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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — More sights and sounds of the holidays are starting to pop up around Central Illinois, including a familiar one when you go to the store.
The Salvation Army kicked off its Red Kettle Campaign on Friday. In Champaign County, the mission is to raise $200,000 before Christmas Eve. That number is up $50,000 from last year, as they have decided to raise the bar.
The campaign is a tradition more than 130 years old. Now, it’s one of the most recognizable charity efforts in the country.
“The ringing of the bell is the ringing in your ear that connects to your heart, that tells you the time is now to help others,” said volunteer Paula Taylor.
She is helping the Champaign County Salvation Army reach its biggest goal yet. Salvation Army Captain Kenyon Sivel said accomplishing that goal means at least one thing.
“That means more people receive more help,” Sivel said.
“I believe in it,” Taylor said. “I know that the money goes straight to the needs of people.”
She has been ringing bells for more than 10 years. On top of that, Taylor has a personal connection to the nonprofit organization.
“My parents lived through the terrible tornado that went through Plainfield, Illinois, and Salvation Army was one of the first relief programs that was there,” Taylor said.
Sivel said the money raised goes right back into the community. The donations pay for things like veteran and homeless outreach services, emergency disaster responses, holiday gifts for kids and seniors and much more.
“The onus is on us to raise as much as we can to help do those services, to sustain and fuel their services,” Sivel said. “Or even to expand those services if we go over our goal.”
Taylor also said as she prepares for her bell ringing shifts, she makes sure to bless the red kettle out of her own pockets first.
“I always put some [money] in the kettle to begin with,” she said. “I say I always like to sweeten the pot because I want to make sure there’s money in the bottom of that when we leave at the end of the day.”
Captain Sivel said if they reach this goal, it could help more than 75,000 people in the county. However, The Salvation Army still needs over 2,000 volunteers to bell ring for the two-hour shifts.