Posts Tagged ‘New York’

The Salvation Army’s mission statement declares we serve to “meet human need.” Sometimes this looks like providing for the moment’s immediate need, and other times it means providing with a long term perspective by empowering the disadvantaged with the knowledge to better sustain themselves.

New York’s Newsday.com highlighted a great local Salvation Army response that morphed into an initiative to do both.

When calls from thousands of laid-off workers seeking financial aid inundated the office of Charles Roberts, Area Coordinator for The Salvation Army in Suffolk County, NY, Roberts recognized an opportunity to serve an overwhelming need shared by the community. He knew limited grant funds from Target would help cover some callers’ financial burdens, but Roberts wanted to provide a more valuable resource that would last beyond the next bill.

That’s where he found the inspiration for Families@Home, a financial mentoring program that matches families from Suffolk County with a financial expert in addition to offering monetary assistance towards bills. The idea is to meet emergency needs while also providing knowledgeable professionals to guide families in making wise choices in the long-term.

Read NewsDay.com’s full coverage of the story here: ‘Salvation Army offers financial mentoring’

Many members of the community have taken advantage of the program, but it’s  reported funding has almost run out. If you would like to support The Salvation Army’s service to those in financial need, contact The Salvation Army in Suffolk County, NY at 631-363-6100.

Mom always said don’t play with your food, but this takes “playing” to a whole new level…

Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner in New York recently succeeded in making the world’s largest omelet in an effort to not only break previous records but to also raise funds for designated charities including The Salvation Army. The omelet was a whopping 2,500 square feet and designed to look like a pool table! So how does one make a gigantic, pool table-shaped omelet?

Now, how do we fashion this into a pool table?

The recipe includes:

- 45,000 eggs
- 150 lbs butter
- 100 gallons milk
- 200 lbs cheese
- Plus: 300 volunteers, 110 tables, 14 grills, and a tractor trailer to deliver the ingredients!

Hungry onlookers were able to take a shot on the edible pool table for only $1, as well as enter into a raffle for fun prizes. Tens of thousands of dollars were raised, half of which will be donated to The Salvation Army.

This may be the most unique fundraiser The Salvation Army has been involved with that I’ve heard of yet!

We love it when people find creative ways to give back to their community, and “creative” is  an understatement in this case.  But did you know that this isn’t the first time Otto’s has set an omelet world record? Read more online about the history behind this unique charity fundraiser at The World’s Largest Omelet website and a story featured in New York’s Evening Telegram.

Here’s a video that will practically guarantee a smile on your face by the time you finish watching it.

Before heading to rehearsal for their concert at Nokia Theater this past weekend, Honor Society visited The Salvation Army’s Harlem Corps Community Center in New York City where they met City Year volunteers and some very excited kids. When exploring the facility, the band admired (and even helped paint) the murals that decorate The Salvation Army Center’s school.

Honor Society spent most of their time with children’s choir and gave them tips on performing, including how to turn fear of being on stage into excitement! The band’s visit provided some awesome encouragement to the kids and everyone  had a GREAT time!

Click here to find more information about The Harlem Community Center and youth programs offered by The Salvation Army’s Greater New York Division.

Honor Society stands against a Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club vehicle after serving meals to hungry men and women on the streets, one of the many Salvation Army programs they've been involved with.

They’re working their way up the east coast for their Here Comes Trouble tour, but trouble makers they’re not – the young pop rock band Honor Society continues their packed concert schedule while partnering with The Salvation Army, making their next stop in New York City.

They will be wrapping up National Volunteer Week with a concert at the NOKIA Theatre this Saturday night, performing after a day of service at The Salvation Army’s Harlem Temple Community Center (for you New Yorkers reading this, the Center is located at Lenox Avenue and 137^th Street).

Michael, Alex, Andrew, and Jason will work with 175 other volunteers to renovate The Salvation Army Harlem Center by painting rooms and murals, as well as building shelves for kids in the afterschool program. You can visit The Greater New York Division’s website here for more information about services offered by The Salvation Army.

When was the last time you went to a concert and the band had just finished a day of volunteer work?! And these guys have been doing things like this non-stop, from playing with kids, to feeding the homeless, to preparing beds at homeless shelters for adults, all as a part of the many Salvation Army Programs across the country.

They are a great example to their fans by using their talent to raise awareness of volunteering and supporting the work of The Salvation Army in communities around the nation!

After New York, Honor Society will head to Norfolk, Virginia on Sunday where they’ll be interviewed by The Norfolk Salvation Army’s monthly TV show, and then they’ll continue on to Washington, DC for a performance at the Rock N Roll Hotel Monday night.

We’ll be updating our social media sites with follow up info on these events, so make sure you save these links for the most up to date info:

Honor Society

Salvation Army Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyUSA

Salvation Army Twitter Page: www.twitter.com/salvationarmyus

Honor Society’s Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/honorsociety

Honor Society’s Twitter Page: www.twitter.com/honorsociety

If you haven’t been to the grand opening of the new Esprit flagship clothing store in NY City, you’ll want to get there ASAP. If you’ve already been, chances are you left pretty happy!

From March 25- March 26, Esprit is hosting their ‘Love It & Leave It’ campaign, meaning you could be one of many lucky customers who pick out an outfit you absolutely love, try on, and take home for free!  All you have to do is leave something you’re wearing. This trade sounds MORE than fair!

And what happens to the item you bid adieu? Esprit will donate everything they receive to The Salvation Army, where your clothes will embark on their second life at our Salvation Army Family Thrift Stores, and the proceeds from their sales will directly support our Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARC) (See? The good just continues to snowball!).

Get a little bonus for yourself while doing some good, and help Esprit and The Salvation Army support a great cause. Details are below, and you can also visit Esprit’s  Love It & Leave It website, as well as their facebook page. For more information about The Salvation Army, visit our national website at www.salvationarmyusa.org.

On this day in history, March 10, 1880, Salvation Army founder General William Booth sent the first official group to pioneer the Army’s work in the United States. Booth founded the organization in London, England in 1865 with a mission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute.

Salvation Army Lieutenant Eliza Shirley was actually already in the United States in 1879 after leaving England to join her parents, who had migrated to America earlier in search for work. Shirley held the first meeting of The Salvation Army in America, in Philadelphia. The Salvationists were received enthusiastically. Shirley wrote to General Booth, begging for reinforcements, but none were available at first. Glowing reports of the work in Philadelphia, however, eventually convinced Booth, in 1880, to send an official group to establish the work in America.

On March 10, 1880, Salvation Army Commissioner George Scott Railton and seven women survived the long journey from England and arrived in Battery Park in New York City. They knelt on the dockside to give thanks for their safe arrival.

At their first official street meeting, these pioneers were met with unfriendly actions, as had happened in Great Britain. They were ridiculed, arrested, and attacked. Several officers and soldiers even gave their lives. Three years later, Railton and other Salvationists had expanded their operation into California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. President Grover Cleveland received a delegation of Salvation Army officers in 1886 and gave the organization a warm personal endorsement. This was the first recognition from the White House and would be followed by similar receptions from succeeding presidents.

The Salvation Army movement expanded rapidly to Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland, India, South Africa, Iceland, and local neighborhood units. Today, The Salvation Army is active in virtually every corner of the world, providing a variety of social services in 119 countries.

For more information about the history of The Salvation Army, visit our national website at www.salvationarmyusa.org or learn more about our life changing work on  Facebook and Twitter.