Who says that helping out has to be hard? We’re just asking you to take a day off and spend it at an amusement park! Our friends at Indiana Beach have been working with us to offer a discount day and now we’re ready to start spreading the word.
Now through August 21, you can buy Indiana Beach combo tickets to the thrill park and water park at one low price, just $19 – that’s a $17.95 savings per ticket! And the best part is that at $7 from each ticket comes back to Salvation Army programs that help us help our neighbors in need.
Just go here to buy tickets – but don’t just hit the ‘make a purchase’ button, click on the CLICK HERE and enter our promotional code SALVATIONARMY2010. Tickets can be used any time during the 2010 Indiana Beach season. Now THAT’S fun you can feel good about!
Today’s Indy Star reports that IPS has seen a 26% increase in the homeless students. The article is pretty sobering – Indiana is tied for 27th in the nation for homeless enrollment – nearly 10,000 students.
Our state has certainly felt the brunt of the economic downturn. And the trend continues in 2010 as unemployment hovers in the 10 percent range. About 43 percent of homeless schoolchildren in IPS are in kindergarten through third grade! These kids have difficulties concentrating, not knowing where they’ll sleep or where dinner will come from. In fact, these students are suspended from school at a rate of about twice the state average!
But thanks to our supporters, The Salvation Army’s Women’s and Children’s Shelter* can offer these kids some stability. Kids who stay in our shelter can count on healthy meals, warm beds and even homework help from our partners at Indy School on Wheels. The shelter isn’t a permanent solution – our counselors work with moms to get help with life skills, school or job placement and all the other resources they will need to break the cycle of joblessness, domestic violence and homelessness.
You can help us continue to provide these services to our littlest neighbors in need through the Homelessness Bites campaign. Find out how to get and fill a Bite Back box, donate online, sign up for our mobile VIP list or mark your calendar now for Apple Fest this October. For 1,500 kids in Indianapolis, homelessness bites. Bite back!
*nearly 1,100 women & children have been cared for in our shelter in 2010. Of the 204 who came to us in June, 76 were kids.
Tags: Apple Fest, homeless kids, homelessness, Homelessness Bites, Indianapolis Public Schools, Indianapolis Star, Indy School on Wheels, Salvation Army, Women's and Children's Shelter
Bite Back!, get involved | admin | 
July 29, 2010 11:10 am | 
Comments (0)
This morning, thanks to Mrs. Lewis and the team at the Lafayette Road Shoe Carnival, nearly 120 kids from The Salvation Army’s Summer Day Camp programs in Indy got the tools they’ll need to start school on the right foot.
According to Huntington Bank’s 2010 Backpack Index, the average cost for a family to send a child to elementary school (with all the school recommended supplies and necessary clothing) is about $475. With the first days of school quickly approaching, parents are no doubt feeling the pressure of providing new shoes, back packs and school supplies. Add to that stress that many of the children from this morning’s shop are residents at our shelter or come from single-parent families with that parent working to support the family and also receiving assistance from the Army such as help with groceries and utility expenses.
Mrs. Lewis, who is now 94 years old, has provided shoes for children through The Salvation Army for five years. Mrs. Lewis grew up as an orphan, never having the luxury of new shoes for school. After enjoying a prosperous life together with her husband she wanted to give back to kids who may be less fortunate. Kalvin Henderson, proud recipient of Mrs. Lewis’ gift said, “I think she’s real nice and someone should be doing something nice for her too. I’d have to save my money for a long time to get shoes like this.”
Jo Ann Remender, Planned Giving Director for The Salvation Army says, “It’s not just meeting a physical need for these kids, it’s meeting an emotional need too. It’s preparing them for that first day of school, so they feel like they have all the necessary tools they need to be successful.”
Each of us has the means to make a difference in our community, to ‘Bite Back’ by giving of our time and resources. If you’re interested in helping your neighbors in need through The Salvation Army, give Kristen a call at 224-1019.
Subscribe