Volunteers needed in Belvidere to ring bells at red kettles

BELVIDERE— The holidays are fast approaching and now is the time when many make plans to help those in our community who are less fortunate. The Salvation Army is seeking volunteers to ring bells at our red kettle sites in Belvidere.

Our new online program RegisterToRing.com makes it easier than ever for individuals, families, service clubs or groups across Lake County to give back this holiday season.

The Register to Ring program allows prospective volunteers to go online to RegisterToRing.com and choose the locations, dates and times that they wish to volunteer to ring bells.

Volunteers can register as an individual, a family, office or group. The system will also generate automatic email confirmations and reminders. This year, volunteers will be ringing bells at nine locations across Belvidere from Nov. 16 through Christmas Eve (excluding Thanksgiving Day and Sundays).

“This exciting new program will not only raise awareness of the opportunity to ring bells, it gives volunteers more choices and more control of the process,” Lt. Tomas Valladares, Corps Officer at The Salvation Army Belvidere Corps Community Center, said.

“We are excited about how this new program will make it easier than ever for individuals, families, church groups and service organizations to ring bells with us and create a memorable and meaningful Christmas tradition.”

Individuals interested in volunteering to ring bells in Belvidere can sign up at RegisterToRing.com or call (815) 544-3892.  You can also visit the office at 422 S. Main St. in Belvidere. We ask that individuals, couples or families volunteer for shifts of two to four hours, and service clubs or larger groups four to eight hours, all between the hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

About The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division

In 2015, The Salvation Army is celebrating its 150th worldwide anniversary and 130 years of service in Chicagoland. As one of the largest direct providers of social services in the state of Illinois, The Salvation Army operates more than 25 corps community centers, as well as other facilities in neighborhoods across the greater Chicago area, offering shelter, meals, child care, disaster relief, after-school programs, recreational activities, music education and more.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, established in London in 1865, has been supporting people in need for more than 130 years in the United States.

Approximately 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a range of social services: food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children.

Eighty-two cents of every dollar donated to The Salvation Army is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. The Salvation Army tracks the level of need across the country with the Human Needs Index (HumanNeedsIndex.org).

For more information, go to salvationarmyusa.org or follow on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS.