Salvation Army to Auction Off Gold Coin

Updated: Thursday, 22 Dec 2011, 7:04 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 22 Dec 2011, 6:47 PM EST

Krista Henery, WLFI NEWS 18

After striking gold in one of its red kettles, the Salvation Army is hoping to spread the wealth.

Major Jim Irvine says earlier this month, someone dropped in a 1924 gold coin valued at more than 16-hundred dollars in one of Salvation Army’s Red Kettles in Lafayette.

But now the gold coin is being auctioned off to any interested bidders.

Irvine says the minimum bid price is $2,000, but he says the overall worth of the coin is much more than that.

“It’s being evaluated at $1660 just for the gold value, not for the value of the collectible value of the coin,” Major Jim Irvine, said.

Major Irvine said you can send your sealed bids to the Salvation Army between now and the end of business on next Friday, January 6th.

Irvine said bids will be opened and a winner will be picked Monday, January 9th.

Bids can be mailed or delivered in person to:

GO GOLD!
The Salvation Army
1110 Union Street
Lafayette, IN, 47905

To see video of this story, please visit www.wlfi.com

Kiwanis, Rotary Ring in Donations

A friendly rivalry between members of two local service clubs has proven beneficial to The Salvation Army and those they serve.  Members of the Kiwanis and Rotary service clubs ring bells for The Salvation Army the first two Saturdays in December.  In order to make the competition as equitable as possible, the clubs agree to switch weekends every year.  This year the Rotary rang the second weekend in December.

Billy Hooper coordinated the efforts for the Lafayette Kiwanis Club this year.  In fact, he’s coordinated the event for the Kiwanis since Wayne Byrd stepped down from the leadership role due to declining health seven years ago.  Byrd had coordinated the event for the Kiwanis since 1985.  The Rotary has had a tradition of recruiting new coordinators each year.

“The competition between the two clubs has always been strong, and above all, friendly,” said Hooper.  Rotarian Vicki Burch said, “This is a great way to help the community in a spirit of friendly competition.  I’m a people-person, so I love to be where people are, and I love to see neighbors and friends helping those in need.”

But in recent years the two clubs have seen a decline in their ability to attract and retain volunteer bell ringers as the average age of membership in both clubs has edged upwards.  “The older guys used to always ask, ‘Did we beat the Rotary this year?’ ” quipped Hooper.  “Our oldest record we can find is 1974 and the headline in our weekly newsletter that year boldly declared, ‘We FINALLY beat the Rotary!’ ”

Thanks to the leadership of Byrd and Hooper, the Kiwanis have beaten the Rotary most, if not all of the years in recent memory.  But this year, under the leadership of Floyd Garrott, the Rotary FINALLY beat the Kiwanis, raising $10,120.5 9 to the Kiwanis’ $9,362.11.

“Whether there is a benefit to ringing the weekend closest to Christmas or the Rotary club simply stepped up its game this year, we know the funds go to a good cause, and people are being helped,” said Garrott.

Volunteers Make Home Visits

Forty eight volunteers visited 116 homes this past Saturday bringing food and Christmas cheer to lonely shut-ins throughout the greater Lafayette area. While each visit may only last a few minutes, the impact is long lasting. In a voice message left to The Salvation Army over the weekend, one woman who was visited said, “I’m blind, so it’s difficult for me to write thank you notes. I wanted to call to tell you how much I appreciated the visit and the gifts. As much as I appreciate the food, and heaven knows just how much I need it, there are no words to express how much the visit means to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“None of this would be possible without the support of our local businesses who give from the bottoms of their heart,” said Michelle McBrite. This is the second year Mc Brite has coordinated the event. A volunteer herself, McBrite began her work with this project ten years ago by delivering gifts and visiting shut-ins.  Then five years ago she began working  with Pat Morehouse who was then serving as the coordinator of the project by packing the gift and food bags.  

Morehouse recalls how the project began in November fourteen years ago when the corps officer at the time handed her a piece of paper with a handful of names on it and gave the simple instruections, “See what you can do to help these people.”  When asked why she gave up the reins to the program two years ago, Morehouse, 83, beams and says, “Well, I’m older now, and as much as I love to work with this project, we really needed someone who could take it to the next level.  Michelle has contacts in the community that I just don’t have.  I don’t mind making follow-up calls, but we really needed someone who knew who to contact.  God sent Michelle along at just the right time.  And look what He’s done as result!”

Now McBrite begins planning the event in July by contacting local vendors to request food and gift items. “At one point the food items available were scarce. But the Lord opened up His storehouse of blessings and the donations of food came pouring in. With four weeks until the event, the cabinets were empty. But thanks to the generosity of local vendors, we ended up with more food than we actually needed and gave the extras to The Salvation Army’s food pantry to help others.”

Those local vendors include Triple XXX, O’ Charley’s, Purdue University Residence Halls, Skiles Orchard, Harlan Bakeries, and the Purdue Memorial Union. Arni’s Care n’ Share group held its annual bake sale in November and raised over $350 for the event.

One volunteer was heard to say, “I really look forward to this event.  The people we visit are so grateful and so kind”  Another added, “I love learning about the people we visit, their families, their rich history in life.”

McBrite said volunteers continue to repeat their efforts each year due to the joy this event brings to them. “They leave this event smiling and feeling so good about making someone else smile, just by visiting them for a few minutes. Some even have already signed up for 2012’s effort.”

Gift of Gold First for Salvation Army Majors, Pleasant Surprise for Volunteers

When Majors Jim and Pat Irvine set about the task of counting the donations received in the red kettles here in Lafayette along with a small band of faithful volunteers this past Saturday, it was a familiar scene to them. One they’ve seen many times over their past 18 years as officers. But along with the familiar routine this past Saturday came a new experience. For the first time in their careers overseeing Christmas operations for Salvation Army units across the midwestern states, the couple was surprised to find a $20 gold coin mixed in with the dollar bills and loose change in one of the kettles.

“We’ve read and heard about gold coins being received in Salvation Army kettles at Christmas time, but we’ve never received a gold coin in any of the kettles where we’ve served,” said Major Jim Irvine. “We’ve seen our share of lost buttons, foreign coins, and even the occasional ring (usually a woman’s ring), but never gold,” added Major Pat. “What a marvelous gift and wonderful way to help others in need, especially at this time of year,” she said.

The coin, a 1924 $20 Saint Gauden piece, is valued at approximately $1,660. “The volunteer who made the initial discovery let out a yelp and then turned bright red as she smiled from ear to ear,” said Major Jim. “Dropping a gold coin in a Salvation Army kettle during the Christmas season may sound a bit of a cliché, but it sure is exciting to experience. Part of the thrill is seeing the gold,” said Irvine, “but the bigger excitement comes from knowing how many people will be helped from this gift.”

The Salvation Army hopes to collect $160,000 through the red kettles this Christmas Season. As of Friday, the Lafayette unit had received $74,604.63 through its red kettle donations, or just under 47% of if its goal. “We are privileged to serve in such a caring and generous community,” said Irvine. “We’ve got a long ways to go, and I am confident the citizens of Tippecanoe County will help us make our goal as we continue to serve those in need.”

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