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Forest Grove Mayor, Police Chief and Fire Chief Compete in Salvation Army "Celebrity Ring-off"
For an hour on the evening of December 5, Forest Grove’s Mayor Truax, Police Chief Schutz and Fire Chief Kinkade will don red aprons and ring bells in downtown Forest Grove to raise money for The Salvation Army in Hillsboro and compete to earn the title of “Best Forest Grove Bell-Ringer” for 2012. Held from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm during First Wednesday, this friendly competition will give the Forest Grove community a chance to join in the holiday spirit, as well as the friendly spirit of competition, by dropping donations into their choice of kettles.
Each public official has vowed to pull out all the stops to lure donors to THEIR kettle and earn the most donations. Each public official will be stationed at a different spot in downtown Forest Grove:
- Mayor Truax will ring at his kettle in front of Valley Art, 2022 Main Street;
- Chief Schutz will ring at her kettle in front of Summa Realty, 2012 Main Street; and
- Chief Kinkade will ring at his kettle in front of A Framer’s Touch, 1920 21st Ave.
Each bell-ringer is determined to earn the most for their kettle and bring back the “Best Bell-Ringer” plaque to display on their office wall until next December’s “ring-off.”
Identical events will be held that same week in Beaverton and Hillsboro with those cities’ mayors, police chiefs and fire chiefs. In Beaverton, Mayor Denny Doyle, Police Chief Geoff Spalding and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue Chief Michael Duyck will bell-ring on Thursday, December 6, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3205 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Rumor has it that “Benny the Beaver,” Beaverton’s mascot, may put in a special appearance, along with a vintage fire truck from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. In Hillsboro, Mayor Jerry Willey, Police Chief Carey Sullivan and Fire Chief Greg Nelson will bell-ring on Friday, December 7, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Hillsboro Civic Center Plaza, at First Avenue and Main Street. In last year’s first-ever celebrity ring-off in Washington County, Fire Chief Nelson handily beat his colleagues by raising more than $1200 of the $2200 total, prompting Mayor Willey and Chief Sullivan to plot their revenge this year.
Over the red kettle season, from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, The Salvation Army Tualatin Valley Citadel in Hillsboro hopes to raise $260,000 (roughly 20 percent of its annual budget) to help fund its services for people in need in Washington County over the coming year. In 2011, The Salvation Army in Hillsboro distributed 2,869 food boxes to hungry people, served 3,130 hot meals, and brought holiday cheer to 1,408 families with festive holiday foods and toys for the little ones.
The celebrity ring-off is not the only way Washington County residents can help The Salvation Army in our community. Donations can be made online at www.salvationarmyportland.org; by calling 503.238.GIVE (4483); or by mail: The Salvation Army, 351 SE Oak, Hillsboro, OR, 97123. Specify Tualatin Valley Citadel to make sure your donation helps people in need in Washington County.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 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. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. The Salvation Army works in 124 countries worldwide. For more information, or to make a donation, visit us online at www.salvationarmyportland.org. People wishing to make monetary donations can do so by calling 503.238.GIVE (4483), or by mail: The Salvation Army, 8495 SE Monterey Avenue, Happy Valley, OR 97086-7844. Gifts may be designated to a particular program, need or location (for example, the Tualatin Valley Citadel to help Washington County families).Friend us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyPortland.