Kettle volunteer rings for three amazing reasons
In honor of all donations being tripled in the Twin Cities today and tomorrow, we’d like to spotlight a special kettle volunteer who rings for three awesome reasons.
The volunteer is Suzy Ferguson, 35, a small-business owner from Excelsior. She’s been ringing for 15 years, starting when she was a teenager.
Today she will be ringing at Lunds & Byerlys in Minnetonka with her three kids, ages 4 months to 4 years, for these three reasons:
Reason 1: The wallet story
Years ago, The Salvation Army did something unprecedented when Suzy’s mother’s wallet was stolen.
Her mom, Cheri, was a poor single mother living in Chicago, raising Suzy and her sister by herself. One Christmas season, Cheri saved up her money to take Suzy and her sister downtown to see Santa. During the trip, they saw a Salvation Army kettle.
“Despite having very little, my mom put a little money in the kettle as we walked past,” recalled Suzy, who at the time was about 7 years old.
Not long after Cheri donated, she looked at her purse and discovered that it was open and her wallet was missing. She yelled out and began to cry.
Then, something incredible happened.
“The bell ringers we had just talked to, who were Salvation Army officers, opened their bucket and gave my mom $20 – more than she had put in,” said Suzy, adding that people on the street stopped and also gave Cheri money. “It was the most amazing display of public generosity and brings tears to my eyes to this day.”
Reason 2: Gratitude
Suzy’s family got help from The Salvation Army when Suzy was a little girl.
Sometimes, Suzy’s mother did not have enough money to make ends meet. She had a job and received government assistance, but it still wasn’t enough.
When times were toughest, Suzy’s mother relied on The Salvation Army to help pay her utility bills. The assistance ensured Suzy and her sister did not have to live without heat or electricity.
Reason 3: Teaching tool
Suzy believes that bell ringing is a great way to teach her kids (pictured) about the value of giving.
“I want my kids to ring because I want them to make positive associations with helping others,” Suzy said. “There is nothing more magical than standing at the kettle, wishing passersby a wonderful holiday, and seeing their smiles in return as they put money into the kettle.”
Suzy, who owns a tutoring business, has also used bell ringing to teach her students.
“In 2012, I took a day and enlisted my students to sign up for shifts,” she said.
Be like Suzy
The Salvation Army humbly asks that you join in Suzy’s spirit of giving by donating to The Salvation Army or signing up to ring.
If you want to donate money and you live in the Twin Cities, please do so today or tomorrow, as all donations are being triple-matched.
In addition, donations are being doubled between now and Christmas in select cities across Minnesota and North Dakota. In Minnesota, the cities include Baxter, Duluth, Hibbing, Virginia and International Falls. In North Dakota, the cities include Williston and Bismarck.