Lisa Thompson is the National Liaison for the Abolition of Sexual Trafficking at National Headquarters.

Recently Lisa and her work with the Army to end sex trafficking was featured in “Christian Single” magazine.

Download the entire article and learn more about how you can help abolish sexual trafficking.

You can read more about The Salvation Army’s position on sexual trafficking on the national website and find out about events to spread awareness and support of victims on the Combating Human Trafficking webpage.

I was in high school, maybe college, before I realized that there was something known as a vintage doll community.  In it, the most avid of collectors often pay top dollar to add old Barbies and baby dolls to their collections.

By the time I was graduating college, some of the dolls I’d played with as a child were increasing in value.  Certainly though, after the many home haircuts and make-up experiments I’d put my dollsthrough as a child, they wouldn’t be worth anything to a collector.

But for those who held on to their childhood toys, keeping the packaging sometimes and ensuring their pristine condition, it can be an opportunity to do some good for others.

A Times Union article tells the Seventh Annual “Every Doll Needs A Home” Doll Auction.  The event supports The Salvation Army’s Evangeline Booth Miracle Home in New York, an emergency homeless shelter for women and their children, and this year 110 different dolls will be auctioned off.

Scheduled for next week, Thursday, September 24th, dolls are expected to go at prices anywhere from $2 to $200 and the proceeds go directly to maintaining upkeep at the Booth home and educational programs to help the women who stay there improve their lives.

I hadn’t the foresight – or the patience – to preserve my dolls as a child, but it’s encouraging to see that others are putting their collections to good use.

Do you have a unique collection or talent that you think could do some good for The Army?  Put it to use and do some good for someone else!

Captain Jolinda Shelbourn, Women's Ministries Director, left, talks with member of Women's Ministries Priscilla Boothe, right, of Bloomington, while playing bingo during The Salvation Army Women's Ministry in Bloomington Sunday late afternoon, September 13, 2009.(THE PANTAGRAPH/B MOSHER)

Being able to serve others efficiently means knowing the unique needs of your audience.

While The Salvation Army prides itself on its ability to help meet the basic needs of all men, women and children, it also knows that sometimes, special attention is a need all of its own.

The Salvation Army in Bloomington, Illinois, sought to meet that need for 25 girls and women as it hosted a Women’s Day event Sunday, September 13th.

Pantagraph.com covered the all-female party that offered everything from bingo to health screenings and certificates for free haircuts at the local cosmetology college.

“We’re hoping to touch the community,” said Capt. Jolinda Shelbourn, director of women’s ministries for the Salvation Army in McLean County.

“Women are working, teaching, raising their kids, and they need some time away, and we provide that. Sometimes, they just want something clean, free and fun that they can do with their families. We are trying to uphold women in society and let them know that there is a lot of good things they can do together or without anyone else.”

The Army intends to hold similar events once or twice per year.

The Bremerton Salvation Army in Washington state brought together the area’s homeless with elected officials for its “Lunch with Electeds.”

The Kitsap Sun writes that, over a lunch of  turkey and potatoes, “society’s downtrodden” got some face time with city council members, mayoral candidates and state representatives.

“The homeless told lawmakers about a number of daily challenges, like finding a ride when Kitsap Transit is reducing service because of budget issues. Others spoke of the difficulty in making themselves presentable for a job or job interview, with limited opportunities for showers and haircuts.”

“The things you just take for granted,” said Fred Chang, Port Orchard city councilman.

The Salvation Army is doing its part.  The article reports that the Bremerton Salvation Army is planning to open a hygiene center adjacent to its downtown location to help the homeless overcome cleanliness obstacles on their way to gaining employment.  They’ve also asked lawmakers for help on creating a winter shelter that homeless people could use during the cold-weather months and for continued communication between agencies that work with the homeless and lawmakers and police agencies.

One meal at a time, one story at a time, lives are being changed.

It can be easy to separate ourselves from the marginalized of our society; to explain away or justify reasons why our lives are so different.  But events like this remind us that no matter our station in life, we are all the same with the same fundamental needs: food, shelter, and access to opportunities.

Indeed, the Bremerton Salvation Army’s lunch is a great example of the Army’s goal to meet human needs wherever and however.  Although we’ve evolved from the years where “soap, soup and salvation” was our slogan, we are always mindful of our beginnings and how offering people the very basics can often open doors in their futures that were never options before.

An anonymous woman who spent £5,200 (more than $8,500 US) in a Wandsworth charity shop has been dubbed “the mystery angel” by volunteers.

The woman, who begged her identity remain a secret, strolled into the Salvation Army in Wandsworth High Street just before closing time last Friday and almost bought up the shop.

Six exhausted workers stayed until 8.30pm helping her pack up the goods, which included everything from designer clothes to children’s desks.

Shop manager Richard Baggaley said: “We were a bit worried that she was a lunatic who was just going to say goodbye and leave, but she has paid.

“She’s gone from being the barmy lady to the mystery angel.”

The woman, a church-goer in her 60s, said she was collecting items for a school she was setting up in Kingston, Jamaica.

According to workers, she did not give details but simply said: “You have helped me in the past and I hope to make good use of these things for the future of those less fortunate than me.”

She bought an estimated 1,000 brick-a-brack items, including about 100 pencil sets, a leather reclining chair and several paintings.

She also cleaned out the designer rail, buying Ralph Lauren shirts for all of her new teachers.

The goods completely filled the Salvation Army’s three and a half tonne truck used to deliver the load later in the week.

Soon they will be shipped over to Jamaica in a giant metal container to start a new life.

Mr Baggaley said: “The first batch of customers who came the next day asked if we were closing down, because there was so little stuff on the shelves.

“The call from the Salvation Army now is, we need more furniture again – although people have already been very generous.”

By Eleanor Harding
Your Local Guardian.uk.com
United Kingdom