27 September 2016

MEDIA RELEASE

September 27, 2016

Bell ringing shift sign-ups for the Red Kettle Campaign open soon

LA CROSSE – It’s that time of the year! The Salvation Army of La Crosse will once again be looking for volunteers to fill more than 4,000 bell ringing shifts this holiday season.

Sign-up times open to the public on Monday, October 3.  Shifts are held at various locations throughout the La Crosse area and on most occasions, fall between 10a.m. and 8p.m.  Volunteers will be required to sign-up for a minimum of two hour shifts.

Each year, The Salvation Army of La Crosse announces a fundraising goal for the Red Kettle Campaign which is a large contributor to local programs and services.  Last year, the campaign raised a total of $902,873. This year, bell ringers are being asked to help raise $1,000,000. 

To help reach that goal, and encourage sign-ups, The Salvation Army has added a few ‘Theme Days’ throughout the bell ringing season.  The current list (as of September 27) is as follows:

November 15: Break the Bank Day

November 16: Veteran’s

November 17: Church Day

November 18: Western Technical College Day *students need to sign-up through their universities

November 19: Viterbo Day *students need to sign-up through their universities

November 21: Band Day

November 22: Civic Organization Day

November 23: Sports Day

November 25: Black Friday *sign-up times may vary depending on location availability

November 26: Family Day *shifts can be lessened to 1 hour for families with children

December 10: UW-L Day *students need to sign-up through their universities

December 16: Choir Day

Starting Monday, October 3, prospective bell ringers can sign up by going to MyVolunteerPage.com and typing ‘La Crosse’ in the search bar, or by emailing The Salvation Army of La Crosse’s Volunteer Coordinator, Heather Dutcher at heather_dutcher@usc.salvationarmy.org

Also, as part of the Remarkable Ringers Program, volunteers that complete 5, 10, or 20 shifts will be recognized as “Silver”, “Golden”,  and “Platinum” Bell Ringers respectively.

Bell ringing officially kicks off on Tuesday, November 15 and runs through Saturday, December 24.