Bell ringers strive to meet goal

Salvation Army volunteers and staffers have worked hard and the Havre community has opened its heart, said Trina Crawford, the Salvation Army's executive director.

So far, the Red Kettle Campaign has raised $9,386.27 this Christmas season. That's about $800 more than was raised by this time last year, she said. That's not bad, considering that some of the locations were shut down during the bitter cold last week.

But the bad news she said, is that this year the calendar is stacked against the Salvation Army.

Because of the way Thanksgiving and Christmas fall, there are five fewer days than last year, Crawford said.

That means the pace will have to pick up if they are to meet their $26,000 goal.

She and the volunteers will be working hard for the rest of the season to see that the money is raised.

It's important to meet the goal, she said, because this money is used to provide services such as emergency housing and fuel for people who are in danger of having their electricity cut off.

Crawford heaped praise on the people who have volunteered. Groups ranging from the Board of Realtors to the Havre Rotary Club have donated time to ring bells.

Volunteers say they enjoy the work and find it very rewarding - and fun, even if it's a bit chilly at times.

Becky Wimmer rang bells with the Board of Realtors. She said that, at the Realtors annual meeting in Whitefish, Realtors from around the state told their stories of helping out the Salvation Army. The local Realtors decided they wanted to get involved.

Wimmer said it was fun, and members enjoyed themselves and felt they were making a valuable contribution to the community.

"We were at IGA," she said, "so it didn't get too cold."

Bell-ringers at Gary & Leo's Fresh Foods sit inside the building, close enough to the door to get some of the frigid air, but still inside enough to stay somewhat warm.

Kathy Terbovitz, the fiscal officer at HRDC, was one of the staffers who took part in bell-ringing.

The bell-ringing has become something of an HRDC tradition after the suggestion of Executive Director Karen Thomas.

Salvation Army fills in the gaps by providing service that HRDC and other social groups do not provide, she said.

"I don't know what we would do without the Salvation Army," Terbovitz said. "I'm afraid to think what would happen to some people."