(00:00:00) Many Americans are gathering in the homes of family and friends today many other people are having their Thanksgiving dinner with strangers in many cases those meals being provided by a church or charity in today's. Midday speaker is paying tribute to an organization that has been helping people for more than a hundred years the Salvation Army. When a National Convention of Salvation Army groups convened in the Twin Cities this fall legendary radio broadcaster. Paul Harvey was invited to be the keynote speaker. Now, there's hardly anybody in America who hasn't heard of Paul Harvey week after week for decades now millions of people have been listening to Paul Harvey's unique blend of News and Views is broadcast currently attracts more than 24 million listeners on the ABC radio network and he's been called the most listened to radio personality in America. Paul Harvey says the problems facing our country are numerous and serious. And he says the media are in many instances making things worse. He told the Salvation Army members of Need for their services to poor people and disaster victims is greater now than ever. Here's Paul Harvey. Good morning American. Dateline Minneapolis, Minnesota 2206 Americans from 50 states have converged to contemplate a plan of battle. against the legions of the dark to mobilize under a banner of blood and fire and Urgent mission to rescue the body. And the soul of our nation and by example the world. that should have been the page-one headline in this morning's USA Today Instead This was gang member held in child killing Paul Harvey why in the world don't you newsman report more good news. Why does it always have to be all of that tragedy and destruction and Discord and disaster and descent? Well now wait a minute my own Pro Network ABC once tried broadcasting a program of just good news. You know how long that lasted? 13 weeks not enough listeners wanted to hear just good news in Sacramento, California a little tabloid called itself the good news of paper. It printed nothing else. It lasted 36 months before it went bankrupt. Far as I've been able to ascertain there's only one newspaper in the USA Today printing only good news. It's a little tabloid comes out once a week in Indiana and they have to give it away. Because the good news y'all keep saying you want you just won't buy now. That's reason number one why you can listen to any broadcast and records are crashing. It is the worst drought. It is the most pollution. The recession is a depression and the weather either it's awful or it soon will be To the Performing Weatherman in my home base City of Chicago in the wintertime when it's zero outside. Is he content to tell us that it's zero outside? Oh, no. He has to add that the chill factor is 40 below. We never were so miserable in the winter time before somebody invented that chill factor. I can feel Angels nudge even without looking I must in deference to our Chicago television weather forecasters concede that they did predict. They did predict 7 of last Winter's to snowstorms. And with increasing competition for your attention with a multiplicity of media, the situation steadily worsening. Birth control pills are good for you. Birth control pills are bad for you. Take your choice. Oh in Jackson, Mississippi, the Internal Revenue Service Office received a phone call from a fellow who wanted to know our birth control pills deductible. The alert IRS agent at the other end of the phone said only if they don't work. Now news is not news anymore surround the clock warning. Don't breathe. The air is toxic and it's worse indoors than out. Don't eat. The food is contaminated. Don't drink water with chemicals in it for goodness sake don't drink water without chemicals in it. And the headline writers keep blowing hot and cold 1989 oat bran reduces cholesterol 1990 oat bran does not reduce cholesterol coffee can cause pancreatic cancer coffee does not cause pancreatic cancer Harvard Medical just reversed itself. My own medical file is a real education in vacillation 1950 salt causes hypertension. 1960 salt does not cause hypertension 1978 salt causes hypertension 1980 salt relieves hypertension and 1990 salt doesn't affect hypertension. Either way. Do you know? One issue the same issue of the Wall Street Journal says that aspirin is good for you and aspirin is bad for you. And now the FDA wants to declare mother's milk unsafe. The fda's aspects that mother's milk may be unsafe, but so far. Nobody has been able to ascertain where to put the warning label. Let me see if I can help you. Let me see if I can help you better understand today's headlines and tomorrow's bad news pay is. I'm on a foundation board the MacArthur Foundation which dispenses large sums for research and I can tell you a lot of Scholars and institutions secure money for research by producing bad news about population about resources about environment. For another thing there is this demonstrable fascination with approved public preference for bad news because bad news equals good news. What's that? What's bad news to somebody is good news too many. Bad news equals good news The Listener or the reader too bad news can say to himself. Well, at least I'm not as bad as bad off as those fellas. Then the printer who's printing machine broke down or the Builder who bid too low or the salesman who lost a sale farmer who lost a crop a Wildcatter who drilled a duster can see his problem is not so bad after all bad news equals good news. The reader does not want to read about some rich man who's healthy and happily married might tend to make the reader feel sorry for himself. But if that rich man is divorced or diseased or loses his money that's more interesting reading because then the reader can feel himself to be better off. There's always somebody going to hospital Ward. It was just enough worse off to make us feel comparatively fortunate noisy news serves that purpose. Thus the plane crash which does not involve you. The billionaire in bankruptcy the super-rich Evangelist caught coveting that charity boss caught stealing the football hero charged with murder. These will continue to be on page one for as long as the fire which burns them warms the rest of us. You have trusted me to challenge our troops. Here it comes. Self-government won't work. without self discipline on planet Earth I know no better examples of self-discipline than you who fill this room right now. The world needs your example if you have a secret and I think I know your secret. It's time to shout it from the housetops because self-government without self-discipline is everywhere falling apart. It's been what five years and communism collapsed in Eastern Europe. Those nations are free at last. They're out from under communism. They're free. but Freedom implies responsibility They were not prepared for that. So Yugoslavia is in Flames. Albania's mired in economic. Chaos, Czechoslovakia is at war with itself. Poland is broken bleeding former. Communists are still in power hoping to take over it again and nobody knows what's going to happen to what used to be the Soviet Union Bulgaria Hungary Lithuania found Freedom too difficult. They've already reverted to caretaker Communist governments self-government won't work without self discipline. here either in the United States in one decade 10 years violent crime of five hundred and fifty percent illegitimate births a four hundred and eighteen percent divorce up 400% self-government without self discipline won't work already traditional American freedoms have been so Abridged you're not free to go out here and get on an airliner without submitting yourself your luggage of indicated your underwear to search. Now why is that because there's some big old dictator in Washington who wants to dictate? No, that's not why it's simply because we have a handful of AirHeads running around with guns and knives. Because a few Sickies hide razors in Apple's whole states have had the outlaw Halloween. They taken away our fireworks. They're threatening to take away our guns because some misuse there's not because their tyranny in government. But because there is anarchy and the unbuttoned undisciplined brains of a handful of loony Birds who don't deserve to be free. So the rest of us can't be And history says it's down that road that whole Nations go from regulation to regimentation to tyranny. my own profession struggles with self-discipline the Federal Communications Commission is trying a new to prohibit what it calls indecent radio and television broadcast. The internet is fast becoming a red light district Distributing violent pornography helping to organize pedophiles so far. There's no reliable way of detecting or intercepting the prurient messages and pictures on the internet children can learn how to take drugs how to make bombs pornography is more graphic than in sleazy sex shops including instructions, by the way for killing children. If I Were the Devil if I were the Prince of Darkness I would of course want to engulf the whole world in darkness. I'd have a third of its real estate. I'd have four-fifths of its population already, but I wouldn't be happy until I had. Until I had seized ripest apple on the tree. So I would set out however necessary to take over the United States. I would subvert churches first. I would begin with a campaign of Whispers with the wisdom of a serpent. I would whisper to you as I whispered to e you do as you please. To the young I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around I could find that what's bad is good. What's good is square and the old I would teach to pray after me Our Father which art in Washington. And then I'd get organized. I'd educate authors and how to make lured in literature. So interesting that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I'd threaten television with dirtier movies and vice versa. I'd pedal narcotics to whom I could I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I would tranquilize the rest of them with pills if I were the devil, I'd soon have families at war with themselves. churches at war with themselves Nations at war with themselves Until each intern was consumed. And with a Promises of higher ratings, I'd have mesmerizing media Fanning the Flames If I Were the Devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions. Just let those run wild. Until before you knew it. You'd have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every Schoolhouse door. Within a decade, I'd have prisons overflowing and judges promoting pornography and soon I could have leaked God from the courthouse and the schoolhouse and then from the houses of Congress in his own churches. I would substitute psychology for religion and device science. I'd lower priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls and church money. If I were the devil, I'd make the symbol of Easter and egg the symbol of Christmas a bottle if I were the devil I'd take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I'd kill the incentive of the ambitious and what'll you bet that I couldn't get hold stapes. To promote gambling as a way to get rich. I would caution against extremes. In hard work and patriotism and moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned. That swinging is more fun that what you see on TV is the way to be and thus I could undress you in public. And lure you into bed with. Diseases for which there is no cure. in other words if I were the devil, I would just Keep our right on doing what he's doing. Oh troops. We need you. Yours is an awesome responsibility. In uniform or not. We who identify with this Army share that responsibility for any indiscretion. Can be seized upon by a cynical media there to ReSound like a Belgian Church. Self government won't work without self discipline now some of us do not believe that self-discipline is possible. without help without an inside-out commitment to the example of Christ and to the spirit of God. And that that discipline must be reinforced persistently with scripture and with prayer. Let me tell you how it works in my own business. Competing news media rely increasingly on since suffering and sensationalism. Now, it's been suggested that sex depravity and gutter language on contemporary media might run its course, but instead it's getting worse. The Harvey's went to Blockbuster planning to enjoy an in-home movie. We selected two of them one was labeled a comedy about a newsroom rivalry. It was directed by Ron Howard. Surely. Opie would not disappoint us. The other one was a vintage movie called An Affair to Remember featuring Deborah Carr and Cary Grant. Well first we tried the comedy. I could take no more than 5 minutes of. The gratuitous redundant obscenities before feeling violated. I shut it off in disgust and put it aside. And next we replayed those 1940-something shipboard Romance. final curtain they embrace and I'm choking back tears My scalding throat has less to do with the make-believe on screen then with The Accidental juxtaposition of this modern movie and it's gutter talk and the other the thoroughly Charming 1940 story about the way it used to be. And I was waiting for my son's generation. Pleading prayerfully that they might have the chance for Romance. Which Angel and I have had? I do know that the beautiful people meeting on a luxury liner was fanciful fiction, but the heroes and heroines. Of that era kept us on tiptoe kept us looking up reaching up. In news handling one of my greatest challenges has been adapting to an accepting inevitable change. But one day in July. 1995 I decided I don't want to change. anymore like very many Americans. I fear I have gradually adapted a begun to Snicker at some of the things we used to blush at and little by little the Dirty Dancing in the dirty talk and become pervasive. Until this suddenly sharply focused realization that yet. Another prodigal was feasting on hog. Slop. I don't want to adapt anymore. I have no Illusions about changing the world. But to the extent that I can I will shelter you're in my little corner of it. Oh salvation is we need you? I Need you. For my own encouragement. I Rely more on you than you know. August 20 1912 General William Booth died with his wife he had founded army with his death. The London Times said that the leaderless Army could not survive. August 24 1912 London's John bull magazine printed the obituary of the Salvation Army on a page edged in Black. They didn't understand. the writers of those epitaphs obviously just didn't understand that the leader of this Army had already demonstrated on a Judean Hillside for all the world to see deathlessness. And for General Booth and the army of light had turned off the dark and fifty eight Nations. today a hundred Nations As the truth goes marching on around this planet and Beyond, you know, only two flags ever flew over the moon hours and hours. Our nation Stars and Stripes. Our army is blood and Fire. Well, sociologists and Statesman and professional fundraisers agonize over the pitiful plight of the homeless. Somebody's are out there with them offering soup soap and salvation. It is not fashionable. It is not properly respectful to worship Outdoors. Catherine Booth always reminded detractors that Jesus did and somebody once confronted Miss Katherine Booth with scripture Paul told the Corinthians that it was a shame for women to speak out in church and Katherine replied. This is not a church, and I'm not a Corinthian. No, shy Lady Katie. Nowhere in the world are women more equal and Pay Power and opportunity and responsibility the Salvation Army preaches and teaches by example in peace and in war the most cynical News man when he's exhausted the rest of his vocabulary and nothing adequately explains this phenomenon. The Salvation Army is compelled to resort to the most unsophisticated of all words miracle. Miners are trapped Rescuers Converge on the pit head while other charitable organizations are still mobilizing their resources. Salvation Army without Fanfare apparently from nowhere is already on the scene with coffee and food for the rescue crews and bibles for the bereaved to request them. There's an earthquake in California. There's a hurricane on the Gulf Coast of Windsor still howling when men and women of the army move in Wade through snake-infested slime to help the hurt shelter. The homeless feed the hungry. When jetliners collide on Detroit's airport, there was one Agency on the field within 100 minutes within yards of the crash helping feeding counseling. Any news man over a half-century will have seen a lot of floods and fires and earthquakes. Old Town's upside down but rarely has this for any news man. Got there ahead of the army, you know the Uso. Are you all aware that it was first ASAS you the Salvation Army service units three thousand of them at the height of the Desert Storm our troops were not alone. And after when our Pentagon was overwhelmed by the pitiful plight of the Kurds fleeing Iraq that Army asked this Army for help and this Army was there within hours. From our Wars inevitably some troops come home too late for the ticker tape and a bunting there may be no cameras. No microphones at The Dockside. But there at the foot of the Gangplank. They can count on the boom boom boom of big bass drum couple of horns blaring angel voices singing real angels I've never been real sure. I've watched them with all. Whenever and wherever my newsbeat has included a disaster area overseas militantly marching against the brothels of Japan or stubbornly demanding social legislation and half a hundred parliament's or Stateside one unmarried parents had nowhere else to turn and the homeless the hungry had nowhere else to go. Good Samaritans as I say not just pointing the way to the Cross but showing the way and army of Christian Soldiers anywhere quickly and on tiptoe If we don't know them by their fruits. You're going to see a lot of army Blues hatband crests When the Roll is Called Up Yonder. But don't be surprised. If you see others of the army even then hanging back. Even then. Loving the Lost. And easing the anguish braving the heat to bathe blistered feet at the very front door of hell. Onward Christian Soldiers onward and upward God knows we need you. Good day radio broadcaster Paul Harvey delivering the keynote address to the Salvation Army's National Conference in the Twin Cities earlier this fall his commentaries are heard on the ABC radio network. Well Paul Harvey is not the only person who is a big supporter of the Salvation Army the Salvation Army has lots of supporters big and small apparently to the point where it is the largest charitable organization in America with the holiday season underway in the Bell ringers out and about we thought we'd spend little time today to find out more about the mission of the Salvation Army and just how it works joining us here in the studio is Lieutenant Colonel Donald Arnold who is the Army's divisional Commander for Minnesota and North Dakota and we'd like to have you join our conversation as well in this Thanksgiving Day. If you've got a question or comment about the Salvation Army, give us a call Twin City area number is 2276 thousand. Two seven six thousand or if you're a calling from outside the Twin Cities, you can reach us toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or 1-800 to for to to 828 as we learn a little bit more about the salvation army colonel. Thanks for coming by today. Thank you. Thank you for having me having a good Thanksgiving. Yes. This is a busy day. I suppose for the Salvation Army. Yes, in most of our centers there are meals being served today and lots of activities and most of them also have some kind of a religious Services. Well, do you have any idea how many people you'll be serving meals to today about 2500 throughout the Twin City area just in the Twin Cities. Yes, of course all around the country as well. The Salvation Army is primarily a religious organization. Is it not? Yes. That's right. That's was the founding of the Salvation Army actually William Booth used to go to the street corner and that was his church and in the Days and from there on it developed into a Social Service Agency as well because he realized that you can talk to people about God but if they're hungry or if they're discouraged and so forth to the place where they can't listen, they're never going to accept any kind of sermon or anything about God hmm it almost at least in the public mind it almost seems like your Social Service activities have dwarfed the religious aspects of the organization. Well, that's probably true because we do Branch out and meet the needs of the particular area in which we serve and as a result of we've probably overextended in that area, but we have a lot of people who helped us. We also engage a lot of employees to help in those areas now and of course volunteers, I suppose throughout the state we have about 6,000 volunteers who help us accomplish all the tasks that we do how many people are actually members of the Salvation Army in in the Minnesota and North Dakota, there are 3420 some members of the Salvation Army. Those are our people who claim the Salvation Army as their church. Now there are others who come and go and have become a part of some of the activities that we have but they're not bona fide members and I suppose in total we'd have close to about 6,000 throughout the country. So I mean throughout the to state area. Yeah and a nationally how many would be about 10,000 and that would be like Oh, I'm sorry about a hundred thousand a hundred figures. Yeah, right and those would be that would be like the equivalent of people who belong to the methodists or whatever. Right? Right. The officers are the ordained ministers. The officers are really kind of a two-pronged occupation. It's a Ministry and it's also a social service agency. And so they become community minded people and become involved in community. Activity, whatever that might entail. What is the origin of the the military type Rank and uniform and so on. How did that come to be? Well that came about by William Booth in the first few years of his actually the Salvation Army was first called the Christian Mission in London and one day they were having a big rally in trying to get people encouraged to come to hear them and they said we're going to have an army of people and the the founder like that and someone called him the general and so he said decided that this was going to be the Salvation Army and as a result, the military bases was taken for every aspect we call our churches. We really call them core and we called our members soldiers and the officers are the ministers so it took on a military bases and there was the idea that the military is always quick to respond ready to move and this kind of thing and there was much moved. In fact in the first 13 years of the existence Salvation Army it spread all around England. And in that time it also reached other country. So it was a fast-moving operation. So the military bases kind of gave that impetus hmm bell-ringers know I was noticing today that I used to think all the Bell ringers are volunteers, but that's not true. Some of them are getting get paid. Actually. That's right. Most of our Bell ringers are volunteers. We use service clubs churches different groups throughout the community who volunteer and we would you know like to do that as much as we can but we do have a paid Bell ringers and we feel that this is important because there's some areas that we can't cover with volunteers. So we need people to do it and people in our community need jobs and so as a result it's a means of providing holiday. Vocation for some of these folks are job for them to earn a little money. Of course, the pay is not all that great, but it does help them. In fact our Harbor Light Center, who which is a rehabilitation center has about 300 Bell ringers during Christmas. They don't all ring it once but they all come and it's not only a means of them having a few extra dollars at Christmas time. It provides them with some job training how to dress how to act how to enter be interviewed in all this. So it's a process of learning as well. And most of the public doesn't know that but that's that's our philosophy behind it. How did that get started the idea of somebody standing on a corner with a bell and a bucket? Well it all started back in Los Angeles actually at a Seaside where of one of the fellows in the I guess it was shipment that was sick and they put our out of cattle and I said, let's help this guy and the Salvation Army. That's pretty good idea. Let's see if we could do that and it all started by just that simple thing and then it spread throughout the country now kettles are not throughout the the world. Of course, the United States has them and Canada has adopted them. Now some other countries have adopted them as well home country of England. Do they do that where you started and no. No, they don't do it in England. No the what they do in England, they go out on the street corner and play their instruments of Christmas music and then someone goes door-to-door with a box of plastic blocks with box with the name of the army and they say would you like to donate? That's how that's done. We're talking with Lieutenant Colonel Donald Arnold who is the divisional Commander for the Salvation Army in Minnesota and North Dakota. We thought today being Thanksgiving given the Salvation Army's Rich tradition of helping people all through the year be good day to find out a little bit more about the Salvation Army. If you'd like to call in with a question or comment here is the number to call Twin City area number is 2276 thousand. Two two seven six thousand outside the Twin Cities. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-222-8477. Hi, I wanted to find out how I could volunteer. And also I have been able to recover from from a life of chemical dependency only by my faith in God and finding my way back to the religious roots that I was taught as a child. And you know, I have a real strong need to pass that on to others and I feel that I have something to offer to other people. I'm a professional person. I'm qualified to teach vocationally computer-aided design and interpersonal communication skills, and I would like a disabled right now with epilepsy and I would like to be able to volunteer and work with the Salvation Army, but I'm not sure how Go about that. Well, I can tell you a simple way just called 56620405662040 and ask for Angela Olson or just Angela. She's our volunteer director for the Twin City area and she can direct you into several different types of volunteer service that you could render. Sometimes. It's typing sometimes it's taking care of wrapping toys particularly at this time of the year wrapping gifts for the nursing homes that we visit in this type of thing and there are probably about 25 different jobs that we use volunteers for so if you would call Angela she would be able to give you information you do have to fill out an application and this kind of thing, but we would be more than happy to have you as a volunteer if people would like to volunteer do they do they have to accept your religious beliefs to? Oh no. No, not at all they have to to Them because we do have you know expectations as far as volunteers and the way they behave but other than that no, no Jim your question, please thank you for taking my call now. It's fried 6 6 200 400 and it's Angela. Right? Right absolutely good supporter of your organization, sir, but I have trouble with it that it's not run democratically and would you deal with that difficulty that I have in my mind about it? I think that it's very marvelous know and that it has done things that other organizations like the Red Cross were supposed to but my grandparents and others learned a long time ago, we're not going to do and I'll hang up in listen to your answer. Thank you. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by Ren democratically. We we are autocratic in the sense that our our government of the Salvation Army is operated by a Board of Trustees. He's and the Board of Trustees are then give commands or directives to the officers throughout the country or throughout the world. And therefore you might think that we're not Democratic however in saying that the officers and well the members of the Salvation Army also have a voice in making recommendations to the leadership of what we should do and how we should do it. If that doesn't quite answer your question. I'd be glad to have more specifics but you're right. I may receive orders tomorrow to go to Australia and that would be my expectation. And as far as I'm concerned, I would go but we are not I can't say well I want to go certain place in all of a sudden I would go there because there is a very intricate method of putting people in the right place at the right time. How do you become an officer and the Salvation Army to become an officer first? You have to become a member of Church you have to be a soldier of the Salvation Army and learn exactly what Salvation Army is teaching our religious beliefs. And basically they're like any other Church the tenets of the army are are simple there. They're very much related to the Methodist the nazarenes the other churches that are around and and then there is a process of applying for Salvation Army officer ship and then you would attend a Salvation Army college for officers. There are four in the country ours is in Chicago and that's a two-year extensive training course, it's under job as well as academics and then there's a five-year training program after that. But after two years you become a commissioned a lieutenant or an officer. Hmm back to the phones Dinah your question. First a comment. I'd like to Sam Thanksgiving how thankful. I am for what the Army has meant in my life as a child growing up both as a church and as a social organization, even though it's no longer the church. I attend and my two questions are as a child that girl guards which was a program similar to Girl Scouts was probably one of the most meaningful parts of my growing up and I've understood that it's no longer going on and I'm wondering why and my second question is with Open Air Services as a child. I participated them in them in Chicago and Milwaukee and Racine Wisconsin, and I haven't seen or heard about Open Air Services for years, and I wonder when and how that sort of faded away or if it's still going on somewhere. Well, that's a good question. I'm glad you asked first of all girl guards are similar to Girl Scouts as far as ages concern in there's a younger group called sunbeams and those groups are still very much. Active each of our centers in the Twin Cities have girl guards and sunbeams and any girl who's interested in learning how to take care of the tables and take care of all the other things the home as well as other different Badges and things they could become a member of the girl guard troop and or the Sunbeam tube the sunbeams are from 6 to 11 and go guards are from 12 to 18. So those are still in attack in in operation. There's still intact and perhaps you don't see them as much anymore but they're still there. The other thing about open ears. We still do open-air meetings from time to time. The difficulty is the traffic. We're who when you want to do an open-air meeting or an outdoor religious Services, we would call it there needs to be a place where people can gather without fearing the traffic there needs to be a place where people will gather and not not be Concerned about what's going on around them. So there have been some real problems with the open air Ministry in st. Paul this year there were probably about I think 2526 open airs conducted for children. Now these were done in parks and areas where there was nothing to compete with the noise of the street and so on so forth. So open-air meetings are still being conducted but they're not as popular in there's not as easily to to facilitate as they were in the past kind of Colonel Donald Arnold is our guest today. We're talking about the Salvation Army good chance to find out a little bit more about the organization how it works and what it's trying to accomplish. We'd like to join our conversation give us a call to to 76 thousand in the Twin Cities 2276 thousand or outside the Twin Cities one eight hundred two, four two two eight two eight Paul Harvey raised a question raised an issue that always comes up in terms of the Salvation Army, how is it that you folks get to the sites of disasters so quickly well here again. We have a number of volunteers who help us in our emergency disaster service and most of them have CBS or monitors on fire calls and this kind of thing and when a second second whether you call it does when there's a larger fire then they are immediately notified and then they make contact with us and we have canteen strategically placed throughout the two states and the volunteers come together with the officer and move toward that disaster. Do you have some kind of a plan where you say now look we want to be on on site within X number of minutes. No, it's not that detailed that we do have a disaster plan and who to call when a disaster happens and we just move as quickly as we can and because we do have Residential services for men alcoholics and so forth. We usually have coffee and so forth available. So it's not difficult to get those kind of things right away and many times we have to go to the next donut shop around the street to find those kind of things but we move very quickly and do what needs to be done at that time. Hmm Stewart your question, please well, I was more comment. I recently became aware of a an activity of the army that I thought was very very praiseworthy and not that I do knew all that much about their activities before but I knew nothing about this. I have a long-standing friend who I've never met a prisoner in a penitentiary in Alabama who after almost serving almost 30 years for murder was due for parole and he asked me to help Matt and this is of course, there's nothing I had any experience of whatsoever and he asked me to contact If I could the local Salvation Army and because they might be able to mediate some something for him and Colonel AMA Arnold wrote me a profoundly beautiful letter about the Redemption of transgressions transgressors and the nature of good work and it was it'll stick with me forever with the a beautiful piece of prose and sentiment and I good day to thank him for it. Well, thank you. I appreciate that. Okay. What? What do you find actually works in terms of trying to get people to get their lives squared away turned around? That's a good question. I'm glad you asked that because you know, we feel that there are so many things in the world that are material and so many things that we can look at and say well this makes life in this makes me successful but in reality, it's the the soul. It's the spirit mankind that needs to be changed and needs to be turned around to realize that God is a god of love and God of of concern and God of of care and that when a person realizes that they kind of feel like they fit into that picture and their self-worth is Amplified and they feel that they then can be a part of God's kingdom. Mmm. So it's a spiritual thing. I I feel very deeply about that. Yes what the government cutbacks the federal government cutbacks can the Salvation Army and other charities? Pick up the slack enough to help people who may need some additional help. Well, of course are our concern is that we help the person who has the dire need and it seems like that the Salvation Army in all of our history has been the one to the agency to kind of pick up the pieces the people who fall through the cracks and we will continue to do that as long as we can and frankly I feel that where there is a need and we can express that to the communities particularly the Twin City areas and in Minnesota, we can express that to our people and they know that that is a legitimate need. I think that they will help us to meet those needs that are coming up we and we don't know what that's going to be at. This point. Right next caller is from Elko Bob. Yes. I wanted to lift up the positive experience that I've had with working with Salvation Army. I'm a Methodist a nomad and I respond to Through our United Methodist committee on relief we respond to disasters and many times. We've been working right alongside Salvation Army volunteers checking out material out of the Salvation Army Depot and and it's been a very positive experience as well as working with the Mennonites. We worked with them in a knight's a lot in that respect. But I just wanted to go on record to say in the Salvation Army is always there and it's a very positive kind of thing to have happen in the disasters. Thank you very much. I appreciate the fact that in this day and age when there's a disaster that the agencies who are involved in disaster work trying to work hand in hand. We do have to have networking. I think that's a key word in our society today that we need to network with other groups so that we can get the job done. Are there some are there some things that you don't get involved with charitable social kinds of things that that are just not in your province in your domain or do you do it all well, you've raised a good question. I think we do it all but I'm not sure we probably would have to have some example of ideas that I can think of right now. Hmm But you're willing to jump into anything. Yes within recent. I have to say to our staff once in a while since we cannot answer all the questions and cannot solve all the problems in the world, but we can start with what we Of and perhaps refer people to other agencies in this kind of thing. I think you know really when you talk about all the needs of people there are psychological needs and we don't get into that kind of thing. We refer them to a psychiatrist and so forth. And so there are things that we don't involve ourselves in we would make referrals to other other groups or talking with the Lieutenant Colonel Donald Arnold who is with the Salvation Army. He is the divisional Commander for Minnesota and North Dakota. We don't have a lot of time left. But if you have got a question or a comment give us a quick call to 276 thousand in the Twin Cities 2276 thousand outside the Twin Cities. The number would be one eight hundred two, four two 2828 Andrew your online from The Long Prairie understanding appreciate your program and also the work of Salvation Army and a couple things some time ago. There was We're on our area and see contributions and I wonder if they do anything like this now, and also I want to mention. I wonder if the heat share connection with many Gaskell goes for Salvation Army. Well, let me ask you answer the last question first Minnie gasps go and in Sp are very important contribution contributors to the heat share program. We strive to meet those of needs of families that have their their utilities they mount up so much that they can't take care of them. We try to help with them. And of course most of the donations come through many Gasko users and in Sp users, and of course that's that's going directly to serve those people. We have senior citizens and handicapped people who need to help with turning on the furnace or checking their furnace or having a filter changed or something on that order and we have people who will take care of that as well volunteers. Mostly who will go out and make those changes that are needed but yes, they certainly are very much. Involved in it's one of the greatest programs. I think that the Army has in fact, Minnesota is probably the leader in the country in this program. As far as the Army's concerned the other question what mr. Carlson? Mr. Carlson. Mr. Carlson is not a member of the Salvation Army. I'm not sure if he's a volunteer in your area. But we do have what we call service units and those are units in communities throughout the two-state areas where there is no Salvation Army presence as far as a building as far as an officer's concern, but we have volunteers who stand in for the Army and who take care of the people who come to to the community who have needs and they represent us and will write them a check or give them a voucher and they're taken care of and they also do raise money in the the rural areas now, we don't go door-to-door any any longer but Christmastime their kettles in most of those Areas, and there is a male appeal that reaches all of the residents of that Community. We've only got about a minute left Pat quick question. Yeah. Hi. This is Pat from Minneapolis. And I'm wondering where the the monies from the kettle's go to and I'll just hang up and listen. Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving. Okay, okay, the money's of the of the kettles and it's important for us to continually remind the public that our Kettle effort is for Christmas and throughout the rest of the year because people in December are very hungry, but in January and February in the cold weathers, they're very hungry and have needs that are beyond our ordinary budget. So the kettle effort is for the entire year. We do spend an awful lot of time and money on Christmas because we feel that's a special time and people need special attention and Care at that time. We want every needy child to have at least one brand-new toy at Christmas time. And we want those who have needs to have a nice Christmas dinner, okay. And Colonel 11 of the caller asked to do you have a like a toll-free number for contributions? Yes, we do. It's one eight hundred four five six, four 4834564483. Well, good luck. How much do you are you trying to raise during the Christmas season? Well, then Twin City is 3.1 million. Okay. Well good luck to you and thanks so much for coming by Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you. And the same to you our guest today Lieutenant Colonel Donald Arnold who is the divisional Commander for the Salvation Army in Minnesota and North Dakota?