Comfort And Joy From America's Charities
By Paul M. Weyrich
December 23, 2003
When Ronald Reagan delivered his inaugural address
in 1981, he issued what
could be interpreted as a challenge to his fellow Americans: How
can we
love our country and not love our country-men; and loving them,
reach out a
hand when they fall, heal them when they're sick, and provide opportunity
to
make them self-sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not
just in
theory?
To those who believe in conservative principles, what
President Reagan said
is particularly significant. When he asked that question, it was
not to be
answered by increasing government spending on social services. Instead,
it
would be Americans themselves, through voluntary donations of their
time and
money, who would seek out and assist those people and organizations
that
have been working in a creative and constructive manner to better
their
communities.
President Bush's heartfelt support for faith-based
institutions and
volunteerism has given renewed vigor to the challenge issued by
President
Reagan.
This Christmas season, Americans will not have to
look far to give a
meaningful gift to people in need of a helping hand.
The Salvation Army has been doing the things of which
President Reagan spoke
for over a century, and it expects to continue helping Americans
discover
the true promise of American life - opportunity - for years to come.
One of Britain's most valuable imports to us has been
the Salvation Army,
which evolved from the ministry of William Booth in London in 1865.
Booth
wanted to lead people to Christ, urging the poor not just to save
themselves
but to reach out to others. Like their British counterparts, the
American
missionaries of the Salvation Army persevered despite being mocked,
ridiculed, and even attacked. They have succeeded in turning innumerable
lives around from traveling down dead-end paths.
The Washington, D.C. chapter provides an example of
the good work of the
Salvation Army. Recently, the foundation that had planned to donate
a
mansion to the D.C. government as a permanent mayoral mansion changed
its
plan and the property was donated to the Salvation Army instead.
The
Salvation Army intends to sell the property. The proceeds will be
used to
help the unfortunate among us, not doled out to its leaders in huge
cash
bonuses. The Salvation Army's local office in the Washington area
is audited
twice yearly to make sure its donations are being used properly;
that is,
providing direct services to those in need.
The money will be used to build a new five-story community
center as part of
the Salvation Army's "East of the River Initiative," an
ambitious project in
the city's Anacostia neighborhood, an area afflicted by high rates
of
poverty, unemployment, and high school dropout rates.
Most Washington residents rarely - if ever - venture
into this neighborhood,
but the Salvation Army's Beverley Jeffries said she and the organization's
leadership realized that the area's residents represented the majority
of
those seeking assistance. That led to a decision a few years ago
to have the
Salvation Army locate special programs there.
Already, the Salvation Army is working to provide
residents with the
counseling and support they need to break the cycle of poverty and
become
productive citizens.
The Salvation Army has forged a partnership with cable
contracting companies
to train young men and women in how to install cable. Eligibility
requirements include a high school diploma or GED and passing scores
on
tests measuring relevant job skills. But the hope is that soon participants
in the classes will also be able to receive etiquette training and
remedial
assistance in math and English to help prepare for moving even further
up
the job ladder.
The new center is slated to open in 2005. It will
combine the operations of
the Salvation Army's ministry and traditional social services with
small
business incubation, job training, and childcare, to help develop
the
economy and community.
That is the latest initiative of the local Salvation
Army. But that does not
even begin to discuss the programs that: provide coats and assist
paying
fuel bills for the poor; housing to the homeless; recovery assistance
to
alcoholics and drug-users; and summer camps for the elderly and
the young.
The best gifts that one can give are not always the
flashiest presents.
Right in your own community, there are people whose lives, sometimes
through
no fault of their own, are bleak because they are impoverished,
sometimes
spiritually as well as materially. That is indeed a grave situation.
Fortunately, lives can take dramatic turnarounds for
the better through the
ministry and assistance of organizations such as the Salvation Army.
The
work of the Salvation Army and other effective charities, many of
which are
based in Judeo-Christian principles, exemplify the best values of
our
country. Their work is often taken for granted. Be sure to remember
them
this Christmas season. There are few gifts that are more rewarding
to give
than to recognize the work of those faith-based organizations that
are
leading men and women toward living better, more fruitful lives.
Paul M. Weyrich is Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress
Foundation.
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