Basketball Tournaments & Spring Adventure: Sal Army Boys & Girls Club gears up for events

The Boys & Girls Club athletes practice for an upcomingtournament

The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command’s Boys & Girls Club is gearing up for a series of events to kick off spring, and the community is invited!

Both a city-wide basketball tournament and a Spring Break camp are among the activities at The Boys & Girls Club, located at SW 44th and Bryant.

The First Annual Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Basketball Tournament will be held beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 5 and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 6 at the club.

Teams will be split into bracket positions with six teams in each age bracket, which include boys 10 and under, boys 12 and under and girls 12 and under.

First place winners will receive trophies and second, third and fourth place teams will receive medals. Concessions will be open both days.

Entry fee for the tournament is $2 per visitors with seniors and children under 10 allowed in for free.

For more information, contact Myron Mosley at 405-677-4781 or 405-760-9128.

SPRING BREAK CAMP

Spring Break Camp will be held for full days March 14 to 18 at the Boys & Girls Club. Enroll now for full days of gym activity, recreation, art classes, games and more. 

The full day spring break camp is geared specifically for families whose parents or guardians have to work during spring break and offers a safe, educational and fun environment for all children.

Call Daniel Taron at 677-4781 for more information.

Keeping the warmth!

Major Francina Proctor joins Rise & Shine Anchor Lance West in accepting donated coats as part of KFOR’s Warmth 4 Winter Program.

The  late Brad Edwards, a beloved newsman on KFOR in Oklahoma City, was driving to work more than 10 years ago when he noticed children walking outside in the freezing cold who had no coats on.

From that moment, the Brad Edwards’ Warmth 4 Winter program was started with The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command. Every year, thousands of citizens donate their gently used coats to Warmth 4 Winter.

Through the generosity of local cleaners, the coats are all dry cleaned and then given to the homeless, needy families and to children with no coats.

In 2010 alone, 3,403 coats were given away to those in need.

This week, Major Francina Proctor with The Central Oklahoma Area Command visited local morning news show Rise & Shine to collect even more coats that were donated by a local school.

Bless everyone who has donated their old coats over the years. Bless Brad Edwards for his passion in starting this program.

If you know of anyone who needs a coat, please have them contact us at 405-246-1100!

The Sweetest Gifts For Valentine

It’s Valentine’s Day today. 

A holiday to show appreciation to the ones you love, Valentine’s Day is the day of first dates, anniversary dinners, bouquets of roses and hundreds of thousands of boxes of chocolate.

It’ll also cost you. The average bouquet of a dozen roses can run between $50 to $200. Jewelry – especially diamonds – can cost you even more!

But, for the frugal romantics out there, gifts do come for $25, a bargain when faced with a hundred-dollar bouquet of flowers that will die in a week.

For instance, for $25 you can buy:

* Cute message candles

* Mini gift basket of lotions

* A single rose

* An engraved purse mirror

* Two steaks, purchased at the grocery store, and grilled at home

* A silver photo frame

* A stuffed animal.

See, $25 can do a lot! Just because something is small – under $25, in this case – doesn’t mean that it doesn’t carry immense value to the person receiving the gift.

The Salvation Army is a perfect example. You may not think that a donation of $25 makes a big difference when faced with the overwhelming poverty and suffering in the world, but here’s an example of what $25 can do:

* Feed a family of four for a week – longer if they visit The Salvation Army Food Pantry

* Can purchase yarn and quilting supplies for one large quilt made by seniors in a Salvation Army Senior Center

* Can purchase nearly 10 packs of underwear for children returning to school.

* Can purchase two box fans to give to the elderly during the summer heat.

* Can buy 5 new Bibles for men staying in the Men’s Shelter

* Can purchase 4 large cans of coffee to give to the homeless on a cold winter day

* Can buy board games and books for children staying in the Family Shelter.

Again, $25 is looking to be a pretty powerful number.

So, when you’re rushing out to buy that last-minute gift for your Valentine, remember it’s not how much you spend, but how much joy and love you give.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Salvation Army prepares for another winter storm

During the recent blizzard that affected much of Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas, The Salvation Army was busy with warming centers and sheltering.  Now, the entire division that includes Arkansas and Oklahoma are preparing for another major winter storm.  There is a large swatch of the storm expected to delivery 4 – 8 inches of snow in much of Oklahoma and into Arkansas.

 Across the division, warming centers have their doors open and shelters remain stocked and ready to handle additional guests.

 During the last winter storm that began on January 31 and heavily affected the area until February 3, the following was reported (these numbers could go higher once all reports are in):

 *6,143 meals served

• 1,877 nights of lodging provided
• 1,648 drinks served
• 680 snacks served
• Multiple blankets, articles of clothing, and personal comfort kits provided

 As a result of the storm, many shelters are in need of bulk food items, as well as coats, gloves, and blankets.   Monetary donations are welcome and can be made by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or online at www.salvationarmyusa.org.

 About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to carry out those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

Round Two of Snow: Be Prepared

Looks like Oklahoma will be pounded by another winter storm this week. As always, our shelters and kitchen are fully stocked and prepared for another few snowed-in days.

Still, for those of you who have to get out and drive in this severe weather, here’s some tips from The Oklahoma-Arkansas Division of The Salvation Army, courtesy of Major John Birks:

Road Conditions:

(Please note that sometimes it takes a while for the web maps to be updated – just listen to the news )

Arkansas – 800-245-1672

http://www.arkansashighways.com

Oklahoma – 888-425-2385

http://www.dps.state.ok.us

Texas – 800-452-9292

http://www.txdot.gov

Missouri – 800-222-6400

http://www.modot.org

Kansas – 866-511-5368

511.ksdot.org

Before You Leave:

Check the local forecast before you leave

Check for weather related road conditions

Make sure you have plenty of fuel

Notify a family member or friend of the route you are traveling and your ETA

Make sure to have mobile phone as well as mobile charger

Include a number listed as “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) so that if you are not able to, emergency personnel can call a person important to you

If You Get Stranded:

Call for help – best to stay in car

Park Clear of Travel Lanes if you can still maneuver your vehicle

Run your vehicle only in short intervals – just enough to stay warm. Crack the window to vent any built up carbon monoxide. Ensure your tail pipe is not clogged by ice and/or snow.

If you are close to a power line or in contact with one – STAY in the car

Travel Items (as Emergency Kit):

Ice scraper or deicing spray

Jumper cables

Cat litter or sand

Shovel

Warm Clothes

Blankets

High Energy Food

Flashlight(s) with extra batteries

First Aid Kit

Bright Fabric tie for antenna or to hang out window

Gloves

Paper Towels

Flares or Triangles to warn other vehicles.

 

EVERYONE STAY SAFE OUT THERE!!!

Still snowing!!!

Can you believe it’s snowing again!
Well, it’s not going to slow us down. The Salvation Army Shelters are well stocked, well prepared for winter emergencies.
If you know of anyone who needs shelter, please send them to our Red Shield Kitchen at 330 SW 4th St. in Oklahoma City.
We have plenty of cots, mats and food to outlast any winter storm!
Again, your support of The Salvation Army makes this possible. Without loyal donors like you, caring for those less fortunate in severe weather would be so much harder.
Thank you! http://www.salvationarmyusa.org

Snowmageddon Doesn’t Slow Salvation Army Down

The cots were already pulled and ready at The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command shelters.

Food was stocked. Arrangements were being made to handle not only the influx of people needing shelter, but also how to handle employees not being able to make it to work.

This was Monday. The snow hadn’t even fallen yet, but The Salvation Army was making preparations. We, like everyone else in Oklahoma, knew this storm was going to be one for the books.

Wow! Were they right!

On Monday night, 88 people sought shelter at The Salvation Army’s Men’s and Family Shelter. Of those, 12 were children.

Blankets, heat and comfortable beds, mats and cots made sure we could handle any amount of people. If need be, we could have moved people into our gymnasium area because during this storm, “WE WERE NOT TURNING ANYONE AWAY.”

Luckily, it seemed many people already had shelter. Still, we saw the number of clients increase from Monday night into Thursday night. On Tuesday night, we had 28 extra people sleeping on cots in the Men’s Lodge.

With that, we also made sure everyone stayed fed and full, which was quite an adventure in that only the Lodge monitor was available. He not only made sure breakfast (biscuits and sausage) was served for breakfast, but also cooked lunch and dinner for everyone while also running the lodge.

Keri, our kitchen manager, braved the streets on Wednesday and was finally able to get to the Red Shield Kitchen to help cook.

In all, over the past three days, more than 1,000 meals were served to those staying with The Salvation Army and to those who just needed a hot meal.

Now that this storm winds down, please rummage through your closets for your blankets. We’ll need donated blankets after this as many of the clients will take these warm necessities with them when they leave.

As always, call 405-246-110 for more information!

God bless, and stay warm!

Snow covered much of Oklahoma City, but at The Salvation Army, everything stayed warm.