3 minute read
WHO WE ARE
The twostep hand loom, invented by Salvation Army Major Frank Maxwell, was fast to use, and an integral part of Mahatma Gandhi’s Swadeshi selfsufficiency movement for Indian communities. While incarcerated in Bombay, Gandhi also attended Bible classes hosted by The Salvation Army.
Did you know?
Several pro athletes, including Julius “Dr. J” Erving, LeBron James, and Freddie Freeman, got their start playing in Salvation Army facilities or attending church there.
The Salvation Army Missing Persons program began in 1885 as “Mrs. Booth’s Enquiry Bureau.” This international social service seeks to bring family members who’ve lost contact back together. The program now receives around 2,000 inquiries, opens 600 cases, and locates about 350 people each year.
2,500 brass bands
That’s about how many The Salvation Army has worldwide. The first formed by happenstance in 1878 in Salisbury, U.K., when musician Charles William Fry and his three sons offered to protect Army street preachers from rabble-rousers. When not actively defending the Salvationists, the Frys played music on their brass instruments. Founder William Booth realized the effectiveness of such music, and the practice spread. Since the 1920s, a Salvation Army brass band from Southern California has marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade.
Donor Corner
In December of 2022, Ryan Clark of Red Bank, N.J., celebrated his seventh birthday, but there was another important number for him that year: 202. That was the number of pounds of food that Ryan donated to The Salvation Army of Red Bank.
Every year for his birthday, Ryan runs a donation drive with the help of his family, friends, and neighbors. Ryan then chooses a different local agency to be the recipient, and in 2022, he chose his local Salvation Army.
“We are so blessed that he chose us,” says Lizbeth Rizzo, social services case manager at the Red Bank Corps.
For his birthday in 2023, Ryan and his family once again held a donation drive for the Red Bank Salvation Army, this time collecting toys. Ryan says he likes knowing that what he does goes to help others. “The toys and food will make other people, who don’t have much, very happy,” says Ryan.
“We couldn’t be prouder of Ryan and his unique ability to see the importance of giving at such a young age,” says Marissa Clark, Ryan’s mother. “He’s choosing kindness and generosity in a world that certainly could use more of it.”
