Submitted by Sharon Anderson
Red Kettle Campaign Coordinator
The Salvation Army of Merrill is happy to report that a total of $46,676 was collected this year! This record-breaking amount was made possible through the generous donations that were contributed at the kettle and through the mail.
Churches who participated this year were: Our Saviour’s, St. Stephen’s, St. John, Hillside Fellowship, Christ Methodist, First Presbyterian, Bible Presbyterian, Merrill Bible, Journey, Calvary Lutheran, and New Testament.
Organizations who participated were: Boy Scouts, St. Vinnie Ringers, and Maple Creek Dog Therapy.
Walmart employees took over ringing duties at Walmart for one day which qualified them to receive a grant of $500 for the Salvation Army from their headquarters.
Church Mutual employees volunteered to ring at the Walmart location every week day throughout the ringing season.
While the Salvation Army appreciates everyone who served as a bell-ringer, we would like to give a special thank you to a group of people who in Merrill are known as “Warrior Ringers.” These are folks who donated several hours of their time during last year’s campaign. Some scheduled time every week and some would ring whenever they were needed. Their names are: Donald MacSwain, Ward Gremler, Greg Hinz, Rob Hartson, Ken Neff, Louise Schotz, Jean Perkins, Bob Hartson, Marcy Barney, Steve Peterson, Barb Ament, Ron Kautz, Cathy Robinson, Kristine Vorpagel, Larry Hampel, Cathy Lemay Brown, Gary Broesch Family, and Karen Nocco.
We also would like to extend our grateful appreciation to Walmart and Dave’s County Market for allowing us to ring at their stores!