Local Schools Go to War for The Salvation Army
Fundraisers with metro Detroit schools will fight hunger, homelessness
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., – In the last 22 years, legendary radio personality Dick Purtan of 104.3 WOMC-FM has raised nearly $22 million for The Salvation Army’s Bed and Bread Program. But he wants to do more, and he’s asking for a little help from students in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
“Coin Wars” and “Give a Buck for a Truck” are two new fundraising programs designed to run in conjunction with the 23rd Annual Dick Purtan Radiothon, a joint effort by Dick Purtan and Purtan’s People, 104.3 WOMC and The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit. The 23rd Annual Dick Purtan Radiothon will broadcast live from the Oakland Mall in Troy from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26.
“These fundraising programs are a great way to teach metro Detroit children the importance of giving back, while helping others in the process,” said Major John Turner, general secretary for The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division. “Parents and teachers can utilize these new programs to show children the importance of giving, a life lesson that will continue to grow with each generation.”
With “Coin Wars,” participating schools will collect spare change from students, staff and teachers, gathering them into pickle jars, coffee cans, piggy banks – anything goes. The donations will be officially collected in a “Victory Round-Up” on the day of the Radiothon.
“Give a Buck for a Truck,” allows schools to sell $1 “Truck Bucks” in school stores, study halls and at school events. Donors sign their name to a special truck donation card, which will be displayed on school walls. All “Trucks” and dollars will be presented during the Radiothon.
Monies raised from “Coin Wars” and “Give a Buck for a Truck” will be donated directly to The Salvation Army’s Junior Bed & Bread Club. For more information on these fundraisers, please contact Dale Johnson at (248) 990-5607.
The Junior Bed and Bread Club is the youth-generated fundraising arm of The Salvation Army’s successful Bed and Bread program which brings food, shelter and services to destitute people within our community, providing them with their basic needs and assisting them to get back on their feet. Through The Salvation Army facilities and off the Bed & Bread trucks, almost 5,000 meals are served each day to children, adults and seniors. Three hundred and sixty-five days of the year Bed & Bread trucks make stops in metro Detroit’s most depressed areas. In addition, the Bed and Bread program, on average, shelters 570 men, women and children each night.
Donations can be made now through the Feb. 26 Radiothon by calling 248-307-1043 or clicking on www.womc.com.
Founded by William Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. In 2008, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit was involved in providing more than 3 million meals and 776,973 nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.83 of every dollar raised to 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.