Sleeves Rolled Up Award

May 15, 2018 | by Katherine Basaran

The Salvation Army U.S.A. was proud to present Bruce Wakeley with the “Sleeves Rolled Up” Award for the Central Territory during the 2018 Believe Conference in Indianapolis this month. The Sleeves Rolled Up Award is given to the top volunteer in each of The Salvation Army’s four U.S. territories, someone who has significantly contributed to The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) preparedness, response, or recovery efforts. Bruce has been a volunteer with The Salvation Army for over 14 years, and is well deserving of this honor.

Bruce first volunteered at the Eagle Creek Corps Community Center as a bell ringer and his involvement with The Salvation Army’s mission has only grown over the years. He began with disaster services shortly after Hurricane Katrina and has been a dedicated member of EDS ever since. Bruce has helped in the response to disasters across the country, and in Indiana has responded to flooding in New Albany, tornadoes in Kokomo, and most recently a large fire in downtown Lebanon.  When the call goes out for help in a disaster response, Bruce always says yes.  In fact, yes is usually Bruce’s response when it comes to helping out at non-emergency volunteer opportunities.

Bert Williams, Indianapolis Metro EDS Coordinator for The Salvation Army, knows that Bruce is a volunteer that can be counted on. “If I need something done fast and efficiently,” he asserts, “I call Bruce and he gets the task done.”

Bruce has many skills that make him such a valued volunteer for The Salvation Army. He is a retired electrician, and has used his expertise to replace and repair electrical systems on the canteens (mobile kitchens) and in the EDS Training Facility in Indianapolis.  Bruce even takes his repair and engineering talents to Angel Tree, the annual holiday assistance program that connects generous individuals and groups with children (or “Angels”) in need. He assembles, repairs, and readies donated bikes for the big Angel Tree distribution in an area the staff affectionately calls Bruce’s Bike Shop.

This super volunteer can be found at a number of other events  throughout the year. Bruce enjoys volunteering at the bi-annual Senior Luncheons serving meals, at the WIBC Radiothon collecting pledges over the phone, or at the Circle City Toy Run serving coffee and hot chocolate to motorcyclists that bring toys for the Angel Tree program. On top of all of this, Bruce also handles all of the training facility recyclables.  Bruce rolls up his sleeves and gets the job done on so many projects that help to
support The Salvation Army.

We are all so grateful for the time and effort that Bruce has put in to ensure that The Salvation Army can continue to do the most good. Please join us in congratulating him on this well earned recognition!


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