Carol Christian, Mike Glenn, Chron.com
Anonymous donors have been dropping gold coins into the Salvation Army’s famous red kettles for as long as local officials can remember.
The discovery of the season’s first gold coin Tuesday was a bigger morale booster than usual with the group enduring a slow start to the kettle campaign in the Houston area this year.
“Even though it is a significant monetary donation, it’s so much more significant in the motivation it gives our kettle workers,” said Juan Alanis, Salvation Army spokesman for the Houston area. “It lets them know that what they’re doing is for a purpose and people actually believe in what they’re doing out there every day.”
The donations from the Salvation Army’s red kettle campaign provide holiday meals for the homeless and needy, in addition programs including shelter and clothing for the needy; rehabilitation counseling and support; and services for youth and older adults.
“The funds we collect locally are only for the greater Houston region,” Alanis said.
For more than 25 years, Salvation Army kettles across the country have received hundreds of gold coins from anonymous donors. In some cases, the gold has been in the form of rare coins whose values go beyond the weight of the precious metal. […]
The Salvation Army typically receives two gold coins in its Houston-area kettles each season. In 2011, bellringers found three and something extra – a diamond engagement ring. It was wrapped in a note in which the writer hoped the Salvation Army would get better use out of the ring than the anonymous donor did. “Maybe they had a negative experience, but they turned it into something positive,” Alanis said.
(Read the full story at Chron.com)
OTHER LOCAL AREA HEADLINES:
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STATE, NATION & WORLD:
- Texans’ Enthusiasm About Smart Meters Wanes (Texas Tribune)
- Perry announces workforce training initiative (AP)
- Robin Hood school funds system fares poorly in poll (Chron.com)
- Texas College’s Bankruptcy Lawyers Target Endowment Money (Wall Street Journal)
- Hutchison Files Immigration Bill That Focuses on Minors (Texas Tribune)
- Thanksgiving Week Shows Healthy Giving Signs (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
- Tobacco Companies Are Told to Correct Lies About Smoking (New York Times)
- Turtle protection device plans shelved by NOAA (AP/Houston Chronicle)