SkiP HappEns Podcast
Skip Clark is a dynamic and captivating podcast host and radio personality who has left an indelible mark on the world of broadcasting. With a voice that can command attention and a personality that oozes charm, Skip has become a beloved figure in the world of entertainment. His passion for storytelling and his ability to connect with his audience shine through in every episode of his podcast and every moment on the airwaves.
Skip’s journey in radio began decades ago, and he has since evolved into a seasoned professional who effortlessly navigates the waves of the media industry. His deep knowledge of music, pop culture, and current events keeps his listeners engaged and coming back for more. Skip Clark's enthusiasm and authenticity make him a trusted voice in the world of podcasting and radio. His dedication to his craft and his commitment to providing quality content continue to make him a standout in the world of broadcasting.
SkiP HappEns Podcast
Spreading Holiday Cheer: Salvation Army's Impact and Volunteer Opportunities with Major Charles Roberts
Major Charles Roberts joins us to shed light on the Salvation Army's powerful impact during the holiday season. Discover how the iconic red kettles are more than just a holiday tradition—they're a lifeline that supports 34 crucial programs ranging from daycare and housing assistance to shelters for homeless youth. Through Major Roberts' personal experiences and insights, you’ll learn about the incredible difference even modest donations can make and why volunteer bell ringers are essential to the mission. He extends an invitation to the community to participate, emphasizing the joy and fulfillment that comes from volunteering during this festive time.
The episode takes a heartwarming turn as we highlight the Christmas Bureau's large-scale gift distribution event, a collaborative effort bringing smiles to countless children and families in need. While volunteer registration may have closed, the spirit of giving is celebrated through partnerships with organizations like Toys for Tots and Old Newsboys. Major Roberts also shares tales from Syracuse, where the Salvation Army has been a beacon of hope for 140 years. As we talk about upcoming events and community engagement opportunities, we invite you to embrace the holiday spirit and support the Salvation Army or any nonprofit close to your heart.
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Hi there everybody and welcome to the Inner Harbor cast. My name is Skip Clark. It is the holiday season and taking that step forward into the community and talking to a lot of our community leaders, and today I am so excited to have Major Charles Roberts with an S in the studio here in the podcast studio at Inner Harbor Media and wow, what a a great. I'm so excited to talk to major well, let's just start it out, right?
Speaker 2:okay, let's get the sound effects. Okay, this is the season of giving you know what to do with the bell. We need you to do it with the bell, baby, help us to ring it and bring it this season.
Speaker 1:I love that we should have put. We should have brought a little kettle, yeah you know, and we could have done the online donation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I could have had a little tip tap thing here too. We gotta talk about that down the road, we do major.
Speaker 1:It's a pleasure seeing you this morning. Thank you for making the trip in and, uh, you know, coming to talk to us about what's going on. This is a very, uh, very important time of the year. I know Salvation Army is active all year round, but even maybe a little bit more so during the holiday season. I see the red kettles that are out there, and why don't we talk about that a little bit? The red kettles how many are there there's?
Speaker 2:24, 25 locations out and around, usually at your supermarkets and some of the larger stores like Walmarts, and we're at a Hobby Lobby and a few other places. Runnings has been a great friend of ours for many, many years and you know we're just so grateful. Nichols in Liverpool has been fantastic with us. We're just so grateful for all of our friends. We love Nichols too. They're hometowns. Yeah, yeah, we do. I got to go get some meat for the holiday.
Speaker 1:Where else do you go? Do you have, like you're asking for donations, any monetary amount with the kettle?
Speaker 2:Yes indeed.
Speaker 1:When you see a kettle, you need to do this, but tell us about what is the goal?
Speaker 2:The goal is $, is 150 000 skip and that money stays right here at home. This is our big sort of operational support campaign and it just helps all the boats at syracuse area services stay afloat. All the 34 different programs are helped by these funds okay, talk to us about some of the programs.
Speaker 1:You say 33, 34 programs.
Speaker 2:Well, the numbers change because from year to year we get different projects and morph into different mini departments within a department. So the services at Syracuse Area Services range from infant care to senior citizens and back again. So you'll find daycare, early Head Start, head Start, pre-k, upk, and then you'll find a range of your basic needs ministries you think about food assistance, assistance, housing assistance, all kinds of case managers managing different facets to help people flourish. Uh, family therapy is available.
Speaker 1:Violence intervention oh wow that's got to be pretty, just the way the world is in the yeah, let me explain violence, intervention it's not violence prevention, it's violence intervention.
Speaker 2:So, to put it plainly, two guys are having a beef. Somebody gets right in the middle of that argument and de-escalates it. Oh so is that. They're like on the street. Live, they're a mediator, live, real time on the set, getting in the midst of heated conversation before it goes too far, before it goes awry.
Speaker 2:So all of those, we have two runaway and homeless youth shelters booth and Barnabas house, always in need of clothing and need of specialized funds to help the kids. You know, sorry, they're not kids, they're young adults. Sorry, I'm just old, me too. Yeah, I can't help it. But to help those, those folks that live there to have fun, to get back to school, to get reconnected right, to stop couch surfing, let's find you a place that's a little more stable. Let's get you into you, buffalo, let's get you into you know, let's get you into school. Let's get you into U, buffalo, let's get you into you know, let's get you into school, let's get you into a job, let's and these, these kinds of on-ramps happen and and really accelerate when we get a young person from couch surfing to stay at one of our, one of our youth homes.
Speaker 1:So I would say you never say never with the Salvation Army. You have a dream, you have a passion and you don't think you can achieve that? The Salvation Army is also there to help you achieve that goal.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right In so many ways. In so many ways can you get help through the Salvation Army and thanks to our community partners as well that support us in this endeavor. There are many ways to join the Salvation Army. Right now, we're hoping that we can get some more volunteer bell ringers out there to do some of this baby.
Speaker 1:Can I do that? Yeah, you can, there we go.
Speaker 2:You can do that at the Destiny USA Mall, my friend, I like that and I always I'm the one. You're stuttering right now, skip, don't stutter. I know, but I haven't done it one You're stuttering right now, skip, don't stutter. I've been there.
Speaker 1:Have you, and it's such a warm feeling.
Speaker 2:Tell me about it. Whose interview is this? But truly tell me about the feeling you have when you're out there and you're ringing the bell.
Speaker 1:You know I get the goosebumps just talking about it, because you're standing there and you see people, just they're shopping, so they got a little extra cash in their pocket or doing whatever. Nowadays we can also do it on the app.
Speaker 2:Yes, you can, yes, you can.
Speaker 1:But just to see them either go with the app or drop a few coins in the bucket, it's like thank you, thank you so much Because you know you're helping. You're helping somebody in our community and that's I. Just like I said, I get the. It's just a heartwarming feeling. I don't even I'm trying to think of the right words to describe it Heartwarming. Yeah, that's a good one, it's very heartwarming and it's very generous for others to give to the salvation.
Speaker 2:It is more blessed to give than it is to receive. Skip it really. It really really is. I mean, nobody's saying don't give. We're saying please give. Don't give until it hurts, Give until it feels great. That's what we ask for people to do, and one of the ways you can do it very easily electronically is you can text the word Kettles, Kettles, Kettles to 31333. And it opens up to our lands, to our giving page, and you can pay through PayPal.
Speaker 1:Venmo.
Speaker 2:Google Pay Apple Pay Really make it really easy page and you can pay through right there. Paypal, venmo, google pay apple pay.
Speaker 1:oh my god, really make it really easy, yeah you do make it easy, yeah, and there's a lot of people that cannot get out to some of these locations, so there's an opportunity for you to, uh, you know, jump online and do that. It's kettles, kettles, kettles and well, text it text kettles to three one, three three, three, three, one, three, three, three. There you go. That's a great way to make a donation. You know and you're helping somebody in the community and the Salvation Army. Let me tell you a story. Skip about about.
Speaker 2:You know, I've been in this for 30 years. Okay, I've been the Salvation Army officer for 30 years and I've served all over the East coast Mostly yeah, a couple of stints here and there, you know. But time after time, when we're out there ringing this bell, you hear stories. You hear stories of people who may have been helped by the Salvation Army, and in this town, one out of three people have worked for the Salvation Army. So I hear, oh, I worked at Booth House, or I worked at Barnabas.
Speaker 2:I was just with our early childhood team this morning and our good friends from the Early Childhood Alliance stopped by and they're one of our partner agencies and they brought like goodies for the staff, for our teammates, right, who are doing the daycare, because it's just nice to be able to go home and put a face mask on that someone gave you, or have a piece of chocolate, or a warm pair of socks or something Most beautiful things lip balm you know the things that just make people feel like people don't know what you do. They care how they feel at the end, right, and so they just felt so great doing that. And then what I learned is that one of the women that works for. Eca was a kid in our daycare, really yeah.
Speaker 2:And then we meet people. We have parents who've had their kids in the daycare oh my gosh. So it really creates a family within a family, within a family, right? So it really creates a family within a family, within a family, right? And all of that helps people to thrive, right? Helps parents to be supported and helped and encouraged, and their kids are getting the social and emotional infrastructure they need to be ready for kindergarten. It's just an absolute joy. And that's just one of the stories. That's just one. There are millions of stories in the Salvation Army and this's just one of the stories. That's just one. There are millions of stories in the Salvation Army and this is just one of them.
Speaker 1:Now you, major Charles Roberts, with us this morning in the Salvation Army, but you mentioned one in three individuals here in Syracuse have at one time.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure that's an actual statistic. I mean, I said it like it was true. I mean it's a pretty good guess. I mean, I mean people. I mean people all over the place, who? I mean? You know, the voice of a nation, george patrick. Oh, I love, george, work for the salvation army? Yeah, god bless, you know, I mean it's, it's amazing and and and so you know, we're part of this big, beautiful human services family here and together serving as as central new y York safety net. There's still holes. There's still holes, and that's what these funds are for. These funds here are for the holes.
Speaker 2:Exactly so if you see that red kettle.
Speaker 1:Do what you can do or go on use your phone and text kettles.
Speaker 2:Text kettles to three one, three, three, three, three one, three, three, three, one, three, three, three.
Speaker 1:There you go, let's. Uh, you know, it's so important that you do that all right, let's move on the christmas bureau. Oh yes, distribution of all those gifts and, from what I understand, this year's like the biggest ever so far.
Speaker 2:So far, registration is a record. Number of registrants okay, which is not a record, that you know. We're like wow, you were like wow, the need is so great, right? Record number of registrants. We've had to add a couple of days on to a couple of sites and then this week coming we'll have the big distribution uh days at the on center. Um, last year we would have served somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 000 kids, kids. But you have to register ahead of time.
Speaker 2:You have to register ahead and the most painful thing you know in a lot of these human service work. You know, blessed are those who know how to register first. And it's horrible when someone comes and they didn't know and we just can't and it breaks my heart. Listen, a lot of things break my heart in this town. No-transcript hurting a little bit too right for a lot of people out there it's not the most wonderful time of the year. Right, there's tough, there's there's. There's tough things, there's tough things and one of the ways to lift yourself out of that tough thing. It's helps.
Speaker 1:My he's got a little bit tougher than you yeah, my wife has volunteered to work the event oh, a lot of years and she comes home and just tells me stories. Oh yeah, just wow. And and what? I'm reading him a little notes here 10 000 people. Last year, 10 000 individuals came through yeah, yeah, well kids, 2 000 families, close to 10 000 people yeah, and we're looking.
Speaker 2:I mean we're looking for a record number. I mean you know, we want to serve everybody we can and you.
Speaker 1:You get a lot of corporations involved doing this, tons of course.
Speaker 2:I mean this is this is this I mean united way is is is helping steer this ship and national grid and nBT, mnt, everybody's stepping up. I can't mention them all because I'll get in trouble for not mentioning one, and so I'm sorry, but there's tons of people.
Speaker 1:It's amazing, thank you for doing that.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's incredible. We're so grateful that the registration for volunteers for Christmas Bureau is closed, which tells you oh wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how many people?
Speaker 2:enjoy doing this work. Yeah, and you can still help, though Don't think you're left out of it because you can't volunteer at the Christmas Bureau. You can give the Toys for Tots there, you go. We have that too, and Toys for Tots supports the Christmas Bureau as well. So there's the drop-off day happening pretty soon at CMY Central. You know, last year I froze everything off. Oh my goodness, it was terrible.
Speaker 1:But it was well worth it.
Speaker 2:Oh man, it was worth it, because watching those trucks run out, all those Marine trucks go half-tracked, running out with all those toys, it's so exciting. And this weekend we've got the old newsboys in town.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's right with the papers.
Speaker 2:Right, that's right. So you can buy one of those special holiday newspapers, and that money also supports the Christmas Bureau. I love that. So you know, look, this is it. This is the moment, this is the time. Giving is everywhere.
Speaker 1:I love it yeah there you go. I knew that was coming.
Speaker 2:Let me, I love it. Yeah, there you go. I knew that was coming, let me uh.
Speaker 1:I love this man. I need to give me one of those.
Speaker 2:Actually, I go out and ring it anyways, yeah, yeah, well, if you come out, I'll bring that for you. All right, that's the big one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's the big one.
Speaker 2:We can't use it well, it's, it's actually the historical. It's actually got a historical thing on it. Yeah, it was, it was. It doesn't have a date, but it's it's. It's been around a while thing on it. Yeah, it doesn't have a date, but it's been around a while. I love it. So in the last appointment I was in, we used to have campaigns and whoever brought in the most money as a group got the bell ringer award. I love that and everybody can have bragging rights.
Speaker 1:Hey, can we get back to the actual Christmas bureau? Sure, absolutely. What does each family, what does each household get?
Speaker 2:They'll get food. They'll get toys for the children, for the older kids. They'll get a gift card to Walmart to get something, because we don't get a lot of stuff in for teens, right? They get books from United Way, um. They get, uh books from united way. They get activity books, coloring books, chapter books, whatever books they have you can have there. It's amazing. All my favorite books are there, um and uh. There'll be some other things.
Speaker 2:There'll be teddy bears that will be, um, thrown on the ice during the teddy, teddy, uh-huh, yeah, that's coming up, so so all these things will work together to make a great holiday for yeah, and you know you go all year round with all these different services.
Speaker 1:but this is the big time of the year, as I started out talking about this, that every penny, so to speak, that you give to the Red Kettle campaign goes to these programs that continue in the spring, this summer, the fall, leading up to the holiday. So this is the big fundraiser time. I would assume I'm sure you do fundraisers all year round, but still this is our most visible time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we really have a need. You know, and I know everybody does every non-profit. You know, I know you get deluged most people. You know I do too, with all the letters in the mail and all those things. However you choose, however you decide to give if you give to the salvation army or you give to any other nonprofit that you affiliate with or enjoy, I love it Do it because of the heart, man, because that's what we need to get back to. We need to get back to this time where you know we just care for each other. You know we've had a lot of we've been beat up, you know the zeitgeist is beat us up it is, it has, and yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:How does um somebody get involved? Let's say, you know what this is I. I heard this on the radio. I watched on the podcast. You know, I want to go ring the bell. What do they do?
Speaker 2:oh, real easy. Okay, register to ringcom, just to ringcom. Just go to register to ringcom, put in your zip code and it'll show you all the spots that are open and the times, and you can just sign up and then I'll go ahead and then you'll get you know text message and email to remind you, and you know give me some.
Speaker 1:Hey, you gotta be there at two o'clock, let's go. Yeah, I love that, though that's what we all need nowadays. And does the Salvation Army have volunteers for all your other events as well, do you? If somebody wanted to volunteer to help the Salvation Army, can they go online and sign up to do that?
Speaker 2:Yes, Our website is SASYR dot org and at SASYR dot org there's a volunteer button and you can put in what you'd like to do. There are lots, lots of available volunteer roles. Yeah. You know this is, this has to be one of the best podcasts that I've done, that I sit here and I talk to somebody like major Charles Roberts, uh, just uh, you know, a staple in the community.
Speaker 1:You've been here about four years.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Army's been here a hundred and four. I was going to go there Okay, 140. You've been here about four years. Yeah, army's been here 140. I was gonna go there okay, 140. You've been here in in Syracuse, so to speak for four years uh, major Charles Roberts, god bless you man, I just want to do this, do it, do it bring it and bring it, joe yeah, I'd like man that Bell fits my hand.
Speaker 2:I can do that. You come out this weekend, I'll let you ring it yeah, where are you gonna be?
Speaker 1:I'll be in the.
Speaker 2:Destiny Mall. Okay, I'll probably be by. Oh, since the spectacular weekend, I'll let you ring it. Yeah, where are you going to be? I'll be in the destiny mall. Okay, I'll probably be by. Oh, since this spectacular is happening, I'll be by the finger. Lakes coffee roasters.
Speaker 1:That too.
Speaker 2:Yes, if you come up there Saturday, I'll let you ring that I'll be there.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And anybody else who comes come.
Speaker 1:Come on, Go online Salvation Army Registered to ring dot com yes exactly, or kettles to three, one, three, three, three. There you go, it's a major, charles Roberts, everybody major. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Thank you, you know it was so awesome.
Speaker 1:It's a pleasure seeing you again and being here on the Inner Harbor cast, so thank you for coming or watching everybody and thank you for coming.
