Good News - December 2019

The Salvation Army of Broward County Red Kettle and Holiday Kick Off began November 22nd. This year, the nonprofit organization launched its recognizable Red Kettle #FightForGood holiday campaign with a new way to give via digital donations. For the second year, The Salva- tion Army will also be working with Amazon.com to offer a wider-reaching gift registry for its Angel Tree Program in ad- dition to its physical Angel Trees located throughout Broward County. “This is an exciting time for The Salvation Army of Broward County as we ex- pand our reach to assist our community through digital platforms,” said Major Stephen Long, Area Com- mander for The Salvation Army of Broward County. “Ket- tle Pay makes it even easier for donors to join The Salva- tion Army’s Fight for Good while adopting an angel is the simplest, most direct way to bring joy to thousands of less fortunate children and families. Even the smallest donation can make a huge world of dif- ference to those experiencing seasonal hardship.” This year’s Red Kettle ini- tiative will have donation points at more than 50 retail locations throughout Broward County. The SalvationArmy of Broward has placed smart chips and QR codes on the Red Kettle signs, allowing shoppers to simply “bump” or scan their phones to make a digital donation. Shoppers will be directed to a custom dona- tion page that accepts Apple or Google payment options. The funds will then be distrib- uted to the local organization based on the donor’s billing ZIP code, and an email receipt will be sent directly to their phone. The time-honored tradi- tion of brightening an under- served child’s holiday by adopting an angel has also been upgraded by offering two easy ways to give – through visits to local retail locations and, through Amazon.com. The “angels” are real children with real needs who live in Broward County. The Salva- tion Army works with several other agencies in our commu- nity to identify and qualify those families who need the most help. Charitable individ- uals and groups seeking a simple opportunity to brighten a family’s holiday can “adopt” any number of angels from special trees at the following retail locations: Galleria Mall, Westfield Broward, Pembroke Lakes Mall, or Walmart. Both the physical and vir- tual Angel Tree tags detail a child’s wishes, sizing and other pertinent information plus instructions. Donors can fulfill the gift request on the tag ($25 to $30 per child, as this may be the only gift the child receives) and unwrapped gifts may be delivered back to the Angel Tree location by Friday, Dec. 13 (gifts purchased through the virtual Angel Tree Registry will be sent directly to The Salvation Army of Broward via choosing the ad- dress location upon checkout) for Toy Shop distribution on Friday, December 20. The SalvationArmy works with several other agencies in our community to identify and qualify those families who need the most help. Each year, it delivers more than 3,200 gifts and holiday cheer to Broward County recipients. For more information, visit www.salvationarmyflorida.org/ fortlauderdale or call 954- 524-6991. OUT AND ABOUT 54 DECEMBER 2019 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition The Salvation Army Goes Digital with Red Kettles and Angel Trees HOT 105 FM radio personality Traci Cloyd helped kick off last year’s holiday campaign and Red Kettle initiative for The Salvation Army of Broward County with the help of young supporters.