A Salvation to Many
Agency tries to meet
the great demand of
the holiday season
BY COURTNEY GA1LLARD
THE CHRONICLE
Pearl Tilley didn't think she
would be able to provide a Christ
mas for her children four years
ago when she and her husband
divorced. Tlje single mother of
four sons had been a stay-at-home
mom before her marriage dis
solved. As the holidays
approached, Tilley thought she'd
have to tell her children that they
would not get any presents on
Christmas Day until The Salva
tion Army Holiday Tyy Shop
came to the rescue. The four-year
old program provides toys to
needy families.
"I got divorced and didn't
have any money and (the toy
shop) was a lifesaver," said Tilley,
who began working last year.
'They wanted remote-control
cars; they really, really wanted
them, and I knew I didn't have
any money. I cried that year
because we were about to lose our
place."
Robin Pardella, director of
Christmas for The Salvation
Army, estimates that Tilley and
her sons will be one of 3,000 fam
ilies who will benefit from the
Holiday Toy Shop this year. She
says more than 500 people
showed up to the toy shop, which
is operating out of an abandoned
grocery store on Peters Creek
Parkway, during its first day of
registration. c
"When they leave here their
family is prepared for Christmas.
The best part is the parents shop,
then feel like they did, and they
take it home. Of course it's all
free, but they feel like they had a
jpart in it," said Pardella.
> Dozens of volunteers have
i spent the last few weeks register
| ing families for the toy shop and
; assembling the gifts. When the
? doors open next month, parents
1 will be able to select gifts for their
J children from tables stacked with
'dolls, stuffed animals, games,
.puzzles and more. But Pardella
Isays tjiey cpuld use more gifts for
(older children.
< 'j
Gitly
> Pho?o by Cuuniwy Gaillard
Robin Pardella poses with some of the toys that have Been collected.
"(Ages) 5-8 boys and girls are
usually the ones we gel the most
gifts for because everybody
thinks they're the cutest, but
(ages) 9-14 has suffered terribly.
We run out of stufl all the time,"
Pardella said.
Toys aren't the only items
families will leave with. Food
boxes containing hens, canned
goods, bread and milk will aiso be
distributed so that families can eat
a holiday meal. Families with
more than two children will
receive two food boxes.
Gifts are also available for
senior citizens at the toy shop,
says Pardella, who has secured
alarm clocks for elderly men and
porcelain dolls for elderly
women. The Salvation Army runs
the Seniors Program so that older
adults won't be forgotten at
Christmastime too.
A group of businessmen from
Charlotte raised enough money to
purchase 150 bicycles for The
Salvation Army to distribute to
needy kids. Pardella has secured
as many helmets, and she can
hardly wait to roll out the bikes
during distribution days.
"We're seeing 504 families a
day. We're doing six days of dis
tribution rather than two and half
days so this way it gives our
clients more time to shop and it
gives volunteers more time to
spend with clients." said Pardella.
Judith Bagley found herself in
the same predicament as Tilley
last year. The single mother was
able to have Christmas with her
daughter last year thanks to the
toy shop. This year Bagley
returned to the toy shop, not as a
client, but as a volunteer. She
won't be able to receive assis
tance from the program this year,
so Christmas will come next year
for her II -year-old daughter.
Bagley says the toy shop is a
wonderful program for people
who don't make a lot of money
but can still give their child a toy
or two for Christmas.
"1 gave up my toys," joked
Bagley, who said she has regis
tered many people she knows for
the toy shop this year. "I told (my
daughter) Christmas will come in
Januarytand around income tax
time and she's OK."
Pardella says The Salvation
Army expected more needy fami
lies than ever to come through the
toy shop this holiday season due
to the closing of the Christmas,
Cheer Toy Shop and Clearing
House earlier this year after sev
eral decades. The Salvation Army
is also preparing for a steep
decline in donations now that it is
prohibited from putting red ket
tles at all Target stores.
"It's going to be hard on us.
We're going to be devastated this
year, and then Wal-Mart has cut
(red kettles) down to 14 days a
year," Pardella said. "Those six
weeks when we do the red kettles
is so important to us. That's when
we raise the bulk of money."
The red kettles, started in
1891, are used to collect dona
tions from the public, but The Sal
vation Army Winston-Salem may
lose $15,000 as a result of this
newly imposed no-solicitation
ban. In order to fund its ministry
through the end of the year. The
Salvation Army will need to
receive $650,000.
The Holiday Toy Shop is still
accepting donations. Call Robin
Panlella at The Salvation Afmy,
723-6366, extension 109, for
information.
News
Clips
Compiled from staff, wire and
submitted reports
Wake Christmas l.ovefeast
Wake Forest University
will hold its 39th annual
Christmas Lovefeast and
Candlelight Service at 8 p.m.
Dec. 5 in Wait Chapel. The
community is invited and
admission is free.
Wake Forest Chaplain
Tim Auman will conduct the
service and will be assisted
by Craig Atwood. theologian
in residence at Home Mora
via)! Church. It will include
music, from Wake Forest's
concert choir, handbell choir
and flute choir. During the
service, the congregation
will be invited to join in
singing carols.
Each participant will
receive a beeswax candle to
be lit at the end of the serv
ice. and more than 50 Wake
Forest students and faculty
will serve coffee and Mora
vian buns. University Plaza
(Quad) will be decorated
with luminaries, placed bjf
members of Alpha Phi
Omega service fraternity.
Monetary contributions
can be made for Prodigals
Community, Samaritan Min
istries or the Chaplain's
Emergency Fund.
Rancic now coming
in January
Bill Rancic, the winner
of the first season of NBC's
"The Apprentice," has again
rescheduled his appearance
at Wake Forest University.
Rancic was supposed to
appear at the school two
months ago. That appear
ance was scrapped and
rescheduled for Nov. 22.?
Now wake says the reality
show winner's lecture will
be early next year.
His appearance has been
rescheduled for 8 p.m. Jan.
26 in Benson University
Center.
Tickets already pur
chased
will be
honored
for the
resched
u I e d
appear
a n c e .
Ticket
refunds
can be
obtained Rancic
at the
Benson University Center
Ticket Office.
To purchase tickets for
the rescheduled appearance,
contact the Benson Universi
ty Center Ticket Office at
758-4265. Tickets are $10
general admission. $5 for
Wake Forest students.
Highway Patrol will be
on watch
The N.C. Highway Patrol
will be targeting aggressive
drivers on interstates in the
state beginning today and
continuing through the
Thanksgiving holiday week
end. 0
The aggressive driver has
been identified as those driv
ers who flagrantly violate
the motor vehicle laws,
including but not limited to:
excessive speeding, follow
ing too closely, erratic lane
changes, safe movement vio
lations, ar)d other forms of
reckless endangerment.
Aggressive drivers account
for a significant number of
the traffic collisions that
occur on the state roadways.
"This high-volume holi
day travel period is tradi
tionally one of our busiest
and deadliest," said Col. W.
Fletcher Clay, commander of
the State Highway Patrol.
"Getting to your destination
safely should be your num
ber one goal. Don't try to cut
off a few minutes of your
drive time by speeding or
driving aggressively. It's
just not worth it."
The Thanksgiving holi
day weekend officially
begins at 6 p.m. on Nov. 24
and ends at midnight Sun
day. Nov. 28.
Oprah VV infrey and \laya Angelou Present
" \n I vening of Healing through Song"
Willi (irainiii) \nard-and Stellar \ivard-nominated
yospel sinner Joshua Nelsttll to benefit the
Ma?a \ngelou Research Center on Minority Health
ai Wake forest I niversitv Baptist Medical ( enter.
Wake Forest University Baptist
MEDICAL CENTER
Friday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. -St. Peter's World Outreach Center, 3683 Old Lexington Rd.
I ickets on <.;ilc through I kketnasler-www.ticketMaiiter.coM (336) 722-64(1(1 or Hecht's at Hants Mall
The Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health was ^
established to close the gap in health, quality of life, and lifespan differences
between minority populations and the general population. It is a collaboration
between Wake Forest University, its medical school, Winston-Salem $tate
I nhersity, and Forsyth County. 1 \