ETC
charity
Major Dwayne Durham
A hand up for Ocala’s neediest BY SHARON RAYE AND CARLTON REESE PHOTOGRAPHY BY RALPH DEMILIO
T
hey are as much a part of the Christmas milieu as house lights, church choirs and garland and without them during the holidays would exist a palpable void. They would be the Salvation Army bell ringers with their iconic red kettles that bring in the spirited charity of passers-by. The clinging bell amid the winter chill that greets shop customers as they come and go signals a holiday aura encompassing the cheer and benevolence unique to that season. For most people, the ritual of tossing
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change into that red bucket accompanied by the customary “Merry Christmas!” is the only acquaintance most have with the Salvation Army and for the 10 months of the year when the bell ringers are idle the organization is deemed out of sight-out of mind. It is during those other 10 months, though, when all that giving comes to fruition in the form of a helping hand to those who need it most. Not simply an organization that solicits donations for charitable causes, The Salvation Army is itself a ministry, part of the universal
Christian Church. As such, its outreach encompasses myriad needs that all have enormous impact on a local level. “It’s a two-pronged mission,” said Major Dwayne Durham. “We preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs without discrimination.” Durham, who along with his wife, Marion, is a pastor in the church, has been a near life-long “soldier” in the The Salvation Army. Because of the organization’s mission of preaching the gospel, he fears a misconception among people that the orgnization’s services are relegated only to people of faith. He assures, this is not the case. “It’s Christian-based, we have faith and service, and we are serving God, but we are also serving man.” Along with the holiday fund raising, per-
