Salvation Army Home Energy Aid Pancake Breakfast was a DELICIOUS success!

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We’re flipping out! The annual Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command Home Energy Aid Pancake Breakfast at the Mason Myrtle Lodge was a HUGE SUCCESS! We had hundreds arrive for those fluffy flapjacks and sausage that the Mason’s cooked, and ONG, OG&E and PSO volunteers also helped out.

 

Here’s a fun little slideshow from the event. Thanks to YOU, more families will receive much-needed and desperate aid to help with utility costs.

Volunteers needed to help children shop for Back to School at Target

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Target Shopping Spree

July 27, 2012

9 to 11am

 For the third year Target and The Salvation Army are partnering together for a back to school shopping spree.  Target is providing 68 children in our service area the opportunity to receive an $80.00 gift card for back to school clothes and supplies. 

Thus meaning we supply the children in need and the volunteers to assist them in shopping.

 Following is the list of our minimum volunteer needs:

6 volunteers:  Target 1200 E 2^nd Street, Edmond, 73034

12 volunteers:  Target 800 SW 44^th Street, OKC, 73109

12 volunteers:  Target 5400 N May, OKC, 73112

12 volunteers:  Target 1400 24^th Ave NW, Norman, 73069

 We will need you to plan on dedicating at least 4 hours for this project with your travel time.  The only way we can participate is by having enough volunteers to support this worthy event.

 If this is the first year for you to take part in this event there is an orientation that you need to attend.  Please choose one of the following sessions to attend.

Tuesday, July 10^th 9 to 11

Thursday, July 12^h 9 to 11

PLEASE RSVP by Friday, June 29^th.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer please be in touch with Lois Green at 246-1101 or 323-8846. 

 

Are You the Ultimate FAN? Donate a fan and enter to WIN!

Renda-OKC-SalvationArmyPoster-FAN

 

The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command has teamed up with Comfort Guard Air Conditioning and Heating, The KEY car dealerships and Renda Broadcasting to offer the Ultimate Fan promotion!
Donate a new boxed fan for The Salvation Army at any of The Key Locations – I-240 between Walker and Santa Fe, Midwest Blvd. and 15th St. in Midwest City and at Northwest Expressway and NW 63rd – and you’ll be entered to win the Ultimate Fan gift package.
Fans can also be donated at The Salvation Army, 311 SW Fifth St., or at Renda Broadcasting’s office at I-235 and Britton Rd.
Help The Salvation Army prevent heat-related deaths in Oklahoma and win cool prizes like concert tickets and swag from Renda’s stations of KRXO, KOKC, Magic 104.1 and KOMA.
In addition, you’ll also be eligible to win a $6,000 Comfort Maker air conditioning and heating system from Comfort Guard Air Conditioning and Heating.
The Salvation Army provides box fans to senior citizens, those with chronic illnesses like heart conditions or emphysema and families with infants under 6 months old. If you received a fan last year, you are not eligible for a fan this year.
DONATE A FAN AT THE THREE “THE KEY” LOCATIONS TODAY AND WIN!!!!

A Big Fan of Cool Air – The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Kicks Off Fan Program Wednesday

OG&E officials help offload box fans to The Salvation Army.

As temperatures promise to heat up Oklahoma City, The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command will hand out box fans to qualified citizens who need relief from the heat.

OG&E will donate 200 box fans at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma’s Social Services office, 501 S. Harvey, to help with the fan giveaway.

ACE Hardware is also donating 100 box fans to The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command.

By providing cooling box fans, the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command hopes to prevent the heat-related deaths that Oklahoma experienced in past years. Many of our frailest citizens die due to extreme heat.

The Salvation Army provides box fans to needy and qualified senior citizens age 62 and older, families with infants under 6 months of age and the disabled with chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, emphysema and people taking psychotropic and other medications.

Fans will be distributed between 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., Monday – Thursday. The Social Service Office is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays for clients that receive disability benefits and/or seniors 62 years of age and older.

CLIENTS WHO RECEIVED FANS LAST YEAR ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FANS THIS YEAR.

“Heat poses a very real danger to our elderly clients and those with medical issues,” said Ashley Jones, director of Social Services for the Central Oklahoma Area Command. “These box fans literally can mean the difference between staying cool and dying from the heat.”

“We are especially grateful to OG&E  and ACE Hardware for their loyal and generous donations of fans. Without their help every year, we would be hard-pressed to be able to supply as many fans as we do for those in need,” Jones added.

Applicants are required to bring the following documentation to the appointment:

1)        Picture ID – (Driver’s License, State Issued ID, Governmental/Military ID, or Passport or ID from Country of Origin) for ALL adult household members

2)        Social Security Cards, legal documents bearing Social Security numbers or equivalent documentation from Country of Origin for ALL household members.

3)        Proof of Residency – current gas, electric, water or lease agreement/mortgage payment.

4)        Applicants must reside in Oklahoma County.

The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command also provides a cooling station at the Red Shield Kitchen, 330 SW 4^th, at the Norman Corps at 318 E. Hayes in Norman and at the Canadian County Service Center at 201 S. Bickford in El Reno when temperatures reach more than 100 degrees.

National Salvation Army Week – Challenging YOU to be a “DO-GOODER” in your community

May 14-20 is  National Salvation Army Week, and we in Central Oklahoma celebrate the  important work that our volunteers contribute each and every day.

In the spirit of “Doing the Most Good,” The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma asks, “How do you do the most good?”

Share your story about how you help your community. We want to hear from supporters, volunteers,  employees, and fans and followers on social media about how you volunteer and help  your communities. You can send a photo or make a video or share your story on how YOU do the most good.

If you’ve ever wanted to make a difference, now is your chance. We’ve got a few ideas on how to get started, including:

* When you buy in bulk, share your surplus by dropping off any non-perishable food item to your local Salvation Army.

* Bring flowers to work and share them with your coworkers.

* Volunteer to be a tutor in a Salvation Army after-school program.

* Join The Salvation Army in their visits to sing to seniors and residents of nursing homes.

* Offer a couple of hours of baby-sitting service to friends and family.

* Have a Salvation Army Doing the Most Good Day at work, with employees bringing nonperishable food and toys to donate to the charity.

* Pay a compliment to someone at least once a day.

* Call or visit a housebound person or older relative.

* Volunteer at your local Salvation Army Center.

* Give the gift of your smile to everyone you meet.

* Do the WRITE thing by sending a few kind words and a cookie or two to our soldiers overseas, especially on May 19, 2012, which is Armed Forces Day.

* Tell your husband/wife or children why you love them.

* Give your stuff a second life by donating old clothes to The Salvation Army Family and Thrift Stores.

* Tell your coworkers that you think they’re doing a good job.

* Give new toys or books to children at a Salvation Army shelter.

* For one week, act on every single thought of generosity that comes in your heart. Notice what happens.

* Say thank you.

* While in a restaurant, pay for the meals at another table. Instruct the waitress to give you that table’s check, quietly without notice.

* Cut someone’s grass or weed or plant flowers in someone’s garden.

* Drop off a bag of groceries on someone’s doorstep.

* Go to a nursing home and bring an anonymous bouquet of flowers. Visit the Warr Acres Senior Center at noon this Wednesday and join the residents for an ice-cream social.

* Put quarters in expired or about-to-be-expired parking meters.

Take pictures of “Doing the Most Good” this week and post them to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Salvation-Army-Oklahoma-City/111677641619 or on twitter at @salvationarmyok.

Happy NATIONAL SALVATION ARMY WEEK!

To donate, call 1-800-Sal-Army or visit www.salvationarmyusa.org

Donuts, ice cream, volunteers & BIG THANKS – Salvation Army Central OK celebrates Nat’l Salvation Army Week

Mondays are hard enough as it is, so why not swing by The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command’s mobile canteen Monday morning for free coffee, donuts and a little bit of Salvation Army history.

May 14 to 20 is National Salvation Army Week, and in Central Oklahoma, you can join in with fun events and learn all about how you too can be a part of helping more than 130,000 neediest citizens in Central Oklahoma.

National Salvation Army Week gives us the opportunity to share with you our mission in Oklahoma and around the world. It’s also our way to say thanks to all the volunteers, donors and supporters who help The Salvation Army feed, shelter and provide a hopeful future to those in the most need.

HERE’S OUR EVENTS FOR NEXT WEEK! You are invited to come one, come all!

Monday, May 14:

* FREE COFFEE & DONUTS from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation lot located at NW 10th and Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City. Drive up and we’ll give you a sweet treat and a cup o’ joe to get your week started right. See what our Emergency Disaster Canteen looks like and say hi!

* Norman Corps Parent and Youth Banquet at 318 E. Hayes to highlight the youth activities and summer camp in Norman. Events start at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 16:

* ICE CREAM SOCIAL and OPEN HOUSE at The Salvation Army Warr Acres Senior Center. Did you know that The Salvation Army has FIVE senior centers in Oklahoma City? During lunch on Wednesday, you can pop by for a tour and ice cream social at The Warr Acres Senior Center, located at 4301 N. Ann Arbor.

Thursday, May 17:

* Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast – at 8 a.m. Thursday at The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, 2808 SE 44th. Join us for a fully-catered breakfast and a celebration of The Salvation Army volunteers. Do you know someone who has volunteered for us in the past year? Invite them! Honors, awards and thanks go to everyone!

* Norman Corps Women and Men’s Ministry cook out! Come by for some grilled goodies and learn more about how you can be a part of the ministry at 318 E. Hayes.

EVERY DAY:

The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma will be open to YOU every day for tours of our facility. If you’ve ever been curious about our services, our volunteer opportunities or how we accomplish the mission of “Doing the Most Good,” please call Heide at 405-246-1100 to have a tour!

Also, we are honored to receive a Governor’s Proclamation declaring May 14-20, 2012 as Salvation Army Week in Oklahoma.

So, how do you “Do the Most Good” within your local community or around the world? We’d like to hear from our supporters, including volunteers, employees, and fans and followers on social media, how you volunteer and help your communities.

Over a week later, help still continues in Woodward

Even as some rebuilding begins and clean-up continues, The Salvation Army’s commitment to the residents of Woodward,Oklahoma is going strong. 

An F-3 tornado caused damage to many homes and businesses just one week ago.  The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management reports 224 homes were affected with 73 destroyed and 13 with major damage.  Unfortunately, a request for a federal disaster declaration from the White House was denied.

The Salvation Army is currently in the Multi-Agency Resource Center, located at the First Baptist Church, 202 E Hanks Trail in Woodward.  The center is open seven days a week.  The Salvation Army is providing emergency assistance to households affected by the tornado to help meet their immediate needs. 

The mobile feeding unit provided 1,804 meals, 1,787 snacks and 2,123 beverages while it was active.  Also, due to the generosity of viewers of KFOR (Channel 4) in Oklahoma City, The Salvation Army’s Central Oklahoma Area Command delivered a trailer full of supplies to Woodward Emergency Management.  The supplies were delivered at their request and included items such as leather gloves, tarps, garbage bags and more.

Emotional and spiritual care has been a large part of The Salvation Army’s response.  Led by Captain John Dancer, Enid Salvation Army, a total of 269 contacts were made to affected individuals.  Many of these persons are dealing with the loss of loved ones killed in the tornado. 

The Salvation Army continues to work with our Oklahoma VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster) partners and state/local government to coordinate efforts in Woodward.  The Salvation Army has committed to participate in the unmet needs committee for needs identified through the long-term recovery case management process that is being established.

The impact of this storm will continue to be felt by those affected.  The best way to help survivors and relief workers is to make a financial contribution. Monetary donations allow disaster responders to meet the specific needs of disaster survivors. 

Locally, in Woodward, only monetary donations are being accepted. 

Checks may be mailed to PO Box 542, Woodward, OK  73802 or dropped off at The Salvation Army located at 1209 9^th Street.  Checks are to be made out to The Salvation Army of Woodward /EllisCounty. 

All donations made for the disaster will go directly to those affected in the area.  All funds collected will be designated towards this particular disaster.   The Salvation Army’s office in Woodward may be reached at 580-256-1083.

The Salvation Army also provides online means for people who want to help those affected by disaster.  Visit www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769.)   Designate “Woodward” when making your donation.  For the latest emergency disaster services news, please visit www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org and follow the latest updates on Twitter @SalArmyEDS, @SalArmyAOKEDS, and @SalArmyAOK.  Interested parties may also visit www.salvationarmyaok.org and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SalArmyAOK.

Salvation Army continues help, hope in tornado-ravaged Woodward

 The Salvation Army of Enid, Oklahoma is responding to the tornadoes that brought devastation across the community of Woodward, Oklahoma.

The Salvation Army is offering food and hydration, emotional and spiritual care as relief, recovery and clean-up efforts are underway in the area. Close to 400 meals, as well as several hundred snacks, and cases of water were provided. 

In addition, work gloves and hand sanitizer were provided.  Especially touching were the stuffed turtles which were hand-made by the youngest church members of The Salvation Army inEnidand handed out to the “youngest” of those affected by the storms.

“We are out doing what The Salvation Army does best, providing hope, healing, and help in time of need,” states Salvation Army of Enid’s Commanding officer, John Dancer.  “We will continue doing the most good, meeting the needs of victims, emergency workers and those affected until we are no longer needed.”

The Salvation Army is also working closely with state and local emergency management officials as well as members of the Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) including American Red Cross, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Free Will Baptists, United Methodist Volunteers inMission, and Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.  The Salvation Army is a member of Oklahoma VOAD which includes many others partners throughout the state.

The best way to help survivors and relief workers is to make a financial contribution. Monetary donations allow disaster responders to immediately meet the specific needs of disaster survivors. 

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by disaster to visit www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769.)   Designate “Oklahoma storms” when making your donation.  For the latest emergency disaster services news, please visit www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org and follow the latest updates on Twitter @SalArmyEDS, @SalArmyAOKEDS, and @SalArmyAOK.  Interested parties may also visit www.salvationarmyaok.org and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SalArmyAOK. 

Additional updates will be sent as new information becomes available.

Salvation Army Youth Programs see higher demands in tough economy

From Associated Press article:

A survey of Salvation Army youth programs in more than 80 cities shows more than eight in 10 programs saw increased demand from children and families in the past year as unemployment and funding cuts strained charities.

The survey released to The Associated Press found 56 percent of the charity’s youth programs – including camps, preschools, daycare and after-school programs – are operating at or beyond their capacity.

The report, “Growing Up in a Downturn,” also examined the Great Recession’s effect on youth programs since 2008. Since then, 41 percent of the programs have had to cut back services or close their doors because of insufficient funding. Sites in Los Angeles, Rockford, Ill., and Memphis, Tenn., were among those forced to scale back.

Salvation Army Commissioner William Roberts, the charity’s national commander, wrote in the report that the increasing demand shows parents across the country are facing daily questions about how to provide for their children when even social service programs have to make cuts.

“Should they spend their latest pay check on food or rent?” he wrote. “How can they spend time with their children while working two jobs?”

In raw numbers since 2008, attendance at Salvation Army daycare programs increased by more than 40,000 children. Overall, the charity has seen an increase in need across all of its programs. In 2010, it provided assistance to 30.2 million people in the U.S., compared with 28.9 million in 2007.

At the same time, giving to the Salvation Army has been strained in some hard-hit regions with the highest unemployment. Programs that had to cut back are serving 10 percent fewer youths than before the recession on average, the report found.

In 2011, a third of the charity’s youth programs saw a reduction in contributions. For another 31 percent of them, donations remained flat. The report says many programs will see similar pressures throughout 2012, even though giving to the Salvation Army’s popular red kettle campaign was up last year.

In Memphis, Tenn., a decline of about 15 percent in donations amounted to the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Maj. Mark Woodcock, the area commander, said he had to close the doors of a subsidized childcare center that served low-income families for more than 30 years to focus on the most critical priorities of feeding and sheltering people.

In the charity’s women’s shelter with a capacity of 120 beds, 70 of them will go to children as a result of the ongoing economic slump, he said. So the shelter also provides tutoring and oversight to make sure those children attend school regularly.

“A lot of times people feel that the face of homeless is that man they see on the street corner,” he said. “Really the true face of homelessness is children.”

The Memphis chapter will be able to add more programs for children later this year with the opening of a $31 million Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. It’s one of 34 centers nationwide funded by a $1.6 billion gift from McDonald’s heiress Joan Kroc when she died in 2003.

Even with challenges, many of the charity’s youth programs had been able to redirect services and resources to meet growing demand, the report found. In some cases, they have expanded or opened new youth facilities during the downturn.

In Kerrville, Texas, youth services were maxed out at serving 43 students each day in after-school programs with a small facility in the town of about 23,000 people, said Salvation Army Capt. Brett Meredith. With the building of a new $32 million Kroc Community Center that opened in November 2010, it can serve 200 students daily with a complex that includes two pools, a fitness center, dance studio and gymnasium.

Even still, there is a waiting list for as many as 50 needy youth who want to join the center’s programs.

“The gift made all the difference in the world,” Meredith said. Without it, “we’d be the same place we were five years ago.”

This is the first time the charity has released its internal data on its youth programs. Officials said the report is meant to show the need for continued public support for children’s programs. The Alexandria, Va.-based Salvation Army ranks as the nation’s second-largest charity by contributions after the United Way.

Nationwide, Col. William Harfoot, the Salvation Army’s national chief secretary, said the increase in demand has been the most dramatic he’s seen in 35 years with the charity. Maintaining some youth programs that provide recreation and music or arts lessons, for instance, can prevent other problems like drug addiction and poverty, he said.

Most funding must be raised locally. Only a few national gifts, such as a $1 million donation from the Wal-Mart Foundation last year, are distributed to regional offices.

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Salvation Army: http://www.salvationarmyusa.org

Harlem Ambassadors To Visit OKC, Boys & Girls Club

The internationally-acclaimed Harlem Ambassadors will visit Oklahoma City for a game at 7 p.m. on April 23 at Del City High School’s John Smith Fieldhouse,1900 S. Sunnylane Rd. in Del City.

 The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Boys & Girls Club will host the event to help raise funds for the education, sports, recreation, character development and arts programs at the club.

 The Harlem Ambassadors offer a unique brand of Harlem-style basketball, featuring high-flying slam dunks, dazzling ball-handling tricks and hilarious comedy routines.

 The Ambassadors feature non-stop laughs and deliver a positive message for kids wherever the Ambassadors play.

 “At our shows, we want the kids to know that they’re part of our team too,” Coach Ladè Majic said. “We invite as many kids as we can to come sit on the bench, have a front row seat during the show, and get involved in all of the fun stuff we do.”

 The Ambassadors set themselves apart from other “Harlem-style” basketball teams by working with local not-for-profit and service organizations and holding Harlem Ambassadors shows as community fundraising events. For Oklahoma City’s event the Ambassadors have partnered with The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Boys & Girls Club to help raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club programs.

 The Ambassadors have worked extensively with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters and American Red Cross as well as Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs in communities throughout the U.S., and perform more than 200 shows a year. Those shows have helped raise millions of dollars – an accomplishment of which Ambassadors President Dale Moss is very proud.

 “It feels good to be able to provide quality entertainment and create memories that the fans will take with them,” Moss explained. “We’re able to give even more when we can help provide funding for a Habitat for Humanity house or new computers for the school library, and that feels great.”     

 Tickets are $10 and available at The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, 2808 SE 44^th.  A limited number of special VIP tickets are $20.