Salvation Army seeks bell ringers

The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign is beginning soon throughout Connecticut & Rhode Island. Residents are invited to become a Salvation Army volunteer bell ringer. The Salvation Army is looking for volunteer groups as well. Fill out a volunteer bell ringer form: www.tinyurl.com/RingBellsSNE

Kettle income supports a variety of programs and services in Connecticut and Rhode Island including food pantries, shelters, emergency assistance, summer camp programs, school readiness, as well as holiday assistance, according to the Salvation Army.

Origin of the Red Kettle: The Salvation Army Captain in San Francisco had resolved in December of 1891 to provide a free Christmas dinner to the area’s poor persons. But how would he pay for the food? As he went about his daily tasks, the question stayed in his mind. Suddenly, his thoughts went back to his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England. On the Stage Landing he saw a large pot, called “Simpson’s pot” into which charitable donations were thrown by passers-by. On the next morning, he secured permission from the authorities to place a similar pot at the Oakland ferry landing, at the foot of Market Street. No time was lost in securing the pot and placing it in a conspicuous position, so that it could be seen by all those going to and from the ferry boats. In addition, a brass urn was placed on a stand in the waiting room for the same purpose. Thus, Captain Joseph McFee launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States, but throughout the world. By Christmas, 1895, the kettle was used in 30 Salvation Army Corps in various sections of the West Coast area. The Sacramento Bee of that year carried a description of the Army’s Christmas activities and mentioned the contributions to street corner kettles. Shortly afterward, two young Salvation Army officers who had been instrumental in the original use of the kettle, William A. McIntyre and NJ Lewis, were transferred to the East. They took with them the idea of the Christmas kettle.

In 1897, McIntyre prepared his Christmas plans for Boston around the kettle, but his fellow officers refused to cooperate for fear of “making spectacles of themselves.” So McIntyre, his wife and his sister set up three kettles at the Washington Street thorough fare in the heart of the city. That year the kettle effort in Boston and other locations nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy. In 1898, the New York World hailed The Salvation Army kettles as “the newest and most novel device for collecting money.”

The newspaper also observed, “There is a man in charge to see that contributions are not stolen.” In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner in Madison Square Garden, a custom that continued for many years. Today, however, families are given grocery checks so that they can buy and prepare their own dinners at home. The homeless poor are still invited to share holiday dinners and festivities at hundreds of Salvation Army centers.

Kettles now are used in Korea, Japan, and Chile, and in many European countries. Everywhere, public contributions to the kettle enable The Salvation Army to bring the spirit of Christmas to those who would otherwise be forgotten - to the aged and lonely, the ill, the inmates of jails and other institutions, the poor and unfortunate. In the United States, The Salvation Army annual aids more than 5 million persons at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Kettles have changed since the first utilitarian cauldron set up in San Francisco.

Some of the new kettles have such devices as self-ringing bell and booth complete with a public address system over which the traditional Christmas carols are broadcast. Behind it all, is the same Salvation Army message of “Doing The Most Good.”

For more information, visit www.ctri.salvationarmy.org

Concert tickets are free

CLINTON — The George Flynn Classical Concerts will present a concert featuring the Coast Guard Quintet, presenting a holiday program on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 3 p.m at Andrews Town Hall, Clinton.

The concert is free. Tickets are required and may be obtained by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to The George Flynn Classical Concerts, P.O. Box 473, Clinton, CT 06413, or you may call 860-669-1208, leaving a name, phone number and the amount of tickets required. They will be saved to pick up the day of the performance.

Radon test kits available to residents

The Killingworth Health Department has a limited supply of radon test kits for distribution to residents at no charge, according to health department director Paul Hutchison. The test kits have been provided by the State Health Department and are available on a first come, first served basis. Residents are asked to visit the Killingworth Health Department to obtain a test kit.

All homes should be tested for radon. Recent mapping of test results from prior years has shown elevated radon levels scattered throughout Killingworth. Ideally, testing should be done during the colder months when doors and windows are kept closed. Instructions will be provided with each test kit.

Some facts about radon- you can’t see it, smell it, or taste it, but it could be present at a dangerous level in your home. Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the decay of naturally occurring radium and uranium in the earth. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America and claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year.

Exposure to radon is a preventable health risk and testing radon levels in your home can help reduce unnecessary exposure. If a high radon level is detected in your home, you can take steps to fix the problem to protect yourself and your family, typically at a cost ranging from $1,200 - $1,500.

Test kits are also available in most hardware stores and from the American Lung Association, https://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/healthy-air/indoor/indoorair-pollutants/radon.html.

Additional information may be found on the EPA web site, http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html, or the CT Department of Public Health site, www.ct.gov/dph/radon.

For more information contact the Killingworth Health Department at 860-663-1765 x223.