Bell ringers needed for holiday season

From thanksgiving up through Christmas Eve, an annual fixture in front of Walmart and Woods Supermarket is the sound of a bell being rung by a volunteer, seeking donations into a red kettle in support of the Vernon County Salvation Army.

“This is our group’s only fundraiser and we need volunteers to pick a time, sign-up and serve,” said Greg Hoffman who is in charge of the bell-ringers.

Something new this year is a website where people can see the available shifts and select a date and time; the site is noted at the end of this article.

The group’s roughly $30,000 annual budget is primarily directed to three areas, the largest of which are the purchase of gifts for needy families across the county at Christmas and providing funding for year-round local assistance through Community Outreach.

Help from Community Outreach may come in the form of assistance with an energy bill, transportation or other personal needs “to get you through a rough patch.”

In preparation of the Christmas event, the family of every second grade student in Vernon County is screened for need. For those families which qualify, the second grade student is invited to come shopping in early December. Prior to that day, a sheet is sent home asking for the age, gender, and size for all within the household.

“That morning, the child is matched up with a shopping helper and together they go through Walmart and pick out a gift for each member of the family,” said Hoffman. “That way, on Christmas, there’s something under the tree for everyone.”

Currently, selected gifts are under $20 per family member and the number of second graders who “go shopping” varies annually between 60 and 100.

Added Hoffman, “We also need lots of volunteers to help shop – it’s at 6 a.m. on Saturday, December the eighth – and we also need volunteers to help wrap the gifts.”

After the shopping, the child goes to see Santa Claus; it is at that time the shopping helper picks out a gift for the child.

Purchases are made, gifts are wrapped and everyone goes their separate ways; it takes about 90 minutes to two hours.

“So we need about 100 volunteer shoppers and about 30 volunteer gift-wrappers,” said Hoffman. “And from the reactions we get, while it’s a real help for the families, I think the shoppers and wrappers get even more from it.”

He said the Nevada High School cheerleaders annually have assisted with the shopping day, accompanying second-graders from the break-room to the shoppers and to parents.

Asked about its relationship with the state and national Salvation Army, Hoffman explained that while it is the Vernon County Salvation Army chapter, “We are kind of rogue chapter and they pretty much leave us alone.”

Yes, he said, 10 percent of all monies raised are sent off to the national organization to help others but he asked that two things be understood.

“First, some of the money we supply is right now helping folks affected by those fires in California and was used some years ago after the Joplin tornado,” said Hoffman. “And second, if we ever had a major disaster, we could call on them and they’d be right here providing help to everyone in need.”

The Vernon County chapter neither does any “preaching” nor does it involve itself in any other aspect of the group’s work or message.

As to being what he termed a “rogue chapter” he said this manifests itself in two ways. All decisions made with respect to fund-raising and expenditures are left up to the local chapter.

“And unlike what they have to do in a lot of places, especially in the big cities, our bell-ringers, shoppers, wrappers and board members are all volunteers; no one gets paid, except from the good feelings they get as they help others in need,” said Hoffman.

For Hoffman personally, the bell ringing and shopping does two things.

As an exercise in human nature, he said it is fun to watch those who refuse to make eye-contact or who see the bell ringer and dart in through a side door.

Yes, there are those who drop in a 20-dollar bill and the occasional 100-dollar bill but most are one-dollar bills.

Asked about substantial gifts, Hoffman said there was that time someone dropped in 10, 100-dollar bills, the time someone handed over a box which weighed 55 pounds and was full of change and there have been several nice estate gifts.

“We invested those and so while it’s not a lot, the interest they earn each year all helps,” said Hoffman.

Asked about just who are the greatest givers Hoffman did not have to think but immediately responded.

“Those who dig deep in their pockets are the ones who, to me, look like they’re the ones who need help and yet because they understand what it means to stretch their dollars, they’re the ones who’re the most generous in giving,” said Hoffman. “And it’s that way every year.”

Some local businesses and service organizations take on a block of time as their community service project for the year.

“We even had one business do it during a weekday – when we normally don’t have any ringers scheduled – but they wanted to serve, had a great time doing it and they extended our ability to serve others; that was a true win-win,” said Hoffman.

For himself, being a bell ringer and seeing all those nervous but excited second-graders always puts Hoffman in the spirit of the season.

Hoffman has been in charge of bell ringers for nearly all 25 years he has served on the group’s 12-member governing board.

Former long-time board member, Carolyn Thornton said on Thursday, “When I came to Nevada in the mid-1980s the county chapter already was already a well-established tradition. Besides the Christmas appeal, it provided help with the schools including free-milk for children whose families couldn’t afford to pay for it.”

“We have this running joke – and Carolyn is the exception – that the only way you can get off our board is by dying,” said Hoffman. “Since I don’t plan on doing that anytime soon I guess I’ll be recruiting bell-ringers and serving as a volunteer for years to come.”

There are roughly 250 one-hour shifts and a person can sign-up for a single slot or a family, civic organization or church can volunteer to take a block of time or an entire day.

The address to sign up is http://bit.ly/VCSalvationArmySignup.