Since Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act in 1994, it has become more than just a day to remember Dr. King, but a national day of service. Below are a few ways in which we will be recognizing Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Salvation Army Peachcrest Boys & Girls Club: On Friday, January 13 a total of 14 Teen Members will travel to a local nursing home to speak with the residents and hand out decorated cards. The remaining Members at the Club will watch a movie about Martin Luther King and create special crafts.

The Salvation Army Fuqua Boys & Girls Club: On Friday, January 13 the Club Keystone and Torch Club members will prepare and serve food to the homeless in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Salvation Army Bellwood Boys & Girls Club: On Thursday, January 12 members, parents and staff will participate in an educational activity about the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Tuesday, January 17 Keystone and Torch Club members will assist children housed at the City of Refuge shelter with homework. Afterward, the keystone members and torch club members will disperse books to children at the shelter, as well assist parents and other program adults with a library card application. 

The Salvation Army Metro Atlanta Area Command Warehouse: On Monday January 16 The Salvation Army Metro Atlanta Area Command and Coca-Cola employees will celebrate the life and work of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through volunteerism and action. Approximately 120 Coca-Cola volunteers will serve with The Salvation Army Atlanta in sorting and preparing food donations to be distributed to our 13 county area region. Food donations from last month’s 11Alive Holiday Can-A-Thon will be sorted into manageable deliveries to sustain our Financial Emergency Service Offices and Service Centers food pantries throughout the year.  Volunteers will assist us with sorting of close to 105,000 canned goods! 

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

If you would like to learn more about The Salvation Army and our programs and services, please visit www.salvationarmyatlanta.org.

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit dedicated to saving play. Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation. For the past 15 years, KaBOOM! has been fighting to ensure that there is a safe place to play within walking distance of every child.

The Salvation Army Bellwood Boys & Girls Club has been making a difference in the lives of Atlanta youth since 1928. Although the club has a gym, numerous meeting and activity rooms, and even an indoor swimming pool, it was missing a place to play outdoors.

“For the past 15 years, there has been a void in our community without having an adequate playground,” explains Charlie Smith, Unit Director of The Salvation Army Bellwood Boys & Girls Club. “The closest playground is about four miles from our location.”

The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Atlanta: Bellwood Unit serves over 900 low-income and at-risk youth in metro Atlanta. Their purpose is to provide youth development services and to promote the health, physical, social, educational, vocational and character development of local boys and girls.

“Our Clubs are dedicated to ensuring that our community’s disadvantaged youngsters have greater access to quality programs and services that will enhance their lives and shape their futures,” explained Major Marshall Gesner, The Salvation Army Metro Atlanta Area Commander.

For each playground project, KaBOOM! works with a Funding Partner to identify and support a Community Partner in the market of their choice. This particular project was funded by LexisNexis™ Risk Solutions who contributed both a financial gift as well as employee volunteers who were responsible for completing the playground build in just one day.  

“Once LexisNexis™ committed to building a playground in the metro Atlanta area, we scoured the community looking for a site that served a large number of children and did not have an adequate playground. After contacting The Salvation Army Bellwood Boys & Girls Club who only had old, out-dated equipment, we decided that they were a perfect match,” explained Jennifer Perritte, KaBOOM! Project Manager.

KaBOOM! Playground

Months before the actual playground build; club members had the privilege to design their dream playground from start to finish and on November 8, 2011 their dream became reality. “The Design Day was particularly inspiring because it allowed the children and parents to participate in the process of creating a space unique to their needs,” explained Sarah Clem, Volunteer Coordinator for The Salvation Army Metro Atlanta Area Command.

In approximately eight hours, 230 volunteers built an entire playground including; eight benches, eight picnic tables, 64 murals, a concrete accessible pathway, a double shade structure, and a bulletin board.

“It was an honor and a pleasure for all of us from LexisNexis to work on building this playground together, because the Salvation Army Bellwood Boys & Girls Club provides an invaluable resource to local children,” explained James M. Peck, CEO of LexisNexis™ Risk Solutions.

The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Atlanta strive to provide children with the things they need the most, including a safe place to learn and play. Their programs were created to ensure that at-risk, predominately low-income youth develop carry-over skills and attitudes that enable them to succeed in school, in their communities, at home and in the future. 

I have been a member of the Bellwood Boys & Girls Club for 10 years so this playground is more than just a place to play, it is a back drop of new friendships and the landscape of laughs for today and many years to come,” said Chantil Coleman, 17-year-old Bellwood Boys & Girls Club member.

Take a look at photos here—–> http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615

This holiday season, The Salvation Army Metro Atlanta Area Command implemented a new kettle campaign to make the fundraising more effective and to help others get involved.  The Super Saturday’s campaign recruited volunteer groups to ring the bell in a location convenient for them for a full Saturday. Locations were all over the Metro Atlanta area to help enlist a wide range of volunteer groups and to support The Salvation Army Metro Atlanta Corps. The interest in volunteering turned out to be very impressive and diverse! Many high school, corporate, individual, church, rotary, family and university groups picked up their bells, put on their aprons and braved the chilly weather to support The Salvation Army!

Another way that volunteers supported the kettle campaign was by staffing weekday kettles at Colony Square at Peachtree Street and 14^th Street. Members of local law firms such as King & Spalding, McGuire Woods, Jones Day and Alston & Bird stepped up to ring the bell from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to catch donations from those venturing through the city for lunch.

The support of these volunteer groups has been influential in helping us reach our kettle goal. Thank you to all those that volunteered as bell ringers and to those that gave to the kettles this year, your support is much appreciated!

Although the Red Kettles have now disappeared from the streets, it’s not too late to give. Our Online Red Kettle Campaign will continue through January 31, 2012. Click here to make an online donation to The Salvation Army Metro Atlanta Area Command Online Red Kettle.

Every donation, however small, helps us provide critical assistance such as food and emergency shelter to those in need.

Again, thank you to all those that support The Salvation Army in so many ways, your efforts help us continue Doing the Most Good. We wish you a Happy New Year!

Written by Amanda Boddy
The Salvation Army Metro Atlanta Kettle Coordinator

The Krugerrand is a rare South African gold coin and is very valuable because of its purity. The Krugerrand is believed to have been received in the Red Kettle that was located at the K-mart in Mableton.

“I just can’t believe it,” says Capt. Sandra Pawar, Corps officer of the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center in Atlanta, “We have been praying for something special to happen this Christmas and it did.”

Major Marshall Gesner, Metro Atlanta Area Commander, said the coin has an estimated worth of $1,600 to $1,700.

“Although the donor is unknown to us they are not to God.  We are very grateful for the gift and wish Christmas Blessings to the donor,” Gesner said.

There are several ways to donate and help those in need, you can call and make a credit card donation at 404-486-2900 Monday – Friday during regular business hours 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; donate online at www.salvationarmyatlanta.org or when you see the Red Kettle give.

Salvation Army workers in Atlanta counting donations found a special Christmas gift in one of their red kettles Tuesday morning: a single coin wrapped in a piece of paper.