3 55 4.0 76 6.0 24-26 2.4 56-57 4.1 77 6.2 27-29 2.5 58 4.2 78 6.4 30-32 2.6 59 4.3 79 6.6 33-34 2.7 60-61 4.4 80 6.8 35-36 2.8 62-63 4.5 81 7.0 37-38 2.9 64 4.6 82 7.2 39-40 3.0 65 4.7 83 7.4 41-42 3.1 66-67 4.8 84 7.6 43 3.2 68 4.9 85 7.8 44-45 3.3 69 5.0 86 8.0 46 3.4 70 5.1 87 8.2 47 3.5 71 5.3 88 8.4 48-49 3.6 72 5.4 89 8.7 90+ 9.0

Age Rate Age Rate Age Rate 5-10 3.0 58-59 4.7 76 6.6 11-15 3.1 60 4.8 77 6.8 16-19 3.2 61 4.9 78 7.0 20-23 3.3 62 5.0 79 7.3 24-26 3.4 63 5.1 80 7.5 27-29 3.5 64 5.2 81 7.7 30-35 3.6 65 5.3 82 7.8 36-39 3.7 66 5.4 83 8.0 40-42 3.8 67 5.5 84 8.2 43-45 3.9 68 5.6 85 8.4 46-47 3.0 69 5.7 86 8.6 48-49 4.1 70 5.8 87 8.9 50-51 4.2 71 5.9 88 9.2 52-53 4.3 72 6.0 89 9.5 54-55 4.4 73 6.2 90+ 9.8 56 4.5 74 6.3 57 4.6 75 6.5 Potential Single Annuity Rates for Salvation Army Charitable Gift Annuity

Plan Your Legacy with The Salvation Army

Pyramids rising in the desert… paintings on a cave wall… great works of art and literature – all reflect a common yearning in people to leave behind a legacy – to touch the lives of others, perhaps for many generations to come.

Most of us, given the opportunity, would like to feel that we have made a lasting contribution to a better world. We’d like to leave a legacy that says, “I was here. My life was important. I made a difference.”

Friends who include The Salvation Army in their estate plans enjoy the quiet satisfaction of helping continue all of our work – assisting those who are hungry or seeking shelter or fighting alcoholism or drug addictions. As you plan for both the present and the future, we would be honored if you would consider The Salvation Army as your partner. We pledge to do the most good with your generosity – for those you will help today and for the future generations you will help in years to come.

You have an opportunity to thoughtfully plan the distribution of all you have earned and accumulated from a lifetime of work. Through tax-advantaged gift planning, you can provide a more significant legacy of caring and compassion than you ever dreamed possible. This is your Legacy Gift.

A Salvation Army gift planning professional is always available to assist you, your financial adviser and legal counsel in exploring the options that best serve your family and your financial needs, while fulfilling your hopes for a better world. Your Legacy Gift may be unrestricted or designated for a particular purpose, service of program. Your gift also may be made in memory or in honor of special loved ones.

If you’re ready to begin planning your legacy, or if you have any questions at all, contact our Planned Giving Department at (314) 646-3000 today.

Volunteers Needed – No, YOU are needed

By: Sheila R. Davis, Volunteer Coordinator

Have you ever read the volunteer opportunities listed by an organization and thought, “hmm, nothing here applies to my skills and/or interest?”  For various reasons (often monetary, time and or staff limitations, etc.,) non-profits post what can appear to be generic position descriptions.  Instead of being the end point, I believe these position descriptions can be a jumping off point to match talented, creative volunteers with meaningful projects. However, it will take effort for organizations and potential volunteers to make this happen. 

The next time you come across a volunteer opportunity that doesn’t seem to fit your interests or skills, don’t just move on.  Think about it; maybe the position can be tweaked to better match your skills or maybe the description can be a springboard to another opportunity tailor made for your skill set.  For example an organization has an opening for a food pantry volunteer. Maybe stocking shelves is not your cup of tea, but you have experience as a dietician.  You could offer your services to educate the pantry clients on cost effective ways to make healthy, nutritious meals on limited budget.  An organization lists a position as “youth activities aide”, you may not have experience working with children or teens, but you’re a computer programmer.  You could offer to teach a workshop on Programming 101. Who knows, you may end up inspiring the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.  Let’s say you have experience in Human Resources, you could offer to help the Volunteer Coordinator (hint, hint) update the current volunteer descriptions or create new ones.

Experts call this “skills-based volunteering”, which means leveraging the specialized skills and talents of individuals to strengthen the infrastructure of nonprofits, helping them build and sustain their capacity to successfully achieve their missions.

There are many benefits to skill based volunteering for both the organization and for the volunteer. The nonprofit is able to take advantage of the volunteer’s professional knowledge and business expertise and, at the same time, the volunteer receives cost-effective training and development. For volunteers, skills-based volunteering provides the opportunity to use their expertise to make a measurable impact on issues they care about.

To learn more about skills based volunteering, click here.

To learn more about volunteering with The Salvation Army in Missouri and Southern Illinois, click here.

A cup of cold water in Jesus’ name

NEW YEAR, NEW HOPE, NEW CHALLENGES: A Blog Series

By: Tom Kovach, Major Gifts Director

And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.  Matthew 10:42

Energizer employees help build a playground at The Salvation Army's Temple Community Center.

The sounds of laughter and the look of raw emotions on faces is filling the rooms inside a Salvation Army Education and Community Center as children and adults rejoice in the Lord’s blessing and the fellowship of each other. Smiles abound for some, tears of sadness or even joy for others or the journey to a new beginning starts today.   Stories are shared.  Prayers are abundant and many turn to The Salvation Army for hope.  These God-filled activities are repeated daily at our centers from South County to North City, Midtown to Overland and Maplewood to South City.

The Salvation Army takes tremendous pride in serving clients because we stress the importance of our fiduciary role.  Eighty two cents of each dollar contributed is spent for programs and services. The cornerstone of The Salvation Army includes a quality staff ready to serve the needs of these clients yet our demands our growing.  Much like a play or a movie, there are numerous, important supporting roles that play a vital role to helping change lives.

And that’s why you and your colleagues inside your company can help.  Our promise to you is simple: you will make a difference. 

No matter where you work or live, between your commutes from one destination to another, we are looking for volunteers from companies in St. Louis at any of our Salvation Army Community Centers.  I encourage you to get involved as an individual, your family or gather up a group of volunteers from your company.   Donating your time can be range from serving Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to the following:

• Have numerous office supplies like pens, pencils, notepads, markers etc?  Donate them to The Salvation Army.  Our Temple and Euclid Corps have existing partnerships with the St. Louis Public Schools for instance.
• At our Family Haven shelter, there are 20 rooms where women and children rest comfortably as they seek permanent housing. These clients stay in a room for several months. We are consistently looking for laundry detergent and cleaning supplies.
• Clients come to us when they are seeking some form of counseling.  At times, these counseling sessions are designated for a parent(s) and because they can’t afford childcare, we are looking for volunteers to watch their children for an hour or so.  (All mandatory background checks are required for childcare). 
• Instead of receiving gifts for a birthday or a special occasion, request monetary contributions be directed to The Salvation Army or ask friends/family to buy certain items. Each of our centers has a “Wish List” that we can provide for you.
  

  Ameren employees donated more than 400 hours in 2011 to bellring for The Salvation Army.

Help us help others!  Consider “Doing The Most Good” in 2012 and start the New Year off right with a thoughtful donation and volunteer.

New Year, New Hope, New Challenges

NEW YEAR, NEW HOPE, NEW CHALLENGES: A BLOG SERIES

By: Danni Eickenhorst, Midland Division

The bellringers who usher in the Christmas season so brightly with the jingle of their bell have put away their kettles for another year, but the Tree of Lights campaign continues through the end of January, and the work we do will continue for as long as there is support.

365 days a year, The Salvation Army provides homeless services, food pantry assistance, rent and utility supplements, youth programming, senior services, emergency disaster response, ministry and more. 82 cents of every dollar we receive from our donors goes directly into programming that changes lives in the St. Louis area.

Because the facts and figures for 2011 aren’t quite in yet, let’s take a look at the work of The Salvation Army in 2010.

In 2010, The Salvation Army’s Midland Division (Missouri and Southern Illinois):

• Provided recreation opportunities at local community centers for 115,000 individuals, primarily low-income youth.
• Assisted 170 individuals with more than 5,000 nights of transitional housing.
• Distributed more than 39,000 toys at Christmas to children and families in need.
• Served more than 50,000 people through feeding programs such as our community center soup kitchens located throughout the division.
• Provided more than 170 individuals with access to affordable workforce housing in the Downtown St. Louis area through our Railton apartments.
• Served 4,503 individuals at our Harbor Light facility which provides housing and rehabilitation services to veterans and homeless men.
• Visited with and ministered to shut-ins, patients in hospitals, nursing homes and infirmaries. Distributed more than 27,000 gifts and publications to these individuals.
• Gave more than 1,200 backpacks filled with school supplies to needy children who would otherwise have had to go to school without supplies.

In 2011, The Salvation Army Midland Division continued to provide service daily in all of these areas and more, as needed, while facing significant shortages and reductions in government support through tax credits and other programs. Individuals who once supported The Salvation Army financially began coming to seek out their own assistance and donations began to diminish. Natural disasters came in large numbers and epic proportions, and we answered the call to serve every time.

In order to continue being good stewards of the gifts God and donors provide, The Salvation Army cannot spend money than it receives in donations. Because of the reduction in support and the increase in need, we have had to turn away more and more requests for assistance, and it breaks the hearts of our staff and officers to have to do so.

We are hopeful that in 2012 we will begin to see a groundswell of support, that as we share the stories of the work we do, hearts will be touched and support will be given so that we can continue to change lives throughout the New Year.

Exciting work is being done in the St. Louis area and we are proud to be doing it. Thank you for your support, whether it be in spirit, in time or in dollars given. We simply couldn’t do it without you.

To find out more about how you can get involved in helping us in 2012, please click here.

To learn more about The Salvation Army’s programs, click here.

Observations of a bell ringer

By: Pastor Mark Stehlin of Bethesda Evangelical Church in South County

Many “Merry Christmas” wishes… a couple of “Happy Holidays”… smiles… kids… and a few looks that screamed, “Bah, Humbug!”

Last week a group of teens and adults from my church spent a couple of hours as bell-ringers for the Salvation Army.  It was a little chilly, but not too cold.  It felt good to be helping others.  There is also a sense of joy which comes in wishing someone a “Merry Christmas.”

Most people smiled and returned the “Merry Christmas.”  A few others returned a “Happy Holidays.”  I was a little surprised at the number of people who didn’t look happy or merry at all.  I’m not sure if they were on a mission to get their shopping done or if the whole season brought them down.

One little girl caught my attention.  She walked out of the store bouncing happily along with her mom.  We wished them a Merry Christmas.  The mom replied the same, but the little girl shot back the generic “Happy Holidays.”  The two walked a few steps further and then stopped to talk.  A moment later the little girl raced back to us, dropped a dollar or two in the bucket, and chirped, “Merry Christmas!” with the biggest smile I have ever seen.

Christmas brings out a variety of responses in people.  For some, it is a reason to party or spend lots of money on gifts.  Others take part in the celebration, but do so in open protest.  And then, there are those who embrace the season for all the right reasons.

I love Christmas!  I cherish the time with friends and family.  I get jazzed by the decorations.  I have even been known to sit under the Christmas tree with all the room lights out just staring in wonder.  I also enjoy standing in the front yard with our dogs looking at the lights on other people’s houses.  It is such a beautiful time of the year.  I still enjoy, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, “Miracle on 34th Street”, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and “The Santa Clause.”  The thing is though, without Jesus it’s all meaningless.

Not only is Jesus’ birth the reason for the season,  His birth gives light to life.  He is the creator with the Father.  He is the author of salvation.  He is the King, the Redeemer, our sacrifice, Emmanuel, the Lamb who was slain, the Lion of Judah, the Covenant Mediator, the Prophet, the babe in the manger… and most importantly God who came in the flesh.    Jesus came because God loves us.  Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with each of us.  To think that the Creator of the universe is interested in a relationship with us is mind-boggling.  But, that is the message of Christmas – God come to earth to save us from our sins!  I never tire of hearing it!

My prayer is this Christmas finds you with family and friends celebrating the birth of our Savior!

Mark

By George, I think they’ve got it!

By: Sheila R. Davis, Volunteer Coordinator

“By George, I think they’ve got it!” That was my thought this past weekend.  We’ve been stressing to our kids how blessed we are and how we need to use our blessings to bless others.  Last week, my 4 year old twins pouted and moped when we gave to our church’s toy drive, “I need those toys.” said Lewis.  “No, you have more than enough, these are for who may not receive a Christmas gift,” said his father.   Lewis nodded, though I don’t think he was really convinced.  This Saturday, my ten year old son, Sam and I were out shopping and he saw a bellringer.  On his own he pulled out a dollar of his allowance and put in the kettle, usually I have to give him the money. Then he admonished me, “Uh Mom, where’s your dollar?” Last night Olivia saw me wrap a few presents for the Adopt-A-Family program and she said, “That’s not for us right, it’s for people don’t have Christmas.”  So she didn’t get it quite right, she’s beginning understand that there are many families who are in need right now.  In this “me, me, ME” society I sometimes wonder if my kids will learn to be grateful for their blessings and be giving in return. It is good see that the lessons are taking root.

Each year, we at The Salvation Army bear witness to families giving back. Whether it’s dropping a few dollars in the red kettles; volunteering to collect toys at one of our Angel Tree drives  or food at the annual Wehrenberg Cans Film Festival; or boxing food for needy families, parents are teaching their children that helping others is a natural thing to do.  Research shows that 81 percent of Americans who have volunteer experiences when they are young give to charitable organizations as adults.[i]  Once instilled as a child, giving becomes a lifelong tradition.

 We thank all the families who have helped The Salvation Army so far this year. It’s not too late to help this Christmas.  When you come across a bellringing, please donate. Better yet, a take a few hours out of your busy schedule and volunteer to ring as a family.  While you’re Christmas shopping, pick up one extra gift for a child in need and drop it off at your nearest Salvation Army Corps.  Your gift might be the only present a child receives this year.  More importantly the gift you’re giving your child is invaluable – the tradition of helping others.

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[i]^{Young Volunteers: The Benefits of Community Service  http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/cd/2003/fs0323.pdf}

Every time a bell rings…

By: Valerie Murray, Estate Coordinator, Midland Division

Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.

That’s the phrase ZuZu says at the end of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.

Bells are ringing all over right now. Church bells, jingle bells, concerts, and of course, Salvation Army bells. The bell ringers are out in full force. If what ZuZu said is true, many angels have been promoted to Angel 1st Class this season.

However, our bell ringers aren’t out there for the celestial angels. They are ringing for the angels we can see, hear, and touch: They are there for the little children hoping that Santa doesn’t forget them this year. They are there for the mother who needs help feeding her children and the veteran who finds himself without a home. They are there for an elderly man who visits the adult day care center while his son is at work; and don’t forget the camping programs for children who may have no other access to exploring and enjoying the outdoors. They are there for tornado victims, overwhelmed by the destruction around them.

Our angels don’t get wings. What they get is our love, care, understanding, and prayers. They get our promise that we will be there when needed, not just at Christmas, but also all year round.

When you pass a bell ringer this season, give him or her a knowing nod of your head and a smile. You know what they are doing when they wave that bell back and forth. They are helping our angels.