The NA710N

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been celebrating the beginning of the holiday season since everyone’s favorite sanctioned dogfight, Election Day. Chances are, though, that you actually have a soul and are just starting to ring in The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Already the tell-tale signs of the season are beginning to politely tip their hats to us: the Rockefeller Center tree, the snowy décor above Fifth Avenue, the Bill O’Reilly War Against Christmas bumper stickers. All the more reason to take a break from our egomaniacal world to applaud the work of a group who has defied American cynicism in the Age of ACORN to make significant strides towards helping the less fortunate— and, if we’re feeling a little guilty, maybe even try to win some karma points by doing our part alongside them.

As much a staple of the snowy season as all the above, the presence of Salvation Army volunteers collecting donations with their red kettles around the city will soon be ubiquitous. And too often, the selfless workers that take the time to strengthen the organization and, as such, help millions over the course of the Salvation Army’s more than century-long history, go ignored.  Some ignore them because they are, in their core, a faith-based group, and harbor distrust towards any association with religious tendencies. Others have been jaded by the myriad frauds and scandals associated with community organizing and charity work in general. Most are probably so involved in the grand production of their own lives that they barely realize that others sometimes pour time and energy into causes bigger than themselves. Whatever the mechanism working against them, it certainly hasn’t been 220 years of ambivalence and apathy that have kept the Salvation Army’s reputation in the United States in the highest regard, and rather than ignoring them for yet another year, maybe it’s time to follow their example.

The Salvation Army is many things: a religious organization, a semi-military unit, and an international charity network, for starters. While it does openly promulgate Christian values and practice them through humanitarian work, there is no religious or ethnic requirement for those who are eligible to benefit from their humanitarian labor. They are based in the UK, from which they have currently deployed emergency relief missions to Indonesia, the Philippines, Samoa, et al. New Yorkers will more easily recognize them for their youth programs, disaster relief, and, of course, extremely fun thrift shops. They were one of the first on the scene during the two greatest American disasters of our generation, the 9/11 attacks and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

It usually takes a tragedy of that magnitude to break through the curtain of our idealized reality and incite some action. The quotidian demands of the least privileged often prove insipid, if not irksome, depending on how able we are to generate empathy on an individual level. If nothing more positive, the current economic downturn has tapped into a hidden reserve in American compassion for our compatriots, if only because more of us can relate, and many that were on the brink of personal disaster have been pushed over the edge. The Salvation Army is reporting this year that demand for basic services—food, shelter, and assistance with sustaining shelter—has increased more than 70%. This strikes at the core of the organization’s works, the less glamorous but much more present aid to Americans with severe financial needs.

As a group that has not cowered to significantly larger challenges, the Salvation Army has met the demands with a swift and energetic response. Its holiday kettle campaign will be larger than ever in order to finance many of its new programs. And that’s where we come in. An outbreak of the holiday spirit (or H1N1, whichever hits first) may compel us to feel and act more magnanimously during this time of year, but the workers and volunteers of the Salvation Army are at it rain or shine to help the least fortunate among us. Similarly, any assistance given to the organization will leave a lasting impression on their work, whether during this or any other season. The Salvation Army is hoping to raise $3 million for their 2009 kettle campaign, which compared to what President Obama believes we are willing to pay for health care is peanuts. Not to mention that the Salvation Army’s reputation for money management and effective use of funds far outstrips the shady dealings of the Pelosi- and Reid-led Congress.

This Friday, The Salvation Army will launch its 2009 Kettle Campaign in Duffy Square. The event will be a blast of holiday cheer, with seasonal tunes performed by the acclaimed Salvation Army New York Staff Band and hosted by CBS News anchor Russ Mitchell. We will be there this Friday alongside members of the organization to support them and stream video of the event live on WOR710.com

Tune in starting at noon to WOR710.com to watch the our exclusive live video stream from Duffy Square and don’t miss a minute caring or caroling, and perhaps consider taking a step to make a difference during these difficult times for our nation.

Also feel free to visit the Salvation Army hub at WOR 710 any time for the latest news and what you can do to help our City.

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