Realtors® Ring for the Salvation Army

Realtors® throughout Pennsylvania volunteered to help the Salvation Army with its annual Red Kettle Campaign earlier this month.

Twelve associations coordinated with their local Salvation Army offices to ring bells at red kettles located throughout their communities.

The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign started more than 100 years ago to help provide Christmas meals to poverty-stricken communities in San Francisco. Money raised during the Red Kettle Campaign stays in the community to help those in need, providing food, shelter and social services. The idea of Realtors® ringing bells for the Salvation Army on the first Friday in December was initiated by a Realtor® in North Dakota and has spread throughout the country.

Like many other organizations, the Salvation Army’s iconic Red Kettle campaign has faced challenges with limited traffic at stores and some retail outlets scaling back their participation during the pandemic.

The Clearfield-Jefferson Association of Realtors® volunteered in DuBois and Punxsutawney locations this year.

Association President David Fetterhoff said, “Laura Clary, one of our board members, suggested we volunteer for the Salvation Army this year. They were really in need of volunteers and have faced financial issues during the pandemic.”

He continued, “We were happy to help out because the Salvation Army offers so many services to those in need. And we were pleased to learn that we collected twice as much as the Salvation Army expected this year. So many people in the community were extremely generous in their giving.”

Denise Whipp, president of the Warren County Association of Realtors®, said their volunteer efforts went well, despite the challenges of the pandemic. “Our association has done this for several years and we usually have members pair up to ring but this year we had to do it one person at a time, following safety protocols. Realtors® are such an important part of the community, it’s nice to give back and it’s great to see other members of the community giving as well.”

Realtors® from the Beaver County Association also collected donations at three locations.

“I worked at two of the locations and so many people donated,” said Sherman Hostetter, president of the Beaver County Association. “The community has a big heart and people who are able to give were extremely charitable.”

Hostetter said it’s important for Realtors® to give back to the communities where they work. “Honestly, how can you go wrong by giving back to the community?” he added.

PAR President Bill Festa said, “Despite the pandemic, Pennsylvania Realtors® continue to volunteer and give back to their communities. In fact, according to NAR’s Community Aid and Real Estate report, Realtors® have increased their philanthropic efforts this year, showing That’s Who We R.”

The following local associations had members who volunteered for Ring Day:

• Beaver County
• Central Susquehanna Valley
• Clearfield Jefferson
• Fayette County
• Huntingdon County
• Lebanon County
• Luzerne County
• Reading-Berks
• Realtors® Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh
• Realtors® Association of Westmoreland, Indiana and Mon Valley
• Warren County
• Westmoreland West