Posts Tagged ‘partnerships’

People Magazine is celebrating 35 years and they’re giving you a chance to give away some gifts.

Once you register and tell People what your favorite charity is, 35 people will be chosen at random to win $1000 for that charity.   That’s a possibility of $35,000!

Do some good for the Army: learn more and register today and help The Salvation Army!

It’s easy to support an organization that you know to be doing good in the community.  It’s not difficult to send a check or say a prayer to support good deeds.

Ultimately the greatest reward is seeing the faces of those impacted by your time, talent and donations.

The Salvation Army National Headquarters is highlighting a series of ads done by The Richards Group that introduces you, the supporters of the Army, with the people you’ve helped.

The first of the five-ad series is below and discusses the Delaware job-finding program.

All of the ads, and additional videos, can be found on the Army’s YouTube channel.

This weekend another Kroc Center will open; this time in Salem, OR.

The centers, funded by the estate of Ray and Joan Kroc, are planned for multiple, diverse communities across the country and will help bring jobs and needed resources to families and children awaiting help.

Stephen Carpenter, director of the Kroc Center in Memphis, Tennessee, wrote a column in the Commercial Appeal sharing some of the personal testimonies of those anticipating the help the Kroc Centers will offer.

In his column, Carpenter shares stories of how the Krocs’ generosity – the largest such in the history of the US – will personally impact the community in which it stands.

Is your city getting a Kroc Center?  Is it already open?  Tell us how the opening of a Kroc Center in your community has or will impact your life.

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.

I’m a huge fan of the television show “The Amazing Race.”  I enjoy watching the wacky team challenges and the team dynamics each week.  It’s a fascinating show simply because you get to see human communication and teamwork at its best – and sometimes its worst.

While I doubt I’d ever be brave enough to tryout for that show…or find a partner crazy enough to pair up for me for the weeks-long, globetrotting expedition, the Western Pennsylvania Salvation Army’s “The Most Amazing Race” looks like it’s going to be just as much fun.

Beginning with a qualifying event today, and the real, scavenger hunt-like challenge tomorrow, 25 teams will race around the city of Pittsburgh, completing zany physical and mental tasks along the way, for a chance to win a prize package that includes $5,000 for first place, two 32-inch flat screen televisions, four Steelers tickets and more.

All they had to do to earn a spot in the race was fundraise a minimum of $500 in the name of The Army.  The team that fundraised the most money will also win a cash prize at the race’s conclusion.

For those of you in the Pittsburgh area who’d like to cheer on the Army’s Most Amazing Racers, an itinerary of tomorrow’s events can be found here.

If you aren’t in the immediate Pittsburgh vicinity, but would still like to participate, consider making an online donation to the Army instead.

Today, the national headquarters of The Salvation Army debuted its first-ever paperless annual report.  The innovative, interactive document is completely online and features compelling, first-person stories of the work the Army does.

“The digital annual report captures the work of The Salvation Army – and the stories of those we help – in a way that a paper report can’t,” said Major George Hood, National Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army, in a statement about the annual report’s launch. “As more and more donors move online to learn about charities, this is one more way to quickly and easily learn about how charitable contributions are being used to help those in need.”

Utilizing Flash technology and dynamic design, the reader is encouraged to flow seamlessly from testimonials to financial statements without the necessity of flipping through a number of printed pages.

In addition to their cutting-edge  annual report, The Army also officially launched its social networking sites.  From the homepage visitors can quickly and easily visit The Army’s Twitter feed or Facebook fan page.  They can also browse photos on their Flikr page and watch more stirring videos on their YouTube Channel.

The roll-out of its new interactive communications arm is a sign of the times as The Army continues to look for ways to reach new audiences to tell the story of its work.

“The interactive format engages and educates current and potential donors in a more meaningful way,” said Stan Richards, founder and principal of The Richards Group, the company responsible for the new annual report format. “Audiences can now actually see where and how The Salvation Army is investing its time and money and hear directly from the beneficiaries.”

So, how will you choose to follow all of the good that The Salvation Army is doing?

The Salvation Army of Jamestown (New York) received a $97,900 grant from the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County for 2009-10.

The Post-Journal reported that the Army will use the money to fund four support services programs: the Comprehensive Financial Assistance Program, the Children and Family Outreach Program, the Non-Residential Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services, and the Residential Domestic Violence Shelter.  Learn more about each program here.

Individuals may contact The Salvation Army at 716-664-4108 for even more information.

The United Way’s grant to the Jamestown Salvation Army is but one example of social service organizations uniting and supporting one another to do good.  Often, especially during disaster response efforts, the Army works side-by-side with The United Way, The American Red Cross and others to achieve one common goal: serving and supporting victims and survivors of tragedy.

The Salvation Army is fortunate enough to have new partners join in their work to serve others daily.  Citizens across the country – and even the world – are always donating of their time and talents to the Army.

When they heard that their local Salvation Army was in need, members of the Sabine Federal Credit Union in Texas sprang into action.

According to The Record Newspaper, in just over a week’s time, the employees had collected over 380 food items. They also contributed and received monetary donations from board of directors totaling $175.  On top of these contributions, a corporate donation of $1,000 was made. Way to go!

So, if you’re concerned that, alone, what you do isn’t making a great enough impact, take a cue from The United Way and the Sabine FCU: don’t recreate the wheel.  Recognize the good others do and join them.  This is Doing The Most Good.