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by Karen Gleason –
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else…. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones (1 Thess. 3:12-13).
Congratulations, Josie Wilson!
Congratulations to Josie Wilson, Community Relations and Development director for The Salvation Army Alaska Division, who was recognized as the 2010 Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year during the annual Gold Pan Awards reception. This highly distinguished honor is well-deserved and another recognition for The Salvation Army in the Anchorage community.
Army expands focus in Visalia
The Visalia Corps, led by Envoys Jesus and Adriana Quintanilla, has added after-school programming and drop-in tutoring to its services for Visalia, Ivanhoe, Goshen, Farmersville and other communities. “Part of The Salvation Army’s mission is to meet human need, whether physically, mentally or spiritually,” Quintanilla said. “Part of that commitment to well-being is ensuring our students excel in school and get the help they need to succeed.”
Vincent Ingrao, incoming chairman of the Army’s Visalia Advisory Board, said, “Having a finger on the pulse of the community is crucial. With good support from the community, The Salvation Army can do the best job possible serving the needs of the public with the resources available to them.”
Source: visaliatimesdelta.com
“I’ll fight” in Salinas
Salinas, Calif.—famous agricultural center and hometown of Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck—is now known for its crime rate: higher than the national average for violent crime, robberies, aggravated assaults, and motor vehicle thefts. When Salinas Police Chief asked citizens to take action against crime, Salvation Army Major Kris Potter, corps officer with his wife Camie, created a voluntary program to supply local businesses with resources so they can provide direction for individuals marginalized due to poverty, crime and unemployment.
The “I’ll Fight” program—named for the well-known poem by William Booth—offers training to participating businesses on how to help, as well as providing them with a logo sign identifying them as a place to go for information. The program launched in October and will run through spring 2011.
Source: expectchange.dreamhosters.com
Pay it forward
Maria Esperanza “Espy” Urrutia received recognition for 30 years of service as a Salvation Army thrift store employee on Sept. 1, 2010, at the Anaheim (Calif.) Adult Rehabilitation Center.
Espy, who grew up in Guatemala, never forgot the kindness shown her by The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster teams during their response to a magnitude 7.5 earthquake there in 1976.
Four years later she immigrated to Southern California, and eventually obtained employment at the Orange County Adult Rehabilitation Center store. Later she transferred to the Fairview store where she became the store manager.
Albert Gaona—assistant manager at the Fountain Valley Salvation Army Thrift Store—remembers Espy’s love for her customers when he visited her store as a boy with his mother. He said that she had a significant influence on his life.
Walmart helps out in Hobbs
The Salvation Army of Hobbs, N.M., recently established a partnership with Walmart, receiving a donation from them of over 400 pounds of food that will be shared with the Boys and Girls Club and Isaiah’s Kitchen, a local soup kitchen. This is the first of many donations to come. The Hobbs Corps serves the residents of Lea County—helping to feed and clothe over 2,500 people at month. Majors Mark and Martha Davey are the corps officers.
Torrance pre-school freshened up
Approximately 50 volunteers from Exxon Mobil and CVC painted the Torrance Salvation Army’s pre-school facility and re-conditioned the playground area. Exxon—who donated all the supplies and professional advice—selected The Salvation Army of Torrance as recipient of its community outreach project in recognition of the service the Army provides to the community. Children enjoy the facility and playground year-round: 30 kids in the summer and 20 during the school year. Exxon’s Barbara Burgett coordinated the event. Majors Julio and Karen Vasquez are Torrance corps officers.
Talk to us!
We want to know what’s happening in your corps, ARC or unit—special programs or events, enrollments, youth achievements, and more! Submit just a few sentences (that’s about 75 words) to karen.gleason@ usw.salvationarmy.org or to New.Frontier@usw.salvationarmy.org. You can also find us on Facebook; my link is https://www.facebook.com/karen.gleason. New Frontier also has a page: https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/New-Frontier/156682161009605?ref=ts