Ring a Bell! Make a Difference!

Ring a Bell! Make a Difference

A red kettle, a red apron and a little red bell made all the difference for me one Christmas. It was a few years ago and I was suffering through the holidays with too much to do, too much to buy and too much to cook. What I didn’t need was one more thing on my to-do list. And yet . . .

Over the years I had noticed the Salvation Army bell ringers at various locations. On a whim I called up and volunteered. Who would have guessed that standing on the sidewalk outside the local Safeway ringing my red bell would elevate my mood and put a real sense of Christmas joy back in my overburdened heart.

The Salvation Army was founded in London, in 1865, by one-time Methodist minister William Booth as a ministry to the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. It now has a presence in 126 countries, running charity shops, operating shelters for the homeless, and providing disaster relief and humanitarian aid to developing countries.

A crab pot was used as the first Christmas kettle, when it debuted in San Francisco in 1891, because a depression had thrown many out of work, including hundreds of seamen and longshoremen. To this day the money collected by the Red Kettle Program funds the various programs that help needy people from our communities all year-round.

But the Salvation Army is so much more than red pails and bells.

As they saw the abuse of alcohol having major destructive effects on individuals, families and communities, they turned their attention to the rehabilitation of addicts.

The phrase “on the wagon” was coined by men and women receiving the services of the Salvation Army. William Booth’s daughter drove a hay wagon through the streets of New York to encourage alcoholics to get on board for a ride back to the Salvation Army. Hence, alcoholics in recovery were said to be “on the wagon.”

That was the humble beginning of the Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARCs) of The Salvation Army. Today there are hundreds of centers around the world. The closest facility to Santa Rosa (where I live) is the Lytton Springs ARC in Healdsburg, a historic ranch that began as a children’s home more than a hundred years ago. Up to 75 men commit to their six-month program. As beneficiaries, they work their way through the program by a rigorous combination of work therapy – helping in the daily operations of the center and the family store recycling program – and counseling, Bible Study, anger management classes, chapel services and more. They also learn how to have fun again without resorting to alcohol or other illegal substances.

As I take my place again this year with the other volunteer bell ringers, I know that it is in giving myself away that I actually fill myself up.

This holiday season, serve. Serve someone, serve somewhere. Ringing one small bell is a very small act, but it will make a difference. To others. And to You!