That's right.  Even though we have a strict rule around the office about not ringing any bells anywhere between January and November, somehow I can still hear the ringing in my head.  I guess that happens when you hear it everyday for 6 weeks.

Those little red bells.  When I ask people what they know about The Salvation Army, that's usually their first answer.  "I know about the bells."  Unfortunately, often times that's all they know. Here's a quick review of the facts: 

• The kettles can be traced back to San Francisco in 1891
• There are nearly 50 locations around the Knoxville area where we ring bells
• The campaign usually starts the week of Thanksgiving and runs until Christmas Eve
• We ring bells from 10 am to 8 pm Monday through Saturday
• Last year volunteers rang bells for nearly 3000 hours in the Knoxville area
• Last year $250,000 was donated through the Knoxville area Red Kettles 
• All the money donated goes right into our area programs and services

We need more volunteers!  Most people don't know that we actually have to pay some people to ring bells.  3000 volunteer hours may sound like a lot, but there are over 16000 potential hours to fill, so we do pay some people to ring the bells full-time during the Christmas season. 

The best way to get involved is through our Adopt-a-Kettle program.  In this program you simply take responsibility to man a particular location for a particular period of time.  Businesses, church groups, schools and civic organizations adopt kettles for a day, a week, or even more.  Last year 90 groups participated in the program.  It's a great way to get involved and it's a lot of fun when you do it with your friends.  

Let me know and I'll set it all up for you!