Major Amick of The Salvation Army prays for our nation's veterans at the downtown Indy Veteran's Day parade

Flags were proudly displayed throughout the country today at half-staff, honoring America’s 23.2 million veterans (US Census Bureau 2008). The Salvation Army joined the Veteran’s Day celebrations at a remembrance ceremony in downtown Indy followed by a parade and by preparing Christmas Care Packages for military personnel serving overseas.

Major Amick, flanked by service personnel and city officials, led the crowd in prayer under sunny skies and a flyover by four F-16s from the 122nd Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard in Fort Wayne. Thousands attended the ceremony and went on to march in the parade in support of those who have served and have given the ultimate sacrifice.

Operation Compassion volunteers load gift bags for an overseas delivery

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, volunteers for Operation Compassion were busily packing camouflage bags with toiletries and other items meant to express love from the homefront for Christmas. 1,033 packages were readied to be shipped to service men and women in just 2 hours’ time. “It’s kind of fun to do it on Veteran’s Day – especially since some of our volunteers are vets”, said Delana Bradbury, Operation Compassion Coordinator.

Operation Compassion, a program of the The Salvation Army, has sent 80,083 packages since it began in 2002. It is the only program that exists within the framework of The Salvation Army that sends care packages to our troops overseas. The next preparations will begin sometime in January, with the goal of a Valentine shipment. If you are interested in donating or helping with the packing efforts, go to www.SAOpCom.org for details.

Alexis Shelton relaxes with a book at The Salvation Army's new Library / Media Center.

On Thursday, November 5, The Salvation Army opened a new Library/Media Center at its Eagle Creek location on the Westside of Indianapolis.  The new facility was made possible by a $25,000 grant from Target stores.  The grand opening began with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony which featured local author – Lorene Burkhart,  Douglas Hairston – Director of the Mayor’s Front Porch Alliance, and Major Richard Amick – Divisional Commander for the Indiana Division.

The $25,000 grant was part of a $1 million donation to The Salvation Army to revitalize the organization’s libraries, media centers and educational facilities across the country.  The Salvation Army used the money to refurbish a room in their community center.  The remodel included new lighting fixtures, flooring, bookshelves, plenty of books, and workspaces. Some more advanced pieces of technology, including computers and a smart board, will also be available to give kids a place to study and learn during regularly scheduled after-school activities.   Also available will be Rosetta Stone software which will help with The Salvation Army’s ESL (English as a Second Language) classes.  “This is a wonderful thing that Target has done.  Our business partners around the community are stepping up and helping our youth and our seniors and it’s great to see,” said Douglas Hairston.

The new facility is just part of Target’s support or local communities.  “At Target, our local grants are making a difference in the communities we serve,” said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. “We’re proud to partner with The Salvation Army as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work.”

In addition to the grant, Target also provided a crew of volunteers to help with the labor and get the room ready for its unveiling. Adrianne Billafana, executive team leader for Human Resources at a nearby Target store, helped organize the employee-volunteers to complete the work. Although Target does many volunteer projects in the community year-round, this one has more interest for many of the volunteers.  “This is really cool,” said Billafana. “This is the first project where the money for the work comes from us, and we get to come in and do the work. It’s full circle.”

“In a year when so many need help, the new online Angel Giving Tree program will extend our reach and make it easier for our customers and Associates to give back this holiday season,” said Mike Boylson, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for JCPenney. “By leveraging the strength of jcp.com, we are helping to modernize an American tradition – the Angel Tree program – and creating an innovative way to help families in need in our communities across the nation. Launching this program with The Salvation Army allows us to elevate our support for a cause that is extremely important to our customers and Associates, underscoring our focus on the ‘Joy of Giving’ this holiday season.”

The new online Angel Giving Tree program builds on the legacy of The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program that has been in operation for more than 40 years.

“We are excited about this new online Angel Giving Tree program with JCPenney that will allow The Salvation Army to build upon a great Christmas tradition by reaching a new online audience,” said Major George Hood, national community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army. “With the winter months around the corner, we appreciate this opportunity to inspire the American public to make a better Christmas for the millions of children and seniors living in poverty. One small gift can bring joy to a Salvation Army Angel this Christmas.”

Created in collaboration with JCPenney partners Razorfish, Akamai Technologies, Sapient and Tata, the online Angel Giving Tree program allows customers to adopt an Angel at jcp.com/angel and conveniently shop for them online at jcp.com, in JCPenney stores or at any location they choose. In a few easy steps, customers can visit the site to request an Angel by location, age range and gender. An Angel who matches the criteria will be e-mailed to the customer along with a list of needed items. The confirmation e-mail will also include a link to view drop-off locations in the customer’s area and ship-to addresses for online orders.

In collaboration with FedEx Ground, Angel Giving Tree gifts purchased through jcp.com can be shipped free of charge to any one of the 1,200 Salvation Army collection centers nationwide – putting the entire selection, shopping and delivery process at the customer’s fingertips.

Supporting the online Angel Giving Tree program will be a multimedia marketing campaign including in-store, print, online and e-mail advertising as well as social media initiatives through Facebook Connect. JCPenney Facebook fans will be able to access the Angel Giving Tree website directly as well as post and share their Angel adoption with their friends.

The online Angel Giving Tree program builds on JCPenney’s legacy of operating in an ethical and socially responsible manner. In 2007, the Company launched its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative – C.A.R.E.S.  – stemming from the vision that JCPenney cares for its Community, Associates, Responsible Sourcing, Environment and Sustainable Products.  The Company’s commitment to social responsibility reflects its philosophy that “Every Day Matters” – for its customers, Associates, communities, investors and suppliers.  Additional information on JCPenney’s CSR initiatives can be found at http://www.jcpenney.net/about/social_resp/default.aspx

Dallas, TX

Daughtry is a rock band from North Carolina, formed and fronted by former American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry in 2006. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2006, reaching number one for two non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200, sold more than four million copies and was named the number one selling album of 2007 by Billboard.

The bands’s sophomore record, Leave This Town, was released on July 14, 2009 debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 selling 269,000 copies in its first week. About, Leave This Town, Chris Daughtry says., “A lot of the lyrics are about how leaps of faith can set us free or tie us down, and realizing that we often find heartache when we run from something and redemption when we run toward something,” With this release, Chris Daughtry made American Idol history by becoming the first ‘Idol’ to have two consecutive #1 albums.

The Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army have celebrated the national kickoff of the Red Kettle campaign for the last 12 years, raising more than $1 billion for people in need during that time. The game and halftime show has become and annual Thanksgiving tradition for millions of football fans across the country.  This year, the Cowboys will face the Oakland Raiders on November 26 starting at 3:15 pm CST.

Previous Red Kettle Kickoff halftime performers include: Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Destiny’s Child, Toby Keith, LeAnn Rimes, Creed, Jessica Simpson, Billy Gillman, Clint Black, Randy Travis and Reba McEntire.

This will be the first Salvation Army halftime show held at the new Cowboy Stadium.