Angel Tree kicks off
The Salvation Army Angel Tree program kicks off at 10 a.m. today with a celebration at the Hot Springs Mall.
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, which started on Friday.
(The days for the Angel Tree kickoff and the Red Kettle Drive were incorrect in an article published in Friday’s edition.)
Today’s event 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.
The Salvation Army Captain Bradley Hargis said he hopes this year the venue feels less like an auditorium and more like a living room.
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.
Volunteers were out in full force at several popular shopping locations throughout Garland County on Friday, ringing bells to raise money for The Salvation Army. The bell-ringers collect donations to The Salvation Army every Monday through Saturday until Christmas Eve.
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 emergency service funds, and the nightly feeding program they operate year-round.
“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.