INDIANAPOLIS — It's the time of year when you might hear a bell ringing outside your grocery store, or, for those who shop at the Brownsburg Walmart, a baritone playing.
Lydia Welch has spent countless hours outside the store since Thanksgiving, playing her horn, getting shoppers' attention for the red kettle next to her. She does this even in the winter cold and snow.
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"For me, it's worth it, especially if I can play my instrument," Welch explained. "To see people come in and greet them, and sometimes they're caught off guard for live music."
Welch is part of the bell-ringing campaign for the Salvation Army. She only resorts to ringing the bell when it is too cold to play the baritone.
"Yesterday these valves froze up, so I couldn't keep playing," Welch continued.
Just like the bells, the music from her instrument catches a lot of attention.
"They seem to enjoy it," Welch said. "I play like 25 to 30 songs, just cycle through them."
Every donation that goes into the kettle supports the Salvation Army.
WRTV visited Captains Rachel and Aaron Johnson at the Salvation Army Eagle Creek to learn about how the bell-ringing campaign has been impacted by this year's early start to winter weather.
"We do look at numbers every day of what's coming in through the kettles, and there's a part of us that is tempted to be worried," explained Captain Rachel Johnson.
The program relies on volunteers. When no volunteers are signed up to ring at a specific storefront, there is no way to take in donations.
In total, the Eagle Creek region has 24 kettle locations, spanning from Danville to Whitestown.
"We have fourteen bell ringers out today, so that's good. But this year," started Captain Aaron Johnson, "One day, I had two. And that's rough."
Bell-ringing volunteers are asked to commit to a two-hour shift at a designated location.
The Johnsons' focus on three things at Eagle Creek:
- Social services
- Spiritual programming
- The community center
The center was filled with toys, being sorted as part of the Angel Tree and Toy Shop programs.
"All three of those pillars depend on fundraising and meeting those goals," said Captain Rachel Johnson. "If we don't meet them, it can make the new year very challenging for us."
The Johnsons went on to explain that every program they operate benefits in some way from donations to the red kettles.
Donations to the program and volunteers for bell ringing are welcome anytime through Christmas. However, there is a big push for both on Friday, December 5.
"Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, we're being offered a challenge day," Rachel Johnson explained. "We will get a $50 bonus for every volunteer shift that is hosted by a volunteer."
In addition to the volunteer bonus, every dollar (up to $50,000) donated on Friday will be matched.
Those dollars could make up for the sluggish start to holiday donations.
"December 5th could be the catalyst into making sure that we meet our goal, and continue to provide the quality programs that we provide all year round," Captain Rachel Johnson shared. "So we are hopeful that we'll meet our goal."
If you'd like to register to volunteer as a bell ringer, you can visit this site.
If you'd like to donate to Salvation Army of Eagle Creek's virtual kettle, you can do that here.
WRTV has teamed up with the Salvation Army for our 25th annual Toy Drive. Learn more about that here.
