Photo: The Salvation Army San Francisco

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! As we recognize those who gave their lives in service to our nation, do you plan to participate in any events taking place around your community? The Salvation Army will be out and about, so make plans to join us!

Here are just a few of the many ways The Salvation Army will be serving others and recognizing Memorial Day:

San Francisco Bay Area, California – Since 1924, The Salvation Army has held an annual Memorial Day service at Cypress Lawn to honor our fallen soldiers. They will continue the tradition this Sunday, when they’ll remember service members with song, prayer, scripture, and an inspirational message. Click here for more info on this and other area events.

Nashville, Tennessee – Members of the community are invited to honor veterans and their families at the National Cemetery on Memorial Day, where food and beverages will be served throughout the day.  Visitors are welcome to share their war and Salvation Army service stories.

Davenport, Iowa – The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) will take members of its recovery program for a fun day at the county park, where they’ll be able to relax with their families and grill out. Plus, members of the Salvation Army’s Des Moines ARC will also join and challenge Davenport in a friendly game of softball.

Kodiak, Alaska - During the annual Kodiak Crab Festival, The Salvation Army will team up with the local fire department to serve delicious homemade doughnuts to festival attendees.  They estimate that they’ll make and serve about 1,500 doughnuts!

Seattle, Washington – On Saturday and Sunday The Salvation Army will sponsor a community volunteer event at the State Convention Center to pack a million meals for Haiti earthquake survivors. Just a few hours of your time can make a huge difference for those in need. Follow the link to volunteer: http://salvationarmynw.org/haiti/ .

Today, the Daily Commercial reported that The Salvation Army in Leesburg, Florida, honored all current, retired and fallen members of the fire, police and EMS departments in the area.

According to the article, the third annual Public Safety Sunday began as a way to “remember the tragic losses of 9/11.”  Now, every emergency responder who attends – many come on fire trucks and in police cruisers and ambulances, vehicles of the trade – receive prayers and words of thanks from those gathered.

“We just felt that we needed to get together as a family because public safety is really a big family,” Salvation Army Chaplain Steve Griswold said.

Even though the anniversary of the September 11th attacks has passed, kudos to the Leesburg, Florida, Salvation Army, and all those who have taken time to honor the legacy and enduring work of the nation’s first responders.

The New Jersey Newsroom is running a four-part series on the New Jersey Salvation Army.

The third installment talks about Camp Tecumseh, a sprawling, 400-acre facility in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

Entitled, “Camp Tecumseh Brings Salvation to New Jersey Kids,” the article follows the experience of a 19-year-old Newark man who believes the camp saved his life.

“I had just completed my first year of high school, and 29 of my classmates were killed that summer, murdered,” Darell Houseton said. “Most of it was gang-related. But some people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, innocent bystanders. Twenty-nine is a lot. And I like to think that since I was at camp, I wasn’t No. 30, ‘cause some of these people were my friends.”

In addition to its youth camp, Tecumseh also opens its doors to veterans and seniors throughout the year for camp experiences catered to their needs.

Indeed, Camp Tecumseh is a respite that the Army endeavors to share with as many as possible.

We all need a break from time-to-time.  Stress at work, the neverending responsibilities of home, and all of the stuff in the middle can wear anyone down.  The monotony of routines.  The auto-pilot we often find ourselves working and living in.  Every now and then we all feel the need for a break.

Now what if – for whatever reason – there was no break to be had from your worries?  No vacation days.  No partner to pick up the slack.  No support system to help get you through rough times.  No moment to just slow down, take a minute and breathe.  Then what?

For so many – especially those who are able to enjoy Camp Tecumseh and the hundreds of similar Salvation Army camps across the country – there is no respite from their troubles.

The homeless, the disadvantaged, the neglected.

Through our youth camps, Kroc and recreation centers, veterans and senior programs, and Community Cares programs, The Salvation Army offers thousands of opportunities to escape, if only for a moment.  The services that we offer echo our belief that only once people have inner peace – no worries for food, shelter or immediate needs- can that peace be reflected in their lives.

For those very reasons the work that the Army does is so much more than saving souls.  Sometimes people just need to be saved from one nightmarish week, one day.  So while eternal salvation is our ultimate goal, salvation from isolation, despair, frustration and being overwhelmed are equally as important.