A Salvation Army Christmas snapshot

This was my first Salvation Army Christmas. An opportunity to visit and soak up the Army at work as it prepared for its busiest time of year.

I had my digital camera and camcorder with me. Digital pictures and video are ideal tools to capture the essence of the Salvation Army—the grass roots good works, the passionate volunteers and the people being helped. The lives influenced and changed. And recollections of how the Army made a difference in someone’s life years ago that helped transform them into who they are today.

The Salvation Army is rich in stories at Christmas-time. The challenge is covering a vast source of content across the Maritimes with limited resources.

Much of the Maritime Salvation Army Christmas story isn’t represented here. However, this 8 minute video is an attempt to provide a snapshot of what “giving hope today” is all about at this time of year.

I think you’ll see why I’m inspired to continue documenting as much of the whole picture as I can.

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

An angel in the night

My role with the Salvation Army has changed me. It’s impossible not to change when you meet the likes of Audrey Wamboldt at Christmas time.

Even though we spent a mere 45 minutes talking in her office, I now feel like I’ve known her my whole life. Passionate, genuine people have that kind of effect on me.

Audrey and her family were changed by their life experiences facing the homeless on the West coast. She’s now brought her mission to help the homeless to the East coast. In the process, she’s quickly building a following of other “angels” of the night in Halifax. I suspect they feel like they’ve known Audrey forever, too. And are thankful for it.

View the video of the remarkable night of December 12th and take the photo tour below.

View the video by clicking on the "play" button on the image below:

Click on the photo below to take the photo tour:

To find out more about Invis Angels in the Night across Canada, click here.

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

A monument to the Christmas spirit

“The Army was there for my family when we needed it. Now I have a chance to come back and pay it forward. You people mean so much to me!”

Tammy Frederick was holding back tears as she marveled at the mountain of toys, the result of the annual toy drive by the Metro Radio Group and Empire Theatres in Halifax. Tammy arrived in her company’s convertible VW bug, loaded with toys for girls and boys. This emotional, colourful scene was typical of the morning.

The toys were coming in the car-loads, cart-loads and arm-loads. It was a constant stream: families with kids on their way to school, office-groups and individual people. Their imaginations sparked again this year by the C100 “breakfast club” broadcasting descriptions of the huge mountain of toys inside the complex.

It’s a monument to goodwill and the Christmas spirit. Thanks to the audience of the Metro Radio Group, including C100, Kool FM and Q104, this year’s mountain looks like it will climb past last year’s summit—over 7,000 toys for distribution by the Salvation Army.

To share in the extraordinary scene, take the photo tour by clicking here.
-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division

Santa Shuffle 2006

The Santa Shuffle is becoming a must-see and must-do family event in Halifax. Take a look at the video at the end of this post and you’ll see why. (click on the photo on the right to view the online album)

Mix together Running Room enthusiasts, Christmas outfits, kids of all ages, family pets and a passionate fund-raiser for the Salvation Army…and you get a memorable family spectacle. And with Santa as the lead-cheerleader, you’re bound to have a lot of memorable photos and video!

Inspired by Running Room CEO John Stanton, The Santa Shuffle began in Edmonton some twenty years ago and has now taken root in more than 30 Canadian and U.S. cities raising money for the Army’s Christmas Red Shield appeal. Last year, nearly a half million dollars went to families in need.

The Santa Shuffle now attracts runners and spectators in the thousands in Edmonton and Calgary where it’s reached mythic proportions. Here in the Maritimes, the event is held in Saint John, Fredericton, Moncton and Halifax—each location generating plenty of colour and passion for the Army.

Several individual stories of inspiration are chronicled in this years’ Halifax video. We expect to share more. And, if you’ve got some memorable Santa Shuffle photos from your local run here in the Maritimes, send them to me and we’ll include them in the 2006 Santa Shuffle online photo album. Merry Christmas!

Santa Shuffle Halifax video

-Ron
Ron Zima ADpPR
Fund Development & Public Relations
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division
ron_zima@can.salvationarmy.org

For more details on the Salvation Army, visit:
Salvation Army, Maritimes Division