ST. CHARLES COUNTY LEADERSHIP TO HELP THE SALVATION ARMY RAISE $725,000 AT THE RED KETTLE
Reaching donation goals for the St. Charles County Tree of Lights’ 75th year is important business.
An important approach will be necessary to reach this year’s St. Charles County Tree of Lights red kettle goal: $725,000. It’s a $50,000 increase from 2021, or about 7.5%.
The Salvation Army’s St. Charles County corps assembles its advisory council annually for a leadership reception, a collection of mayors, aldermen, elected representatives, businesspeople, and other leaders from around the county of several hundred thousand people, to discuss the Tree of Lights goal for the upcoming year and achievements of the previous year.
This year’s leadership reception was on an October weekday evening at the Wentzville City Hall, with attendees including Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione, St. Peters Alderwoman Terry Violet, Salvation Army O’Fallon Lodge Shelter Manager Bridgett McKinney, and St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer.
“The reception gives a report to the community of our programs and services,” said Vicki White, St. Charles County Executive Director of Development, the event's organizer for the ninth year. “It encourages elected officials to get involved with red kettle donations. People are very kind. People want to help. It’s a good cause, it helps their neighbors, the public and it’s fun.”
Tree of Lights is funded by donations from red kettles, online, and mail, in addition to tickets to The Salvation Army St. Charles County Tree of Lights Luncheon, to be held Nov. 9, 2022, at Old Hickory Golf Club in St. Peters. For tickets to the luncheon, call Vicki White at 314-606-7847, or e-mail at vicki.white@usc.salvationarmy.org.
The fundraising pays for many of the year-round costs for The Salvation Army, with proceeds going to the community in which they were made.
Last year, Tree of Lights donations paid for 10,307 meals and 914 grocery orders at The Salvation Army St. Charles corps food pantry and 1,986 grocery orders at the O’Fallon corps food pantry.
St. Charles County firefighters, police officers, university students, Rotarians, and elected leaders have bellringing and red kettle competitions during the Tree of Lights campaign. A traveling kettle trophy goes to the community for most donations raised by that area’s civic leadership.
“The biggest thing of the Tree of Lights campaign is it’s 80% of our budget, with kettles and donations that get mailed in,” said Major Nathan Harms, St. Charles Corps Officer. “Without that, we would not be in St. Charles.”
This year’s bellringers will be an all-volunteer group, a departure from last year.
Capt. Justian Corliss, O’Fallon Corps Officer, said, “[Tree of Lights] gives us an opportunity to be out in the community as a part of it, engaging with volunteers and people that walk by the kettle. We have an opportunity, at that point, to have a face-to-face interaction we normally don’t get.”
