After providing gifts to 450 children and raising about $106,000 last holiday season, The Salvation Army of Hot Springs hopes to increase its impact on the community through the annual Angel Tree program and Red Kettle Drive.
This year, the organization anticipates the Angel Tree program will provide Christmas gifts for 474 children and has set a fundraising goal of $115,000 for its Red Kettle Drive. The Salvation Army Captain Bradley Hargis said he hopes the higher goals and a new approach not only impact the community but draw in a new wave of The Salvation Army volunteers.
"We're putting a spotlight on the Woman's Auxiliary Program (during the Angel Tree program), which a lot of people don't know about. They are the ones doing the heavy lifting for the Angel Tree warehouse. We are needing new members just like most volunteer-based organizations. They are hosting a 'heads and hands' event" and encouraging the community to bring new or handmade hats and gloves to Hot Springs Mall.
"Part of it is going to be this fellowship with the Women's Auxiliary to see how we can fold people into the program through the auxiliary," Hargis said.
An event to mark the start of this year's Angel Tree program will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the mall and will feature the Gospel Light Children's Choir, local illusionist Maxwell Blade, The Salvation Army Captain Stephanie Hargis, and Santa Claus, who will ride into the celebration in a police car.
"We want it to be a little more intimate this year. This year my wife, Captain Stephanie Hargis, will be the emcee. We just thought it would be really great for the community to hear from the woman who is running the program, dispersing the gifts, and is really the brains behind the operation. Our thought is that we want this to feel more like a living room and less like an auditorium," he said.
Angels will be available for adoption throughout the months of November and December at Hot Springs Mall, DaVinci Nail Spa & Massage and the Central and Albert Pike Walmarts. Gift distribution will take place at Coco Beverage on Dec. 15, Hargis said. All donations must be returned to The Salvation Army Office, 115 Crescent St.
The Salvation Army also caters to seniors during the holiday season through a program called League of Mercy, he said. The program encompasses all nursing homes in Garland County and ensures that each resident receives a gift and has the opportunity to partake in a Christmas devotion.
Today, bells begin ringing outside many popular shopping destinations throughout Garland County. The money collected through the Red Kettle Drive goes back into the local Salvation Army and will be used to fund different operations such as the food pantry and emergency service funds.
"All donations remain local. People naturally assume that, because The Salvation Army is a national nonprofit, we raise money nationally and it is dispersed nationally. This is actually not true. We raise (and spend) it all locally," he said.
With fewer and fewer people carrying cash, The Salvation Army now offers several cashless ways to donate, including the website http://www.FundraiseForGood.org. The goal for online fundraising is $1,000.
Call The Salvation Army at 501-623-1628 for more information.
Local on 11/16/2018