Quicken Loans and CEO Bill Emerson Join The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - The Salvation Army of MetroDetroit and Quicken Loans are joining forces for their second consecutive RedKettle Campaign partnership to "Do the Most Good" for the hungry and homeless of metro Detroit. Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson is serving as this year's HonoraryRed Kettle Campaign Corporate Chair. Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Ken Holland is serving as Honorary Red Kettle CampaignChair.
In just two years, Quicken Loans has donated more than $80,000 to The Salvation Army'sRed Kettle Campaign, as one of the many ways Quicken Loans "does the most good"in communities like metro Detroit where its team members live, work and play.
"QuickenLoans is proud to sponsor The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign as they celebrate 125 years of amazing work for our community," said Bill Emerson, CEO of Quicken Loans.
The nation's largest online home loan lender recently moved 1,500 team members toChase Tower, bringing the number of employees who work in downtown Detroit to more than 3,000.
"TheSalvation Army does an exceptional job of helping those in the community who are in need. Every day at Quicken Loans we focus on doing the right thing; giving to The Salvation Army is the right thing to do."
As part of this year's partnership, Quicken Loans team members will participate in a variety of activities to assist The SalvationArmy, including:
- Hosting in-house fundraisers at Quicken Loans and its Family of Companies' locations;
- Providing volunteers for The Salvation Army's "Toy Shops" before Christmas, for area children in need;
- Supplying executives as "celebrity bell ringers" at various locations;
- Sponsoring donation "tote boards" to announce the amount of funds raised on specific dates.
The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign was kicked off today in Detroit's Campus Martius Park when Quicken Loans Director of CommunityRelations Wendy Kemp rang one of the first official bells of the season.
The ceremonial first bell ring was held in front of the charity's iconic giant red kettle, sponsored by Quicken Loans. It stands 24 feet wide and 56 feet tall.
"We are so grateful for Quicken Loans' tremendous donation,Mr. Emerson's personal outreach to the business community, and all of the company's outstanding volunteer support during our Red Kettle campaign," saidMajor Mark Anderson, general secretary and metro Detroit area commander for The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division. "With the poverty rate up to an astonishing 16.8 percent in Michigan, The SalvationArmy is so grateful for good corporate citizens like Quicken Loans that help raise awareness of our mission to feed and shelter those who are less fortunate."
The82-day fundraiser aims to collect $8.2 million for metro Detroiters in need and celebrate 125 years of The Salvation Army proudly serving the people of Detroit.
TheSalvation Army's red kettles will be stationed at more than 400 locations throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Red Kettle donations will be collected through Jan. 31, 2012 by calling 877-SAL-MICH or giving online atwww.salmich.org.
About the Salvation Army
Founded by William and Catherine Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. This past year, The Salvation Army of MetroDetroit was involved in providing 3,194,802 million meals and 687,203 nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.85 of every dollar raised o provide direct services to people in need each and every day of the year.For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at www.salmich.org.
AboutQuicken Loans Inc:
Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation's largest online retail mortgage lender and among the five largest overall retail home lenders in the United States. The company closed its 1 millionth loan and a record $29billion in retail home loan volume across all 50 states in 2010. Quicken Loans generates loan production from five web centers located in Detroit, Ohio andArizona. The company also operates a centralized loan processing facility inDetroit, as well as a San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit."QuickenLoans.com" has been named "Best of the Web" by Forbes and Money magazines. The company also has been named to FORTUNE magazine's list of the country's "100 Best Companies To Work For" eight consecutive years, ranking as high as #2, and named in the Top-15 of Computerworld magazine's "100 BestPlaces to Work In Technology" for seven years in a row. Quicken Loans ranked #1in the Detroit Free Press' ‘Top Workplaces of 2010' List. The company moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010 and now has more than 3,000 of its nearly 4,500 team members in the city. For more information about QuickenLoans, visit www.quickenloans.com.