Tuesday, December 08, 2009

The Salvation Army: Much more than thrift shops & Christmas Kettling...

Did you know that the Christmas carol Silver Bells was inspired by the Salvation Army's Christmas Kettling? That's right, it's that familiar sound each Yuletide season when we hear those folks ringing that bell around a kettle and collecting alms for the needy.

But how much do we know about the history of Christmas Kettling or of the Salvation Army for that matter? Well, we found out from our guests today that the Salvation Army started back in 1865 when a London minister, William Booth, decided to reach out to the homeless & destitute in the streets of London. To read more about its compelling history, click here.

The Salvation Army came to Singapore 74 years ago. And they run several homes & projects here. Other than the thrift shops that we're all probably quite familiar with, do we know what else they're doing for the community here?

Well, what better way to find out than to hear from a fellow MediaCorp DJ, who did some legwork recently? Here is the host of Class 95's Love Songs, Yasminne Cheng, to give us a bit of background:



We learnt more too from our guests in The Living Room today: Colonel Keith Burridge, Territorial Commander responsible for Singapore, Malaysia & Myanmar, as well as Gregory Lee, Director for Public Relations with the Salvation Army in Singapore.

Colonel Keith & Gregory tell us more about The Salvation Army.

So if you hear them silver bells ringing at the shopping mall this Christmas, and they lead you to these Christmas Kettling teams... please make a donation! You are making a difference to many less fortunate here & in the region. Find out more here.

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