November 20, 2024 • 29 mins
The red kettles are in place, the bells are ringing, and again, the Salvation Army is working hard to make this a brighter Christmas for all of Wichita. We visit with Major Merrill Powers about the need for bell ringers, The Angel Tree, and much more. www.salvationarmyks.org; www.registertoring.com
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Wichita Weekend, the weekly public affairs program from
iHeartRadio Wichita ninety seven, nine ninety eight, Well O two one,
the Bull Channel ninety six three, and ALT one O
seven three.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Our guest today on Wichita Weekend comes to us from
the Salvation Army. Major Merrill Powers is here. He is
the area commander for south central Kansas, Sedgwick, Reno, Butler Counties.
Welcome Major Powers.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Thank you, don It's wonderful to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Man. You guys are super busy holiday time. The red
kettles are coming out.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
We are. The kettles are getting out to the stores
they've started as of yesterday, and anybody who's out shopping
is going to see quite a few stores around, especially
in the Wichita area and Sedgwick County that you're going
to have the kettles out, the ringers out, and so
it's busy for us, but it's also a busy time
for our volunteers. Is sure they get out to help
(00:54):
us out this time of the year.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Right, and Major Power. Speaking of volunteers, are you still
needing some bell ringers?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
We are, we are, We are really needing individuals to
make sure that all of our sites are covered, Okay.
If there's no bell ringer there, it's difficult for us
to collect the funds. Yeah, so we want to make
sure that we can get as many out as possible,
and volunteers are key to making that happen, okay, And
so we have a website that anybody who is interested
(01:22):
in volunteering to ring a kettle can go to and
they can make that happen there.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
All right, So what would be the web address for that?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
They can go to registered or ring dot com. Okay,
just simple registered or ring dot com. And when they
get to that site, they can choose what location they'd
like to go to, what hours they'd like to ring,
really kind of personalize it to them and what they're availability,
or even their family or maybe co workers that want
to ring with them.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
That would be a fun idea for a family.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
We have families that compete with other families just on
a personal level. Yeah, But we also have several companies
or service clubs that have jumped in and they'll be
competing with each other this year, and we have a
trophy that the winners will take home. But we're always
looking for more opportunities and especially maybe companies that would
(02:12):
like to use this as a team building exercise.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Absolutely, that's a wonderful idea and the need is here,
so let's help the Army get all those kettle staffed
and ready to go.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
It's greatly appreciated when the volunteers come out to bring
funds in at those kettles. That money will be used
right here in the Wichita area. So the money we
raise here is used for our programs here. We have
three different facilities in Wichitag where we're providing service programs.
So it's it's a lot of effort for us to
(02:45):
keep that going year round, because we're not just an
organization or a charity that's serving at Christmas time.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Absolutely, we have programs.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Year round and it's it's always going, and we need
to make sure that we have the funds to do that.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
You got a lot of work to do, and you
do it every single day of the year. That's one
thing for people to keep in mind. Right, So what
a great idea though, to come out and ring a
bell for the Salvation Army. But I understand we were
talking before we got started that there's a kind of
a new innovation with the Army this year called Tap
to Give. Tell us about it.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
We are trying something a little bit different here in
this area. It's been tried a couple other places and
been really successful. But I have stood at kettle sites
with volunteers ringing, and probably every fifth person would walk
by and say, I'm really sorry. I normally give, but
I don't have any cash.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
That's me, that's me.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
So many of us don't carry cash anyway. So Tap
to Give is an opportunity to give without worrying about
your wallet and how much money you might have with you.
Because no cash, no problem. We're going to make sure
you can do that just with a chipped credit card
or with your smartphone.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That is brilliant. I got to say, that is absolutely great,
because I know there are a lot of people that
genuinely would give, they just don't happen to have the
cash with them.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Yep. And we hear it so often, especially with kettles,
And once upon a time we would have kettles that
were just filled with bills and coins. But as I
was standing at a kettle one day and somebody said
I'm really sorry, I don't carry cash, they walked away,
and I got thinking, I checked my pockets in my wallet.
(04:29):
I didn't have any product on me either, right, So
we've been realizing we had to find a way to
address this and Tap to Give at an on site
location that it makes your payment immediately when you tap
your card or your smartphone and nothing is stored there
on that device. It's just an automatic payment through your
your system on whatever you may be using.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, I think that's absolutely brilliant and I bet it's
going to work like gangbusters for you guys.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yet we're excited about.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
It, I imagine so. Well, in case you just joined us,
we are visiting with major merrill powers from the Salvation Army.
Red Kettle season is here for I'm a lifelong Witchitan
and I will always associate the bells and the bell
ringers with the holiday time, and man, this is Have
(05:18):
you ever been a bell ringer personally?
Speaker 4 (05:21):
I have.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
My wife and I when we first connected with the
Salvation Army in the Kansas City area back in the nineties,
we used to ring and we'd get out and do that,
and then we were attending church the Salvation Army and
we realized that God's call for our life was to
ministry full time as officers with the Salvation Army and
(05:43):
so at our Officers Training College. I was there for
two years with my wife, and we were out every
day during the Christmas season ringing bells and down on
State Street in Chicago and Michigan Avenue. So I've spent
a lot of time I'm out on kettles myself. I
like to go out with our ringers too, just to
(06:04):
meet them and to spend a little time with them
and meet those who are donating to us as well.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Now, I bet over the years you've got all kinds
of stories of people that have come up to you
for one reason or another, with this or that to
share with you. And I bet you've got just a
wealth of great material.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I have probably more than I could ever tell. But
probably the most interesting and thought provoking to me was
an individual. I was ringing at a storefront in in
Chicago and people were lining up to see the window
displays on State Street, and somebody walked up to me
(06:45):
and I had been playing my horn playing carols. The
lines were long, people had been waiting to keep moving,
and he had heard the same carol several times. At
that point, he walks up says, I will put fifty
dollars in your kettle if you will quit playing that
I'm out of sight.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Oh man, well, so I'm not sure if it was
my playing that was that bad, but we switched over
to the bells for a few minutes and until you
passed by.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
There you go. Oh, that's a great story. That is wonderful.
So you are you a trumpet player or what's your horn?
Speaker 3 (07:20):
I played cornett Salvation Army. We're big on brass bands. Yes,
we have a lot of brass bands around the world
that are specific to the Army. Here in this territory
we have the Chicago Staff Band, who's fantastic. We're hoping
that someday in the next year or so we might
be able to get them out the witch Daw. But
(07:41):
in the traditional English brass band usually there's a cornett,
not trumpets. Okay, so I played trumpet most of my life.
That switched over to cornett when I started with the
Salvation Army.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
How fun is that? That's great? And you're out there
making a joyful noise, truly for a wonderful and a
wonderful reason. And we thank you for all that you've
been doing in Wichita, all the Salvation Army has done
for how many years in America? Like how old is
the Army?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
The Army was founded in eighteen sixty five in England,
Oh my goodness, but didn't come to the United States
until the nineteen eight or I'm sorry eighteen eighties.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Eighteen eighty, eighteen eighties.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Sure, and we came to Wichita in eighteen sixty seven.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Wow, that's got to be cowtown.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Days, right it was. It was, so we're.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
You've been active in Wichita for one hundred and sixty
years something like that. Yeah, more than that. Maybe my
math is.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Not Yeah, mine neithers.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
But anyway, regardless, for more than a century and really
really active. And you know, it's it's fun to imagine
what type of issues the Salvation Army might have been
dealing with in the early days of Wichita.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
You know, we had a one of our people who
was working with a new Corps in Hutchinson. She and
another person made a bike ride to Wichita. If you
think about that in the eighteen hundred's, oh man to
ride bike all the way across here. They rode over here.
(09:26):
They saw everything that was going on in Wichita and
what was a pretty bustling city at the time even
and said the Salvation Army has to be doing something here,
and so they immediately got the works going and we've
been moving here ever since.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
That ought to be a movie. You know that that
is a great story and it's true history. And today
you can see the Army at work here in Wichita
in any number of ways. And like we say, three
and sixty five.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Days a year, he'll take we do not, we do not.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Major Merril Powers is our guest today on Wichtall Weekend.
We're going to take a quick break and we'll return
with a little more of our visit with Major Powers
and what's going on with the Salvation Army at the
holiday time and all around the year. This is Wichta Weekend.
Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
If you or a loved one is living with a disability,
the Independent Living Resource Center is here to help. They
offer resources as well as classes and activities like cooking,
computer skills, and arts and crafts, plus peer support and
help within home care. As an FMS provider, they could
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to two six three zero zero or visit ILRCKS dot org.
(10:47):
Independent Living Resource Center empowering people with disabilities.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
Share love beyond. This Christmas season, partner with the Salvation Army.
Give the gift of hope to those in need by
volunteering to ring bells at a kettle stand. Join with
the Salvation Army to offer a hand up to your neighbors.
Sign up to become a kettle bell ringer and register
to ring dot com.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
This season, visit the region's ultimate holiday destination, Botanica's Illuminations,
voted the fourth best light display in the United States.
Delight in the wonder of over two million shimmering lights
across twenty acres. Enjoy dancing light displays and a stunning
new red and gold gilded holiday tree in the Shakespeare Garden.
(11:29):
Illuminations of Batanica of runs from November twenty ninth through
January fourth. To purchase tickets and reserve your time slot,
go to Botanica dot org.
Speaker 8 (11:40):
Have you just been diagnosed with cancer or do you
know someone who's recently been diagnosed, Keep this in mind
and pass it along. The American Cancer Society offers a
nationwide cancer information line. It's available twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week. Whether it's two BM or two am.
We're there for you to answer questions, connect you to
(12:00):
the resources you need, or to just listen. As the
most credible source of information, we can answer your questions
about prevention, diagnosis, treatment options, and clinical trials. We can
also help you with everyday needs like emotional support and
lodging during treatment. To learn more, visit cancer dot org
or call your American Cancer Society toll free at one
(12:22):
eight hundred two two seven two three four five anytime,
day or night. That's one eight hundred two two seven
twenty three forty five.
Speaker 9 (12:32):
Love beyond this holiday season with the Salvation Army. Double
the cheer when you volunteer serving others through helping in
the food pantries, Ringing bells at the kettles are helping
distribute toys to children. Well brighten your holiday season. Learn
all the ways you can bring joy to those in
need at Salvation Armychas dot org.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Welcome back to Wichitah weekend. We've been visiting with major
Merril powers from Salvation Army Red Kettles. Season is here
and major powers. You know. There are a lot of
things that the Salvation Army does throughout the year, but
especially during holiday time. We've got the kettles in front
of all the storefronts. But there's also something that's very
(13:14):
special that the Army does, and it's called the Angel Tree.
Could you tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Angel Tree is an opportunity for us to get toys
or Christmas presents, might be a coat and a toy,
various items into the hands of children who would not
otherwise be getting a gift.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
This year.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
We have many families coming to us year round who
are struggling and trying to make ends meet, and when
it comes Christmas time, just that little toy to get
something for their child is difficult, and so the Angel
Tree program focuses on providing those so that we can
make sure that, along with other partners, that we have
(13:53):
every toy in the hand of every child in the area,
something that they would remember Christmas. I know if my
father taught me as a child, you never pass a
Salvation Army cattle without putting something in, and so growing
up I knew that. It wasn't until I was an
adult that I learned his family and he had been
(14:15):
helped by the Salvation Army at Christmas time and getting
that gift on Christmas made a huge impact for him
and how he viewed that day. And so even though
he recognized Christmas isn't just about the toys, for a
child to have that opportunity is a big difference in
their life and it's meaningful. And so we have angels
(14:40):
that are going out into the Walmarts and Sam's Clubs
here in Sedgwick County, as well as counties around us.
Those angels have the name of a child on them
and some specific gifts that that child would be interested in.
And so families have been signing up with us for
the last month and we'll make sure or those are
(15:00):
all out. Anybody who's interested can stop by one of
those stores, pick up an angel, pick up several angels
if you'd like, but purchase the gifts for those children,
and then those can be left right at the stores
and then we'll arrange for pickup right there. It's a
great way to do it just while you're doing your
own shopping. But also there are people who like to
(15:20):
do it online, and so if you'd like to maybe
be able to get some angels that you could adopt,
you can go to our website and right there there's
a link that will allow you to sign up for
however many angels you want to choose, and then you
can arrange for those to be picked up or or
shipped or however you want to work that through the system.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Another fun idea for a family to maybe do.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yes, it's a great opportunity for families, especially if you
have kids teenagers that you're trying to teach about the season,
about what Christmas really means, to be able to share
with others and not just receive. Because you know, Christmas
is not just about the presence and having the tree there.
(16:08):
It has meaning to it, and so we want to
make sure that everybody really not just understands that, has
a chance to be a part of it. And so
everybody who participates in this program is helping to share
that toy and just make a difference for a child
on Christmas Morning to be able to have that experience.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Yeah, it gives you a good feeling inside.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
It can mean the difference, especially for a ten to
eleven year old, between just enjoying Christmas Morning like any
other child, or maybe carrying over some bitterness because you
weren't you were in the same situation as those kids
around you. And so we want to make this an
important time and it is key to us the Angel
(16:53):
Tree program. Anybody who's interested in participating other than picking
up at the walmarts and Sam's Clubs, we also have
locations at our two malls here in the town, and
if you want to go online and get those, they
can go to our website at Salvation army ks dotorg. Okay,
(17:14):
and there's a link right on there to adopt an angel.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Salvation army ks dot org.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Okay, easy to remember even for a guy like me.
Salvation Armyks DOTRG. Major MERRIW. Powers is in the studio
with us today and we've been talking on Wichita weekend
about the Salvation Army and Red Kettle season. But as
we pointed out a couple of times already today in
(17:42):
the program, the Salvation Army isn't only active during Christmas.
It's a three hundred and sixty five day a year
mission that you're on. And earlier this afternoon, Major, we're
sharing with me some numbers of folks that you actually
(18:03):
help here in town, and I was blown away.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Just for the Angel Tree program, we will have about
nine thousand children that will receive a gift. We'll have
that will represent about thirty five hundred families oh Man,
and so it's a large number in it. The last
few years, it's grown to where we're really having to
(18:28):
compact everything and figure out how we're going to make
it all work. But we want to do that and
our volunteers that come to help set up the toy center.
We have our distribution center right downtown this year, and
so we have volunteers that will be coming in to
help with that. We still need more volunteers. A lot
of local companies corporations will be there to help us
(18:48):
out on those couple of days to get everything set up.
It takes us about two weeks to get it all
set up and then two days for the distribution. But
it all seems to come together with everybody's help.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
It always does. It is probably here and gone before
you realize it.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
It seems to go really quick afterwards after that. But
what we find though, is that we make that happen
and Christmas is here and then it's gone and we're
into the next year. We're moving into twenty twenty five,
but our facilities here in Wichita will keep going after that. Absolutely,
(19:27):
our work doesn't stop. We have just in Wichtag. We
have three service locations in Reno County. We have one
in Hutchinson, in Butler County, we have one in El Doedo.
We have programs that are being offered their social basic
social service programs, so basic needs opportunities, food pantries at
(19:48):
all of those locations. We have programs such as idea assistance.
You don't think about the fact that if perhaps you've
been homeless or you've been in a bad situation in
your life, you had a fire, you lost all of
your IDs, you can't get a job. You have to
have the legal ideas. So we have funds that we
(20:09):
set aside to help individuals secure those IDs with the
plan of helping them toward full employment. It's great help
to especially to individuals that have been unhoused for a
period of time. That's huge, yeah, and so it just
helps them get back on their feet.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
You know, it's it's hard for many of us to
imagine how that could happen to a person, but that's
kind of how people fall through the cracks, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
And it can happen really quick. We see people that
come to us looking for assistance who have been unhoused
for years, but we also see individuals who say, Hey,
I lost my job, I couldn't pay the rent, my
landlord immediately evicted me. I'm in a bad situation now
(20:54):
and no place to go, and so we're looking for
always looking for ways to help them. You don't have
to walk very far around the city to see that
homelessness is an issue for people period. But also among
that some of the problems that they face are mental
(21:16):
health and substance use issues. And so at our main
location downtown, which we have just recently opened a recovery home,
and that'll be an opportunity for individuals who are willing
to commit to recovery to have not just the housing there,
but also the supports. It's heavily peer based support.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
We have.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Supports for getting employments, supports for learning how to cook.
We have a chef that's coming in to teach cooking skills,
we have companies that are coming in to teach interviewing skills,
just a lot of life skills type things that some
of these people that are in this situation may have
missed in their life, and so we want to them
the supports any week. As of today, we open this
(22:03):
up two months ago We've been building it up slow
so that we can get everybody in line with how
it needs to work. But as of today, we have
thirteen individuals in the program. About I'm going to say
about seven of those have been with us for at
least thirty days great and are maintaining their program really well.
Others are newer than that. We have some just wonderful
(22:26):
stories that we've heard. Some people who came to be
with us in the program who when you watch them
walk in the door on day one, they were just haggard.
They needed a shower, they needed some clean clothes, and
we help them do that and give them a room
of their own so that they're not having to share
(22:47):
a room with anybody. They can try and adjust to
this new way of life without having to adjust to
somebody else's way of life. So they have their room,
they have an opportunity to start working on these shoes,
to look for employment. They can stay in the program
for up to a year. We've we just had one
person who shared with us that they were able to
(23:11):
be with their grandchild for the first time. Had not
been allowed to be with grandchildren because of their situation
in life, and now their family seeing that they're working
on their life issues has arranged for that to happen.
So it can change somebody's life when you give them
the opportunity. And so this Recovery Home is just another
(23:34):
one of the programs that we're working toward to keep going.
And that's where that's where the donations are going. They're
going to these id programs and the Recovery Home. They're
going to our community centers on the southeast and southwest
side of town. They're going to the youth programming that
we try and keep going at those the community center locations.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yeah, well that's fantastic, you know. That's that's work in
action happening every day in our community. And the Salvation
Army is spearheading that.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Thank you, Thank you, thank you. We are blessed to
have the opportunities that we do. The witch Talk community
has supported us, obviously for a very long time, and
they've been beautiful to work alongside of us to give
us the hand of assistance when we need it, when
we have to get all these programs pulled together, and
(24:30):
when we're trying to figure out how we're going to
get all these nine thousand gifts put together and ready
for distribution days. If you think about it, thirty five
hundred families coming to pick up those gifts in two days.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
That's a bunch of logistics.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
We could not do that. I have wonderful staff who
put it all together in plan, but it's the volunteers
that really come in and make it happen and make
it a reality.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
So if you're listening to the show and you're thinking, gosh,
maybe I'd like to get involved, whether as a bell
ringer or a volunteer, or somebody that just likes to
pitch in from time to time, you can go online
to check out the Salvation armyks dot org website correct,
and that'll give you a wealth of information about what's
going on. And maybe if you've got the heart to volunteer,
(25:16):
you could begin there.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
That's a great place you can I can start there
if you're just looking for bells. As I said, registered
to ring dot com.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Oh yeah, registered is the quickest way.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Just to go right to that and you can sign
up for your shifts. We have a lot of activities
that will be going on. We've already started. We had
our kettle kickoff a couple of weeks ago. Right here,
in the park near your studio here. That's right, and
we've coming up in the next two weeks, not not
(25:50):
only the toy distribution few weeks, but we have at
our West Orchard Core and Community Center on the southwest
side of town, we have the Red Kettle Rumble.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Red Kettle Rumble. I like the sound of that.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
I think it has to be said with a deeper
voice than mine. A professional wrestling organization has stepped in
to say that they want to help out the Salvation Army,
so they are going to be there to do their
their big wrestling show, and the proceeds from that are
going to benefit the West Orchard Cores and their programming
(26:31):
at that location.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Red Kettle Rumble, you cannot beat that. You can't make
that up. That's great. When's that going to be?
Speaker 10 (26:39):
That'll be come December seven seven, That's a Saturday, so
coming up fairly soon, fairly quick, and unlike any other
event you'll ever attend.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
I'm guessing.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
I'm guessing. I am guessing it'll be quite different than most.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
But hey, wrestling in the holidays, they go together, right.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Not not your typical, but I've talked to people who've
been to some of their wrestling events, and so it's
gonna be a great opportunity for us to share with
the community and something different, but also as a fundraiser
for that's the Salvation.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
That's right. Salvation Army is very serious about helping Wichita,
very serious about their work and their mission. But at
the same time, they can still have some fun.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
We do.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
You can still laugh and smile a little bit, do
my nutty stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
My wife told me a long time ago. We work
side by side. We are the area commanders for this area.
And she said a long time ago, if work isn't fun,
I'm not coming there, you go. And so she does
everything she can to make to work fun and to
keep selling our toes because I never know what will
(27:47):
show up on my desk, and hey, what she has in.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Mind, you never get bored. I do not ever. I
do not ever, Major Powers. It's been so great to
meet you and great to visit with you today. And
I'm kind of getting the red kettle spirit myself here,
you know. And I think the one thing you said
today that really stuck with me is what your dad
said is don't pass a red kettle without putting something
(28:15):
in it. Yes, you know, so keep that in mind
this holiday season. Don't forget about tap to give.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
Without a doubt, and everybody's aware of that.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Very good. Well, we really appreciate you stopping by today
for Wichita Weekend, and we wish you the very best
this holiday season and in twenty twenty five, don't be
a stranger. Come back and we'll talk some more something we've.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Been more than happy to you. Thank you for having
me done.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Thank you very much. This is Wichita Weekend.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Thank you for listening to Wichita Weekend, a service of
Buyingheart radio stations one O two won the Bowl Channel
nine sixty three at one O seven three and ninety
seven nine B ninety eight. Listen every Sunday for Wichita
Weekend
Welcome to Wichita Weekend, the weekly public affairs program from
iHeartRadio Wichita ninety seven, nine ninety eight, Well O two one,
the Bull Channel ninety six three, and ALT one O
seven three.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Our guest today on Wichita Weekend comes to us from
the Salvation Army. Major Merrill Powers is here. He is
the area commander for south central Kansas, Sedgwick, Reno, Butler Counties.
Welcome Major Powers.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Thank you, don It's wonderful to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Man. You guys are super busy holiday time. The red
kettles are coming out.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
We are. The kettles are getting out to the stores
they've started as of yesterday, and anybody who's out shopping
is going to see quite a few stores around, especially
in the Wichita area and Sedgwick County that you're going
to have the kettles out, the ringers out, and so
it's busy for us, but it's also a busy time
for our volunteers. Is sure they get out to help
(00:54):
us out this time of the year.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Right, and Major Power. Speaking of volunteers, are you still
needing some bell ringers?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
We are, we are, We are really needing individuals to
make sure that all of our sites are covered, Okay.
If there's no bell ringer there, it's difficult for us
to collect the funds. Yeah, so we want to make
sure that we can get as many out as possible,
and volunteers are key to making that happen, okay, And
so we have a website that anybody who is interested
(01:22):
in volunteering to ring a kettle can go to and
they can make that happen there.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
All right, So what would be the web address for that?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
They can go to registered or ring dot com. Okay,
just simple registered or ring dot com. And when they
get to that site, they can choose what location they'd
like to go to, what hours they'd like to ring,
really kind of personalize it to them and what they're availability,
or even their family or maybe co workers that want
to ring with them.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
That would be a fun idea for a family.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
We have families that compete with other families just on
a personal level. Yeah, But we also have several companies
or service clubs that have jumped in and they'll be
competing with each other this year, and we have a
trophy that the winners will take home. But we're always
looking for more opportunities and especially maybe companies that would
(02:12):
like to use this as a team building exercise.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Absolutely, that's a wonderful idea and the need is here,
so let's help the Army get all those kettle staffed
and ready to go.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
It's greatly appreciated when the volunteers come out to bring
funds in at those kettles. That money will be used
right here in the Wichita area. So the money we
raise here is used for our programs here. We have
three different facilities in Wichitag where we're providing service programs.
So it's it's a lot of effort for us to
(02:45):
keep that going year round, because we're not just an
organization or a charity that's serving at Christmas time.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Absolutely, we have programs.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Year round and it's it's always going, and we need
to make sure that we have the funds to do that.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
You got a lot of work to do, and you
do it every single day of the year. That's one
thing for people to keep in mind. Right, So what
a great idea though, to come out and ring a
bell for the Salvation Army. But I understand we were
talking before we got started that there's a kind of
a new innovation with the Army this year called Tap
to Give. Tell us about it.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
We are trying something a little bit different here in
this area. It's been tried a couple other places and
been really successful. But I have stood at kettle sites
with volunteers ringing, and probably every fifth person would walk
by and say, I'm really sorry. I normally give, but
I don't have any cash.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
That's me, that's me.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
So many of us don't carry cash anyway. So Tap
to Give is an opportunity to give without worrying about
your wallet and how much money you might have with you.
Because no cash, no problem. We're going to make sure
you can do that just with a chipped credit card
or with your smartphone.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That is brilliant. I got to say, that is absolutely great,
because I know there are a lot of people that
genuinely would give, they just don't happen to have the
cash with them.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Yep. And we hear it so often, especially with kettles,
And once upon a time we would have kettles that
were just filled with bills and coins. But as I
was standing at a kettle one day and somebody said
I'm really sorry, I don't carry cash, they walked away,
and I got thinking, I checked my pockets in my wallet.
(04:29):
I didn't have any product on me either, right, So
we've been realizing we had to find a way to
address this and Tap to Give at an on site
location that it makes your payment immediately when you tap
your card or your smartphone and nothing is stored there
on that device. It's just an automatic payment through your
your system on whatever you may be using.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, I think that's absolutely brilliant and I bet it's
going to work like gangbusters for you guys.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yet we're excited about.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
It, I imagine so. Well, in case you just joined us,
we are visiting with major merrill powers from the Salvation Army.
Red Kettle season is here for I'm a lifelong Witchitan
and I will always associate the bells and the bell
ringers with the holiday time, and man, this is Have
(05:18):
you ever been a bell ringer personally?
Speaker 4 (05:21):
I have.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
My wife and I when we first connected with the
Salvation Army in the Kansas City area back in the nineties,
we used to ring and we'd get out and do that,
and then we were attending church the Salvation Army and
we realized that God's call for our life was to
ministry full time as officers with the Salvation Army and
(05:43):
so at our Officers Training College. I was there for
two years with my wife, and we were out every
day during the Christmas season ringing bells and down on
State Street in Chicago and Michigan Avenue. So I've spent
a lot of time I'm out on kettles myself. I
like to go out with our ringers too, just to
(06:04):
meet them and to spend a little time with them
and meet those who are donating to us as well.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Now, I bet over the years you've got all kinds
of stories of people that have come up to you
for one reason or another, with this or that to
share with you. And I bet you've got just a
wealth of great material.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I have probably more than I could ever tell. But
probably the most interesting and thought provoking to me was
an individual. I was ringing at a storefront in in
Chicago and people were lining up to see the window
displays on State Street, and somebody walked up to me
(06:45):
and I had been playing my horn playing carols. The
lines were long, people had been waiting to keep moving,
and he had heard the same carol several times. At
that point, he walks up says, I will put fifty
dollars in your kettle if you will quit playing that
I'm out of sight.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Oh man, well, so I'm not sure if it was
my playing that was that bad, but we switched over
to the bells for a few minutes and until you
passed by.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
There you go. Oh, that's a great story. That is wonderful.
So you are you a trumpet player or what's your horn?
Speaker 3 (07:20):
I played cornett Salvation Army. We're big on brass bands. Yes,
we have a lot of brass bands around the world
that are specific to the Army. Here in this territory
we have the Chicago Staff Band, who's fantastic. We're hoping
that someday in the next year or so we might
be able to get them out the witch Daw. But
(07:41):
in the traditional English brass band usually there's a cornett,
not trumpets. Okay, so I played trumpet most of my life.
That switched over to cornett when I started with the
Salvation Army.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
How fun is that? That's great? And you're out there
making a joyful noise, truly for a wonderful and a
wonderful reason. And we thank you for all that you've
been doing in Wichita, all the Salvation Army has done
for how many years in America? Like how old is
the Army?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
The Army was founded in eighteen sixty five in England,
Oh my goodness, but didn't come to the United States
until the nineteen eight or I'm sorry eighteen eighties.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Eighteen eighty, eighteen eighties.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Sure, and we came to Wichita in eighteen sixty seven.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Wow, that's got to be cowtown.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Days, right it was. It was, so we're.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
You've been active in Wichita for one hundred and sixty
years something like that. Yeah, more than that. Maybe my
math is.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Not Yeah, mine neithers.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
But anyway, regardless, for more than a century and really
really active. And you know, it's it's fun to imagine
what type of issues the Salvation Army might have been
dealing with in the early days of Wichita.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
You know, we had a one of our people who
was working with a new Corps in Hutchinson. She and
another person made a bike ride to Wichita. If you
think about that in the eighteen hundred's, oh man to
ride bike all the way across here. They rode over here.
(09:26):
They saw everything that was going on in Wichita and
what was a pretty bustling city at the time even
and said the Salvation Army has to be doing something here,
and so they immediately got the works going and we've
been moving here ever since.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
That ought to be a movie. You know that that
is a great story and it's true history. And today
you can see the Army at work here in Wichita
in any number of ways. And like we say, three
and sixty five.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Days a year, he'll take we do not, we do not.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Major Merril Powers is our guest today on Wichtall Weekend.
We're going to take a quick break and we'll return
with a little more of our visit with Major Powers
and what's going on with the Salvation Army at the
holiday time and all around the year. This is Wichta Weekend.
Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
If you or a loved one is living with a disability,
the Independent Living Resource Center is here to help. They
offer resources as well as classes and activities like cooking,
computer skills, and arts and crafts, plus peer support and
help within home care. As an FMS provider, they could
assist with payroll two called three one six nine four
to two six three zero zero or visit ILRCKS dot org.
(10:47):
Independent Living Resource Center empowering people with disabilities.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
Share love beyond. This Christmas season, partner with the Salvation Army.
Give the gift of hope to those in need by
volunteering to ring bells at a kettle stand. Join with
the Salvation Army to offer a hand up to your neighbors.
Sign up to become a kettle bell ringer and register
to ring dot com.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
This season, visit the region's ultimate holiday destination, Botanica's Illuminations,
voted the fourth best light display in the United States.
Delight in the wonder of over two million shimmering lights
across twenty acres. Enjoy dancing light displays and a stunning
new red and gold gilded holiday tree in the Shakespeare Garden.
(11:29):
Illuminations of Batanica of runs from November twenty ninth through
January fourth. To purchase tickets and reserve your time slot,
go to Botanica dot org.
Speaker 8 (11:40):
Have you just been diagnosed with cancer or do you
know someone who's recently been diagnosed, Keep this in mind
and pass it along. The American Cancer Society offers a
nationwide cancer information line. It's available twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week. Whether it's two BM or two am.
We're there for you to answer questions, connect you to
(12:00):
the resources you need, or to just listen. As the
most credible source of information, we can answer your questions
about prevention, diagnosis, treatment options, and clinical trials. We can
also help you with everyday needs like emotional support and
lodging during treatment. To learn more, visit cancer dot org
or call your American Cancer Society toll free at one
(12:22):
eight hundred two two seven two three four five anytime,
day or night. That's one eight hundred two two seven
twenty three forty five.
Speaker 9 (12:32):
Love beyond this holiday season with the Salvation Army. Double
the cheer when you volunteer serving others through helping in
the food pantries, Ringing bells at the kettles are helping
distribute toys to children. Well brighten your holiday season. Learn
all the ways you can bring joy to those in
need at Salvation Armychas dot org.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Welcome back to Wichitah weekend. We've been visiting with major
Merril powers from Salvation Army Red Kettles. Season is here
and major powers. You know. There are a lot of
things that the Salvation Army does throughout the year, but
especially during holiday time. We've got the kettles in front
of all the storefronts. But there's also something that's very
(13:14):
special that the Army does, and it's called the Angel Tree.
Could you tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Angel Tree is an opportunity for us to get toys
or Christmas presents, might be a coat and a toy,
various items into the hands of children who would not
otherwise be getting a gift.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
This year.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
We have many families coming to us year round who
are struggling and trying to make ends meet, and when
it comes Christmas time, just that little toy to get
something for their child is difficult, and so the Angel
Tree program focuses on providing those so that we can
make sure that, along with other partners, that we have
(13:53):
every toy in the hand of every child in the area,
something that they would remember Christmas. I know if my
father taught me as a child, you never pass a
Salvation Army cattle without putting something in, and so growing
up I knew that. It wasn't until I was an
adult that I learned his family and he had been
(14:15):
helped by the Salvation Army at Christmas time and getting
that gift on Christmas made a huge impact for him
and how he viewed that day. And so even though
he recognized Christmas isn't just about the toys, for a
child to have that opportunity is a big difference in
their life and it's meaningful. And so we have angels
(14:40):
that are going out into the Walmarts and Sam's Clubs
here in Sedgwick County, as well as counties around us.
Those angels have the name of a child on them
and some specific gifts that that child would be interested in.
And so families have been signing up with us for
the last month and we'll make sure or those are
(15:00):
all out. Anybody who's interested can stop by one of
those stores, pick up an angel, pick up several angels
if you'd like, but purchase the gifts for those children,
and then those can be left right at the stores
and then we'll arrange for pickup right there. It's a
great way to do it just while you're doing your
own shopping. But also there are people who like to
(15:20):
do it online, and so if you'd like to maybe
be able to get some angels that you could adopt,
you can go to our website and right there there's
a link that will allow you to sign up for
however many angels you want to choose, and then you
can arrange for those to be picked up or or
shipped or however you want to work that through the system.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Another fun idea for a family to maybe do.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yes, it's a great opportunity for families, especially if you
have kids teenagers that you're trying to teach about the season,
about what Christmas really means, to be able to share
with others and not just receive. Because you know, Christmas
is not just about the presence and having the tree there.
(16:08):
It has meaning to it, and so we want to
make sure that everybody really not just understands that, has
a chance to be a part of it. And so
everybody who participates in this program is helping to share
that toy and just make a difference for a child
on Christmas Morning to be able to have that experience.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Yeah, it gives you a good feeling inside.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
It can mean the difference, especially for a ten to
eleven year old, between just enjoying Christmas Morning like any
other child, or maybe carrying over some bitterness because you
weren't you were in the same situation as those kids
around you. And so we want to make this an
important time and it is key to us the Angel
(16:53):
Tree program. Anybody who's interested in participating other than picking
up at the walmarts and Sam's Clubs, we also have
locations at our two malls here in the town, and
if you want to go online and get those, they
can go to our website at Salvation army ks dotorg. Okay,
(17:14):
and there's a link right on there to adopt an angel.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Salvation army ks dot org.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Okay, easy to remember even for a guy like me.
Salvation Armyks DOTRG. Major MERRIW. Powers is in the studio
with us today and we've been talking on Wichita weekend
about the Salvation Army and Red Kettle season. But as
we pointed out a couple of times already today in
(17:42):
the program, the Salvation Army isn't only active during Christmas.
It's a three hundred and sixty five day a year
mission that you're on. And earlier this afternoon, Major, we're
sharing with me some numbers of folks that you actually
(18:03):
help here in town, and I was blown away.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Just for the Angel Tree program, we will have about
nine thousand children that will receive a gift. We'll have
that will represent about thirty five hundred families oh Man,
and so it's a large number in it. The last
few years, it's grown to where we're really having to
(18:28):
compact everything and figure out how we're going to make
it all work. But we want to do that and
our volunteers that come to help set up the toy center.
We have our distribution center right downtown this year, and
so we have volunteers that will be coming in to
help with that. We still need more volunteers. A lot
of local companies corporations will be there to help us
(18:48):
out on those couple of days to get everything set up.
It takes us about two weeks to get it all
set up and then two days for the distribution. But
it all seems to come together with everybody's help.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
It always does. It is probably here and gone before
you realize it.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
It seems to go really quick afterwards after that. But
what we find though, is that we make that happen
and Christmas is here and then it's gone and we're
into the next year. We're moving into twenty twenty five,
but our facilities here in Wichita will keep going after that. Absolutely,
(19:27):
our work doesn't stop. We have just in Wichtag. We
have three service locations in Reno County. We have one
in Hutchinson, in Butler County, we have one in El Doedo.
We have programs that are being offered their social basic
social service programs, so basic needs opportunities, food pantries at
(19:48):
all of those locations. We have programs such as idea assistance.
You don't think about the fact that if perhaps you've
been homeless or you've been in a bad situation in
your life, you had a fire, you lost all of
your IDs, you can't get a job. You have to
have the legal ideas. So we have funds that we
(20:09):
set aside to help individuals secure those IDs with the
plan of helping them toward full employment. It's great help
to especially to individuals that have been unhoused for a
period of time. That's huge, yeah, and so it just
helps them get back on their feet.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
You know, it's it's hard for many of us to
imagine how that could happen to a person, but that's
kind of how people fall through the cracks, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
And it can happen really quick. We see people that
come to us looking for assistance who have been unhoused
for years, but we also see individuals who say, Hey,
I lost my job, I couldn't pay the rent, my
landlord immediately evicted me. I'm in a bad situation now
(20:54):
and no place to go, and so we're looking for
always looking for ways to help them. You don't have
to walk very far around the city to see that
homelessness is an issue for people period. But also among
that some of the problems that they face are mental
(21:16):
health and substance use issues. And so at our main
location downtown, which we have just recently opened a recovery home,
and that'll be an opportunity for individuals who are willing
to commit to recovery to have not just the housing there,
but also the supports. It's heavily peer based support.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
We have.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Supports for getting employments, supports for learning how to cook.
We have a chef that's coming in to teach cooking skills,
we have companies that are coming in to teach interviewing skills,
just a lot of life skills type things that some
of these people that are in this situation may have
missed in their life, and so we want to them
the supports any week. As of today, we open this
(22:03):
up two months ago We've been building it up slow
so that we can get everybody in line with how
it needs to work. But as of today, we have
thirteen individuals in the program. About I'm going to say
about seven of those have been with us for at
least thirty days great and are maintaining their program really well.
Others are newer than that. We have some just wonderful
(22:26):
stories that we've heard. Some people who came to be
with us in the program who when you watch them
walk in the door on day one, they were just haggard.
They needed a shower, they needed some clean clothes, and
we help them do that and give them a room
of their own so that they're not having to share
(22:47):
a room with anybody. They can try and adjust to
this new way of life without having to adjust to
somebody else's way of life. So they have their room,
they have an opportunity to start working on these shoes,
to look for employment. They can stay in the program
for up to a year. We've we just had one
person who shared with us that they were able to
(23:11):
be with their grandchild for the first time. Had not
been allowed to be with grandchildren because of their situation
in life, and now their family seeing that they're working
on their life issues has arranged for that to happen.
So it can change somebody's life when you give them
the opportunity. And so this Recovery Home is just another
(23:34):
one of the programs that we're working toward to keep going.
And that's where that's where the donations are going. They're
going to these id programs and the Recovery Home. They're
going to our community centers on the southeast and southwest
side of town. They're going to the youth programming that
we try and keep going at those the community center locations.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yeah, well that's fantastic, you know. That's that's work in
action happening every day in our community. And the Salvation
Army is spearheading that.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Thank you, Thank you, thank you. We are blessed to
have the opportunities that we do. The witch Talk community
has supported us, obviously for a very long time, and
they've been beautiful to work alongside of us to give
us the hand of assistance when we need it, when
we have to get all these programs pulled together, and
(24:30):
when we're trying to figure out how we're going to
get all these nine thousand gifts put together and ready
for distribution days. If you think about it, thirty five
hundred families coming to pick up those gifts in two days.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
That's a bunch of logistics.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
We could not do that. I have wonderful staff who
put it all together in plan, but it's the volunteers
that really come in and make it happen and make
it a reality.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
So if you're listening to the show and you're thinking, gosh,
maybe I'd like to get involved, whether as a bell
ringer or a volunteer, or somebody that just likes to
pitch in from time to time, you can go online
to check out the Salvation armyks dot org website correct,
and that'll give you a wealth of information about what's
going on. And maybe if you've got the heart to volunteer,
(25:16):
you could begin there.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
That's a great place you can I can start there
if you're just looking for bells. As I said, registered
to ring dot com.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Oh yeah, registered is the quickest way.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Just to go right to that and you can sign
up for your shifts. We have a lot of activities
that will be going on. We've already started. We had
our kettle kickoff a couple of weeks ago. Right here,
in the park near your studio here. That's right, and
we've coming up in the next two weeks, not not
(25:50):
only the toy distribution few weeks, but we have at
our West Orchard Core and Community Center on the southwest
side of town, we have the Red Kettle Rumble.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Red Kettle Rumble. I like the sound of that.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
I think it has to be said with a deeper
voice than mine. A professional wrestling organization has stepped in
to say that they want to help out the Salvation Army,
so they are going to be there to do their
their big wrestling show, and the proceeds from that are
going to benefit the West Orchard Cores and their programming
(26:31):
at that location.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Red Kettle Rumble, you cannot beat that. You can't make
that up. That's great. When's that going to be?
Speaker 10 (26:39):
That'll be come December seven seven, That's a Saturday, so
coming up fairly soon, fairly quick, and unlike any other
event you'll ever attend.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
I'm guessing.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
I'm guessing. I am guessing it'll be quite different than most.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
But hey, wrestling in the holidays, they go together, right.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Not not your typical, but I've talked to people who've
been to some of their wrestling events, and so it's
gonna be a great opportunity for us to share with
the community and something different, but also as a fundraiser
for that's the Salvation.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
That's right. Salvation Army is very serious about helping Wichita,
very serious about their work and their mission. But at
the same time, they can still have some fun.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
We do.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
You can still laugh and smile a little bit, do
my nutty stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
My wife told me a long time ago. We work
side by side. We are the area commanders for this area.
And she said a long time ago, if work isn't fun,
I'm not coming there, you go. And so she does
everything she can to make to work fun and to
keep selling our toes because I never know what will
(27:47):
show up on my desk, and hey, what she has in.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Mind, you never get bored. I do not ever. I
do not ever, Major Powers. It's been so great to
meet you and great to visit with you today. And
I'm kind of getting the red kettle spirit myself here,
you know. And I think the one thing you said
today that really stuck with me is what your dad
said is don't pass a red kettle without putting something
(28:15):
in it. Yes, you know, so keep that in mind
this holiday season. Don't forget about tap to give.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
Without a doubt, and everybody's aware of that.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Very good. Well, we really appreciate you stopping by today
for Wichita Weekend, and we wish you the very best
this holiday season and in twenty twenty five, don't be
a stranger. Come back and we'll talk some more something we've.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Been more than happy to you. Thank you for having
me done.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Thank you very much. This is Wichita Weekend.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Thank you for listening to Wichita Weekend, a service of
Buyingheart radio stations one O two won the Bowl Channel
nine sixty three at one O seven three and ninety
seven nine B ninety eight. Listen every Sunday for Wichita
Weekend
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