Kettle wars

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If 2020 were a vegetable, it would be Brussels sprouts. Now, if you happen to like Brussels sprouts, this joke just doesn’t work very well. Lol.

Quite honestly, we are exhausted both mentally and physically here at The Salvation Army. We have completed the workload of three years in just a SINGLE year. And the frightening reality is, we forecast a very difficult winter ahead. There is no slowing down.

For 130 years, our Red Kettle Campaign has acted as an extremely effective means to raise money, specifically for meeting needs of humankind across the U.S. But, for the first time in as many years, our iconic Red Kettle Campaign stands in serious jeopardy. With more people taking advantage of curbside/contactless pick-up, foot traffic in and around our kettles will be severely diminished. Couple that with the fact that 63% of people admit to carrying less cash now due to health concerns, this looks to be a recipe for a very challenging Kettle season for us.

Ok … just one more piece of crappy news. Our Red Kettle Kickoff luncheon just can’t happen this year. We considered taking our annual event to the virtual-sphere, but we decided that it would just be a far cry from what we work hard to create for our guests. Our Red Kettle Kickoff has never been just about raising funds. It’s a complete experience that Zoom just can’t provide.

So, we turn our attention to our Online Kettle Campaign. Wondering if you would consider being a Kettle Captain in 2020 Kettle Wars? Let me explain what that all entails. A Kettle Captain creates a Kettle via https://give.salvationarmy.org/campaign/2020-sidney-red-kettle/c297993. Then, you’d invite others to join your team or give to your online Kettle by sharing your link via text, email, social media or letter.

The beauty of this is, as the Kettle Captain (team captain), you’ll be alerted when someone joins your team or donates to your Kettle. The progress of your Kettle will be visible for all to see! That part is fun and will help create some friendly competition. All who visit the site will be able to see where we are at in our overall goal, too! Here are the quick and easy steps to create your own Kettle:

• Step 1 – Visit give.salvationarmy.org/sidneykettle

• Step 2 – Click on “Become A Fundraiser”

• Step 3 – Click on “As an individual”

• Step 4 – Create an account

• Step 5 – Create your page (i.e. set goal)

• Step 6 – Begin raising $ for your Kettle

We challenge all Kettle Captains to get creative in raising funds for their Kettle. You might challenge departments within your company to participate. You might issue a matching challenge. You might challenge another business to rival ya. You may want do mini fundraisers that don’t involve your Kettle and then deposit those funds into your Kettle. Or, you might just want to simply invite your friends and family to give to your Kettle, to help you reach the goal you’ve set.

No matter how you decide to go about this, just know that your efforts are for a tremendous cause and purpose. The need in Clark County is not going away anytime soon. We see panic and desperation in the people’s eyes and that reality compels us to reach out to you for your support. Kettle Wars has the potential of bringing aid to a lot of people and that should excite us all!

We’ve created three arenas to compete in. You can war as a “company” or as an “individual” or as a “kid.” To compete in the “kids” arena, you must be 17 or younger. To take this thing to another level, each arena has its own prize pack:

COMPANY: Kettle Wars trophy; newspaper & social media love; two billboards for four weeks; and Lee’s Chicken Party Pak (lunch for up to 30 people).

INDIVIDUAL: Trophy; newspaper & social media love; $150 gift certificate to a local restaurant of your choice; $150 certificate to Davis Meats; two Kings Island 2021 Gold Season Passes.

KIDS: Trophy; Newspaper & Social Media Love; $250 Cash; four Kings Island 2021 Gold Season Passes.

Kettle Wars will begin Nov. 2, and ends on Dec. 22. The winners will be announced on Dec. 23.

Well, can we count ya in? Will you go off to “war?”

Please call 937-492-8412, if you have questions

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By Capt. Samantha Lockard

Guest columnist

The writer is a pastor and assistant corps officer with the Salvation Army Sidney/Shelby County.

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