The Salvation Army released its newest report today titled, “Perceptions of Poverty: The Salvation Army’s Report to America,” a summary of our latest findings examining Americans’ attitudes toward those struggling to get by.

Surveying just over 1,000 individuals, the results revealed that while the public is sympathetic to the poverty crisis, it at times misunderstands the reasons why so many live in poverty.

These study’s findings are boggling:

The report found that 38% of Americans reported they have received assistance of some sort from charity. And while an overwhelming majority of Americans believe people living in poverty deserve a helping hand, another 27% believes that laziness is a root cause of poverty and 59% believe that “poverty is a trap some Americans can’t escape no matter how hard they try.”

In addition to these misconceptions about poverty, many Americans are unsure of what they can do to help others and demonstrate a lack of confidence that their help or any other type of aid will actually make a difference in someone’s life.

Regardless of the report’s grim findings, the majority of Americans reported donating to a charity in 2011 with the prevalence of giving increasing with income.

To read the full report, “Perceptions of Poverty: The Salvation Army’s Report to America,” please visit our website by clicking here.

Community Concert and Worship Dedication Ceremony 

CHICAGO – The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center on the South Side of Chicago at 1250 W. 119^th Street will officially open with a full weekend of public festivities on Saturday, June 16, and Sunday, June 17. 

The weekend will kick-off with a Grand Opening Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting on Saturday, June 16, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  Joined by elected officials, hundreds of community residents, celebrity athletes, donors and supporters, The Salvation Army will cut the red ribbon on the state-of-the-art facility, which includes the largest array of sports, arts, educational and supportive programs for the public anywhere in the city in a single community center campus.  The audience will enjoy performances by The Kroc Corps Singing Company children’s choir, as well as the Kroc Corps Praise Dance Team and students from area schools will accompany the Salvation Army Mayfair Corps Brass Band.

An Open House will follow the ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.  This will be the first opportunity for the public to tour the building.  Demonstrations will be taking place in every area of the Kroc Center, showcasing the sports, aquatics, music education, adult education and other programs that the Kroc Center will offer.

Saturday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., The Salvation Army will host a free public concert featuring local church choirs and Kroc Center choirs.  On Sunday, June 17, The Salvation Army Kroc Corps will hold a special Worship and Dedication Service from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Chicago Kroc Center has the potential to make a tremendous impact on the far South Side, with a particular focus on stemming violence, creating jobs and providing safe and enriching opportunities for all ages.  More than 250,000 people live within a three-mile radius of the site.  More than a third is under age 18.  About 2,500 people are expected to use the Kroc Center daily. 

“The Kroc Center promises to dramatically improve the lives of children and teens who need a safe haven,” said Lt. Col. Ralph Bukiewicz, Metropolitan Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army.  “It will provide abundant opportunities to build their skills in a variety of activities previously unavailable to them, like swimming, diving, golf, soccer, dramatic arts and music.  The Kroc Center is within three miles of 20 schools. The entire family will find programs and activities at the Kroc Center to inspire and engage them — mind, body and soul. ”

Kroc Center Will Combat Violence and Create Jobs

“We have developed a terrific partnership with the local Police Department, and The Salvation Army’s increased presence and public events in the parks, like health fairs and flag football have demonstrated that the Kroc Center’s outdoor campus and many outdoor playing fields can be a safe, violence-free zone where children from all of the surrounding neighborhoods can come together in peace, to learn, play and  grow,” said Major David Harvey, Salvation Army Kroc Center Administrator. 

“Because of crime, I can only play in the front of my house and in my backyard,” said Caitlyn Bell, 9, a 4^th grader at Jesse Owens Community Academy in Roseland.  “I’ve been singing with The Salvation Army Singing Company for the last three years, and I love singing.  I am excited about the Kroc Center because it will give me a safe place to go and play.  When the Kroc Center opens, I not only want to play in the water park, I want to have leading roles in the musicals and play.” 

The Kroc Center created about 220 construction jobs during its two-year construction phase.  Once open, it will create more than 200 permanent, full- and part-time jobs. The Kroc Center will provide job readiness and training programs.  It is also expected to improve the economic stability of the surrounding neighborhood.  Like Kroc Centers in other cities, the Chicago Kroc Center is expected to attract new business, create hundreds of jobs, increase economic stability and lower crime rates.

A Destination for the Entire Family

The 160,000-square-foot Kroc Center sits on a 33 acre campus and will offer a wide array of activities and services for people of all ages, making it a unique destination for the entire family.  Proposed programs and ministries include opportunities for worship, educational classes, sports, arts, fitness and support programs.  Recreational features include an indoor sports complex, an outdoor stadium, basketball and tennis courts, an aquatic center, a state-of-the art fitness center, basketball courts and more. Outdoor recreational facilities include a sports stadium, a golf training center, baseball diamonds, batting cages, tennis courts and running track.

The Family Life and Education Center will offer an array of classes and educational workshops for people of all ages, including job training, GED preparation, tutoring, computer literacy, financial planning, parenting classes and health screenings. 

The Kroc Center’s Academy of the Arts includes a 600-seat performing arts center;; a media center with recording video production studios; as well as studios for instrument, vocal, dance and art instruction. 

A Wide Variety of Programs Already Underway

The Salvation Army has already made a difference in area schools.  For the past five years, The Salvation Army Kroc Project Team of instructors and program officers has run a wide range of arts, educational, sports, after-school programs and summer camps for students from four schools near the Kroc Center: Higgins Community Academy, Johnnie Coleman Academy, Kipling Elementary School and Songhai Elementary Learning Institute.  

Bulls and White Sox Partner with The Salvation Army

Chicago White Sox Charities – the team’s philanthropic arm – has generously donated $1 million to the Kroc Center.  Kroc Center recreational facilities will include baseball and softball diamonds, where White Sox inner-city youth teams will play and train. The Chicago Bulls Charitabulls also donated $1 million.   The main basketball court features the unmistakable Chicago Bulls logo center-court.

These grants are in addition to two anonymous lead gifts of $10 million and $2 million.  The Bank of America has awarded $500,000 to the Kroc Center.  The Searle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust also awarded two grants totaling $500,000.  The Kroc Center has received 26 donations at $100,000 or above. 

The Salvation Army announced that commitments of $37 million have been made so far in the ongoing fundraising efforts to build and endow the Kroc Center, with fundraising continuing during the ongoing campaign. This amount is in addition to the $109.8 million from the Joan Kroc estate, awarded to the Chicago project by The Salvation Army Central Territorial Headquarters for the 11 Midwestern States. The Salvation Army capital campaign will establish an endowment large enough to ensure operational start-up costs, funding for programming, program scholarships and materials, such as sports equipment and musical instruments. The Kroc Center will represent a total investment of $159.8 million, the largest single investment by a social service organization in Chicago’s history. 

For more information about The Kroc Center, visit www.kroccenterchicago.org.

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BACKGROUND:  In 1998, Mrs. Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, donated $90 million to The Salvation Army to build a comprehensive community center in San Diego, California. Her goal was to create a center, supported in part by the community, where children and families would be exposed to different people, activities and arts that would otherwise be beyond their reach. Completed in 2001, the Kroc Center in San Diegl sits on 12 acres and offers an ice arena, gymnasium, three pools, rock climbing walls, a performing arts theatre, an internet-based library, computer lab, and a school of visual and performing arts. Upon her death in 2003, Joan Kroc passed on to The Salvation Army $1.8 billion, the largest gift ever made to a private charity for the specific purpose of constructing state-of-the-art facilities in underserved areas around the country, facilities that would offer a completely new approach to the concept of community centers. To date, 19 centers are open and operating. An additional 8 centers are currently scheduled to open in 2012 for a total of 27 centers.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is the largest social service organization in the world and the single largest direct provider of social services in Chicago and the state of Illinois.  The Army operates 200 points of entry in neighborhoods across the greater Chicago area, providing disaster relief, shelter, meals, rehabilitation programs, child care and head start, senior services and more.  On any given night, about 900 people are sleeping under a Salvation Army roof.   In 2010, The Army celebrated 125 years of service in Chicago.  The Salvation Army is there every day, 24-hours-a-day in Chicago and throughout the country providing disaster relief to people in crisis.

The school lunch program is the one meal many youth can count on, but with Summer arriving, local food pantries are doing their best to close the gap.

“The Salvation Army is pleased to partner with the National Association of Letter Carriers again this year to help Stamp Out Hunger,” said Pamela Church-Pryor, community ministries director of The Salvation Army in Norridge. “Food insecurity continues to affect people in Cook County from city to suburbs. Decreasing dollars at all levels, plus increasing food and gas prices, keep food pantries such as The Salvation Army’s busy and ever in need of food donation. Our food pantry shelves tend to be less stocked at this time of year, long after the generosity of the holidays has passed. The Stamp Out Hunger project is particularly timely and greatly appreciated as we seek to address food insecurity.”

To learn how you can be a part of “Stamp Out Hunger” visit: www.helpstampouthunger.com

To learn more about The Salvation Army visit www.salarmychicago.org

WHAT:   Dozens of local artists will display original artwork at an exhibit to benefit the victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation on Saturday, May 19, at Flourish Studios in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.  The Salvation Army has partnered with Buy Art Not People (BANP) for this unique exhibit. Professional artwork displayed for purchase depicts the themes of home, sanctuary, recovery and transformation.  Art created by women and girls undergoing treatment in The Salvation Army PROMISE (Partnership to Rescue Minors from Sexual Exploitation) program will also be on display.

The event will feature speakers from The Salvation Army and BANP.  The evening will also include live entertainment from the Pearl String Quartet and other local artists and complimentary hors d’oeuvres, dessert and refreshments.  All proceeds will benefit The Salvation Army PROMISE  program.  Last year, BANP sold more than 100 paintings and raised $2,600 for The Salvation Army.

WHEN:            Saturday, May 19, 2012

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

WHERE:          Flourish Studios

3020 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657

TICKETS:        Tickets are $25 per person and are free for ages 18 and under.  Tickets can be purchased online or at the door while available. For more information, visit www.buyartnotpeople.org or contact Elizabeth Andrews at Elizabeth@buyartnotpeople.org.

About Buy Art Not People

Buy Art Not People equips artists with tools to raise awareness locally and nationally about modern day slavery. BANP funnels resources to anti-trafficking organizations in our community and abroad and works to bring freedom and health to survivors through creativity and collaboration.

About The Salvation Army PROMISE Program (Anne’s House)

In September 2010, The Salvation Army opened Anne’s House, a residential home for women and girls who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking.  Anne’s House provides a safe, nurturing environment; long-term trauma treatment; life skills training; and education for young women ages 12-21 who are victims of sexual abuse and violence.  Anne’s House is one of only a few homes in theU.S.providing residential care and long-term therapeutic treatment for victims of human trafficking.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 89 cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salarmychicago.org.

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 Come and Get a Sneak Peek at All the Kroc Center Has to Offer

WHAT:   The Salvation Army will hold a special preview tour for the media on Wednesday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to noon, of the brand new Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, a community center of unprecedented size and scope that represents the largest single investment by a social service organization in Chicago’s history.  The much anticipated Kroc Center is scheduled to open to the public on Saturday, June 16, with a whole weekend of Grand Opening events and festivities continuing through Sunday, June 17. 

The media preview tour will provide an opportunity to be among the first to see the newly completed 160,000-square-foot facility and talk with Kroc Center program directors, the architect and key community partners and supporters who helped make the project possible.   

The 33-acre campus includes indoor and outdoor sports stadiums and playing fields, an aquatics center, a golf training academy, a performing arts center, a fitness center and much more.  The Kroc Center will offer the largest array of educational, sports, arts and supportive programs anywhere in the city under one roof.  The Kroc Center promises to be a major catalyst of growth for the community, creating jobs and providing a safe haven for youth sorely in need of the recreational, creative and educational alternatives to gangs and violence.  More than 2,500 people are expected to use the Kroc Center daily. 

 WHEN:           Wednesday, May 9, 2012

10 a.m. to noon

WHERE:         1250 West 119^th Street

From downtown: take Dan Ryan to I-57 South.  Exit at 119^th Street; head east approx. ½ mile.

WHO:             

Lt. Col. Ralph Bukiewicz, Metropolitan Divisional Commander, The Salvation Army

Majors David and Darlene Harvey, Kroc Center Administrators

Judy Keller and Paul Rigby, Co-Chairs, Give Hope Campaign

Joseph Antunovich, President, Antunovich Associates

Dr. Mable Alfred, Principal, Higgins Community Academy     

BACKGROUND:  Upon her death in 2003, Joan Kroc passed on to The Salvation Army the largest gift ever made to a private charity for the specific purpose of constructing state-of-the-art facilities in underserved areas around the country, facilities that would offer a completely new approach to the concept of community centers. For additional details, renderings and program descriptions, visit www.chicagokroccenter.org. 

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Salvation Army:

• The Salvation Army started National Donut Day during the Great Depression as a way to raise funds and bring awareness to The Salvation Army’s social service programs.
•  National Donut Day commemorates the “donut lassies,” female Salvation Army volunteers who provided writing supplies, stamps, clothes-mending and home-cooked meals, and of course, donuts, for soldiers on the front lines.
•  Approximately 250 Salvation Army volunteers provided assistance to American soldiers inFrancestarting in 1917 during WWI.
•  With limited resources, these treats were fried, only seven at a time. The Salvation Army’s Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance cleverly thought of frying donuts in soldiers’ helmets.
•  Last year, 30 million Americans received assistance from The Salvation Army’s 3,600 officers, 60,000 employees and 3.4 million volunteers.

Entenmann’s Bakery:

• Entenmann’s has made more than 4 billion donuts – if you laid them end-to-end, you could wrap them around the earth almost 9 times!
•  The Rich Frosted Donut has been the #1 seller since its introduction in 1972. (2012 marks the 40-Year Anniversary – that’s a sweet celebration.)
• Entenmann’s Donut Facility inCarlisle,Pennsylvaniais the largest Donut Plant in theUnited States, producing more than 40 million boxes of yummy delight each year.
•  Believing that people were more inclined to buy what they can see, the Entenmann’s brothers, William, Robert and Charles, and mother, Martha, invented the familiar “see-through” cake box for baked goods in 1959.
•  At one time, more than 168 million pounds of chocolate have been used for Entenmann’s Rich Frosted Donuts, enough to fill all of theGreat Lakes.
• In the early ’50s, Frank Sinatra used to call theBay Shorebakery to place weekly orders from Entenmann’s.

For more information on the 75^th National Donut Day, please visit www.salarmychicago.org/donutday and http://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyChicago.

A sweet celebration, 75 years in the making! Entenmann’s Bakery, the maker of more than 100 sweet baked goods, and The Salvation Army have partnered for the second year in a row to celebrate the 75^th Annual National Donut Day on June 1^st, 2012 with a sweet program. The holiday, held annually on the first Friday of June, was established by The Salvation Army in 1938 to honor The Salvation Army’s “Donut Lassies” who served these treats to soldiers during World War I. This significant occasion established the donut as a long-standing symbol of the services The Salvation Army continues to provide.

In its continued support of The Salvation Army, from April 22 to June 23 Entenmann’s Bakery will donate to the organization $1 for every person who “likes” the Entenmann’s Facebook page, up to $25,000.

Starting on April 22, in celebration of this historical day, Entenmann’s will be rewarding lucky winners with ‘Free Donuts for a Year’ and additional prizes through a sweepstakes link on the Entenmann’s Facebook page. All entries must be received by 11:59: p.m. ET on June 23, 2012. Winners will be randomly selected from all submissions. Official Rules can be found at www.entenmanns.com.

The Salvation Army celebrated the first National Donut Day in Chicago in 1938 to help raise needed funds during the Great Depression and commemorate the work of the “donut lassies” who fed the tasty confection to American soldiers and made the donut what it is today. The donuts became synonymous with The Salvation Army, as well as the American soldiers who were returning home with the nickname, “doughboys.” Today, The Salvation Army continues to provide meals, including donuts, and numerous other services to clients who visit Salvation Army programs daily.

For more information on the 75^th National Donut Day, please visit www.salarmychicago.org/donutday.

The Spring Fling celebration, coordinated by the Army’s Major Debby Dalberg, Older Adults Ministries Director, brought together senior men and women from various Salvation Army programs, as well as a number of churches, community centers, senior housing sites, and other organizations serving senior citizens.

Major Steve Harper, Pastor Care Director for The Salvation Army, offered devotional words to those in attendance. In addition, the seniors were entertained by the Don and Susan Reitsma Musical Variety Show. Each senior left with gifts provided by Hallmark and Farmer Brothers.

To see more photos click here.

“The Salvation Army is deeply appreciative of the support and donations that New Balance North Shore provides us with every year,” said Envoy Dennis Earnhart, Waukegan Adult Rehabilitation Center Administrator.  “When you donate your old sneakers to New Balance North Shore, The Salvation Army either gives them away to people in need, sells them in one of our many family thrift stores or recycles them.  Without the North Shore community’s donations, many of our friends and neighbors would be unable to obtain shoes for themselves and their families.”

All proceeds from family thrift store sales benefit The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers.  These centers assist people with long-term recovery from substance abuse and successful re-entry into the community. Each center offers residential housing, work and group and individual therapy, all in a clean, wholesome environment. The physical and spiritual care that program participants receive prepares them to rebuild their lives and return to gainful employment. Many of those who have been rehabilitated are reunited with their families and resume a normal life.

“The Salvation Army plays such a vital role in our community,” said Allen Adelman, owner of New Balance North Shore.  “Our annual Trade-In Sale is a great way for New Balance and the North Shore community to help our friends and neighbors in need.”

The Trade-In Sale has been an annual event since 2001. During the last three years, New Balance North Shore has received and donated more than 3,000 pairs of shoes to The Salvation Army. For more information, call 847-266-8323 or visit New Balance North Shore downtown Highland Park at 610 Central Avenue in Port Clinton Square.

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About The Salvation Army:

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 89 cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salarmychicago.org.

About New Balance:

New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA, has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is currently the only athletic shoe company that manufactures footwear in the U.S.with 25% of our North American footwear shipments produced at five New Englandfacilities. The company also operates a manufacturing facility in Flimby, U.K.New Balance employs more than 4,000 associates around the globe, and in 2010 reported worldwide sales of $1.78 billion. For more information, please visit http://www.newbalance.com.

About New Balance North Shore:

New Balance North Shore opened in 1995 in downtown Highland Park as one of the first concept stores in the country devoted entirely to the New Balance brand. Since then, New Balance North Shore has earned prominence as one of the largest New Balance stores in the country, offering an unmatched selection of New Balance footwear styles, athletic apparel and accessories. New Balance North Shore specializes in providing expert fitting services and carrying a massive inventory of hard-to-find sizes and widths from 4A to 6E.