The Salvation Army
Ester Freider and Kritika Jain
Mission Statement:
“The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”
--Taken from the website of The Salvation Army USA
Do Not Fear, for We are Here!
What is the issue/cause that your charity supports?
One of the things The Salvation Army does is aids survivors of natural disasters through its speedy 4-step process. Rooney explains, “ Relief work aims to help people to help themselves-to meet their immediate needs and rebuild their lives and communities, and to shape their futures as they want them to be.” A disaster is a sudden, unfortunate happening, and it affects many individuals in the area hit. Some examples are hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. They can occur anywhere in the world at anytime, though patterns have been observed. Despite the fact that most plans and goals are accomplished in the phases immediate, intermediate, long-term, and preparedness, they occasionally remain unfinished and unsuccessful.
In many scenarios, The Salvation Army rushes to the survivors’ side to assist. For example, “When severe floods hit Jakarta and the nearby areas in Indonesia in January 2013...the Salvation Army sent its crews to help...provided the people...with food and clean water, boats for transportation, medical supplies, and medical help…” as most of the population lacked their basic needs and lost everything. They would continue to perish for months without the organization’s much needed aid. SImilarly, some “rescue missions” collapse on themselves, the outcome being negative; “My experience is that as soon as it drops out of the media, the focus moves on, and there is another emergency in the world, yet when that political and media interest moves on, you always have people who are left behind to struggle by themselves...Years later, people could still be living...in tents and plastic bedding.” Basically, once another headline story comes on, the people stuck in the temporary situation can end up staying for years. What’s the point of disaster relief if survivors are forced to live in the same environment for years? --KJ
¨A Little Consideration A Little Thought For Others Makes All the Difference¨ - Eeyore
2. How did the organization begin and grow into what it is now?
The Salvation Army began with only one goals, but eventually added more purposes for its being. It was originally founded by William Booth in 1865. He was an English evangelist, and he wanted to serve people who didn't attend church or who weren’t welcomed by others. Knowing that people such as these populated the slums in London’s East End, he targeted the area first. According to the “History of the Salvation Army”, when he held a service in a Quaker graveyard, it was an instant success, and he immediately knew his goal would be reached. To help him do so, his wife, Catherine Booth accompanied him, the “Salvation Army founded” says History.com staff. As more people attended their services, they themselves started to preach about the gospel of Jesus, and together that all formed the Salvation Army, as it was put by “History of the Salvation Army”.
In the early years, the Salvation Army focused on bringing people to foster love for Him (God) and providing assistance to the needy. It slowly spread around the world, and soon there was a Salvation Army USA, which had the same goal. An example the “Salvation Army founded” provided was: during the Great Depression, it donated food and shelter for those who were in great need of it. After many similar events, The Salvation Army started to expand its boundaries and now offers “welfare programs, housing for homeless, visitations in hospitals and prisons...services for those with substance abuse...daycare and after school programs for children…” and much more. Overall, since it was started, The Salvation Army has traveled a long way, both in education and goals. It serves all over the globe with various services, including natural disaster relief. --KJ
Now What?
3. What does your chosen charity do for the community?
The Salvation Army has a plethora of services for substance abusers, orphans, the homeless and poor, natural disaster victims, and missing persons. They also visit schools, hospitals, summer camps, daycares, senior citizen centers, prisons, rehabilitation centers, churches and homeless shelters to help and teach about the Army. The Army wants to help the poor, abused, homeless, and/or hungry. It has many services all over the world to do this. In addition, the Salvation Army also supplies resources to people who have gone through natural disasters. For example, in 2013, they provided water, food, transportation, and medical care to victims of the Indonesian flood. As well, they do Christian services.
The international headquarters are located in London, England, but it has headquarters for each of the many countries it services. The US headquarters, for example, are in Alexandria, VA. You can volunteer for the army, but you must receive 2 years of training first. Salvation Army members are known as Salvos or Salvationists, and since the army is organized by military rank, you can be a soldier, lieutenant, brigadier, and so on. Salvos help in rehab programs, family help programs, and disaster relief programs. They also gather and distribute supplies to ones in need. At Christmas time, Salvation Army volunteers ring handbells to remind people to donate to the Red Kettle Holiday Drive to support the organization. --EF
The Red Kettle
Salvation Army to the Rescue!
Proof of an Honorable Service
One of the World’s Largest Providers of Social Help
4. How effective is this charity in accomplishing its goals?
The Salvation Army is one of the “world’s most largest providers of social help”, said GotQuestions.org. Writes Paul S. Kaiser, “Salvation Army assistance is given without regard to age, sex, creed, or condition.” It works in a wide field of problems to help over 5 million people each year. One and a half million are members of the Army. The Army is recognized by their red-shield logo, symbolizing protection and a representation of their “army”. They have establishments in over 150 countries with volunteers who speak at least 175 languages in total.
The charity is funded by a variety of sources, shown in the pie cart from the Salvation Army’s website. They include incomes, the Red Shield holiday drive, donations from individuals, and trading revenue. In 2012, the Salvation Army collected over $14 million for their organization. They spent about 3 million dollars on programs for people in need, including making and buying shelter, food, medical help, and rehab and family programs. It also uses money to enhance the church services. --EF
Works Cited
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Strauss, Cynthia. "When to Give: The Four Phases of Disaster Relief." Fidelity
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