Rochester Area Services 2023 Winter Newsletter

Attention golfers, sponsors, auction donors, and volunteers:

Serving Greater Rochester since 1884

Winter 2023

The 28th annual Golf Fore! Kids Tournament is Monday July 10th, 2023 Get a “Sneak Peek” of event details by visiting SalArmy.com/RocGolf

It’s fair to say that red kettle ringing can get contagious throughout the holiday season!

Our “Battle of the Bells” competition put an extra fun spin on this traditional experience, allowing organizations to compete in raising the most donations. This year the battle expanded into eight different…

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• 2022 Red Kettle Campaign Results

• Battle of the Bells Competition Winners

• Community Partners and Participation

During the Holidays

• Christmas Toy and Food Distribution

• New Coat Shop For Project Bundle Up

With so much to be grateful for in the new year, at the top of our list has to be the selfless and generous contributions to our 2022 Red Kettle Campaign. There was no shortage of giving from our volunteers and our donors, whose efforts generated an abundance of toys, food and monetary donations.

One of the key components to our successful campaign was having Natalie and John Kucko as Red Kettle Campaign CoChairs. The father-daughter news anchor team from

WROC

Channel 8 supported our bell ringing season with an inspiring speech at Kickoff, on-air promotions and bell ringing at Eastview Mall.

Bell ringers began in November at partnering stores including Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Tops Friendly Markets, Hegedorn’s Market and JCPenney. Families, businesses, organizations, and individuals from all over Monroe County registered to ring at our local malls and other participating venues like City Hall, Big Lots, Trader Joe’s and Marshalls.

The dedication of those who volunteered at our kettles is a testament to how close we came to our $365,000 goal. More than $330,000 was collected in just under seven weeks. Kettle ringing was cancelled on some of the most gainful days of the year due to extreme wind, rain and drops in temperature.

Our hope is to make up the $35,000 deficit by keeping our online kettle open now through February 17th. Donations of any size are appreciated and can be made at rockettle.org

What happens to the donations received from the Red Kettles in Rochester?

Monetary gifts received during the Red Kettle Campaign help The Salvation Army take care of people in need all year long. Local donations stay right here in the Rochester community, helping those that experience residential emergencies, homelessness and other hardships. The money collected during last year’s holidays will be put to good use throughout 2023, supporting services and programs that help the less fortunate in our area.

Our mission is to serve all in Jesus’ name without discrimination. Thank you for helping us brighten and change the lives of our neighbors - not just at Christmastime - but every day of the year.

Debbie Burr,

of

Michael Gilbert, Director of Development ext. 2320 Maureen Hill, Media/Community Relations ext. 2319

Big thanks to all of our Red Kettle ringers, including the Rochester Fire Department

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Kettle Sponsors Debut in 2022

With a shortage of Kettle Ringers last holiday season, we put our efforts into maximizing the intake of each red kettle that was able to stand between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

The solution came in the form of kettle sponsorships. Local businesses and other organizations were given the opportunity to add their logo to a kettle sign at any stand location of their choosing for $500. As the official “sponsor” of that kettle, they promoted their business while financially supporting our cause at the same time.

Thanks to our sign printing partner, Excelsus Solutions, the signs were designed to fit on our kettle stands and made from durable, weather resistant material. They looked great and stayed in place until the campaign concluded on December 24th.

Hundreds of Coats For Kids Delivered Through Project Bundle Up

The Salvation Army’s “Project Bundle Up” has returned in full force now that the restrictions of COVID-19 have been lifted. This initiative provides new children’s coats to families in need and traditionally has been held at a local JCPenney store.

Instead of bussing families to the retailer this year, we brought the shopping experience to our 100 West Avenue location.

Children from across Monroe County preregistered with their coat sizes so we could order in advance through JCPenney, who was happy to support us in this ongoing partnership. They provided coats at a 40%60% discount and donated an additional $200 to support Project Bundle Up. The majority of coat funds were provided through dedicated donations.

Thanks to the contributions of Rochester Salvation Army thrift stores, we were able to create an in-person shopping experience with coat racks, size dividers, and coat hangerssimilar to a real retail location! Our goal was to make new coat wishes come true for at least 200 kids, although that goal was exceeded by an additional 100 children. In total, we were able to provide more than 300 coats that will keep little ones bundled up this winter.

The smiles from families and their children as they shopped, tried on and selected their new

coats were contagious and heart warming. Thank you to our Community Relations/ Development Committee, our special shopping assistant, Mayor Malik Evans, and the many others who made this charitable act possible!

If you’d like to volunteer at our next Coats For Kids shop, or if you’d like to make a donation that’s dedicated to supporting Project Bundle Up, please call 585-987-9500 ext. 2319 or email Maureen.hill@use.salvationarmy.org

Christmas Distribution Helps Families In Need and Businesses Bond Battle of the Bells

Last November, more than 1,500 families in Monroe County registered for The Salvation Army’s annual Christmas Toy and Food Distribution event. Children 13 years and under received toys, gloves, socks and more through community donations and our partnership with Toys for Tots.

Volunteers helped decorate and organize the shop space at 100 West Avenue, while angel trees and donation boxes popped up all over Rochester. More than 10,000 items were received through collection hosts including Rochester School District Central Office, Total Sports Experience, Paylocity and Bridge Builders Ministries.

Between December 12th and 15th, adult family members were able to select gifts for their children and pick up food bags to help them plan a holiday meal.

Local businesses played a generous part in this gifting act through staff-led food collections. O’Connell Electric, Edgewood Church and MRB Group donated nonperishable foods like canned goods, juices and pastas.

Thoughtful items for our shelter guests were also collected and wrapped into drawstring bags, thanks to Landsman Development Corp, Deloitte & Touche LLP and the Tucker Family & Friends collaborative.

Volunteers from the Rochester Police Department, Holley Basketball Teams, Webster Thomas High School, Actalent Services and others who donated their time to assist with shopping and restocking tables. In total, more than 4,000 of our neighbors in need benefitted from this effort!

(from page 1) community categories. We’re proud to announce the winners of each category here:

School Group

Greece Odyssey Middle

School National Jr. Honor Society

College Club

Rochester Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Assoc.

Faith-Based Organization

Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Penfield

Community Organization

Rochester Fire Department

Service Organization

Braman American Legion Post #1229

Sports/Social Club

Pittsford Interact Club

Local Business CloudCheckr

Families and/or Friends

The Boss Family

The Top 2022 Battle of the Bells winner is the Lions Club of Chili, Scottsville and Churchville. This collaborative team rang for a total of 64 hours and raised over $3,000!

helps us with safe electronic recycling and would love to help you, too!

www.sunnking.com/dropoff

In total, eight local businesses participated in this inaugural fundraiser; Mason Marketing, Mason Digital, Sunnking Electronics Recycling, doxy.me, Northwestern Mutual, Hamilton Stern, Christopher McCarthy of Keller Williams and CGI Digital.

Their club names were engraved on our Battle of the Bells legacy trophy, which they will hold onto until our next Red Kettle Kickoff in November, 2023.

“...the rain and snow come down from heaven, watering the earth and making it bear and sprout.” ~Isaiah 55:10

Volunteers from Fidelis Care and other local groups helped sort, hang and assist our shoppers with coats.

Sunnking