Bloomington organizations honored at Salvation Army Awards Dinner

Bloomington community spirit was evident Wednesday night at First United Methodist Church, 219 E. Fourth St., as community leaders, advisory board members and volunteers met for the annual Salvation Army Awards Dinner. \nFormer head football coach Bill Mallory served as master of ceremonies and assistant coach Anthony Thompson served as the keynote speaker. \nThe dinner was held to honor Bloomington residents who have given their time, talents and finances to help the less fortunate. The dinner was dedicated to the late Lloyd Olcott, a member of the Salvation Army for more than 25 years.\nMore than 160 people were in attendance as awards and recognitions were presented. Many local businesses, religious organizations and groups were honored for their contributions to the Salvation Army throughout the year. \nSalvation Army Advisory Board Chairman Tom Bunger praised the captain of the Bloomington Salvation Army, Steven Koehler, for his commitment to the organization and to helping others. \n"The awards dinner is a team effort, the advisory board helps a lot. We dream big when looking for speakers, we got lucky with Coach Mallory and Coach Thompson," Koehler said.\nThe Bloomington Brass Band, whose members volunteer their time to play at bell ringing sites during the winter holiday season, performed for the crowd. Directed by Al Olson, the band plays at many community events throughout the year.\nMarsha Bradford, representing the city of Bloomington, expressed gratitude for all the volunteers and board members for their contributions to the community. She read a letter from Mayor John Fernandez that named the week of May 13 to 19 "Local Salvation Army Week" to honor the organization for its accomplishments.\nPeg Stice, executive director of the United Way, also spoke at the event. She said the organization helped pay bills when the fuel prices rose. The Salvation Army also came up with a way to include gifts for underprivileged teenagers in the organization's Christmas drives, instead of focusing solely on smaller children, she said.\nThe familiar bell ringers who gave their time at Christmastime 2000 were praised, and the two groups that brought in the most money were given awards. First Place went to the second ward of the Bloomington Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which brought in $1,244.08. Second place went to the Bloomington Rotary Club, which brought in $1,041.14. \n"I started this project in our church eight years ago, and it got bigger and bigger," church member Dick Sanders said. "I have no problem getting people to go out and ring the bells. I only try to boost their level of enthusiasm, but they are happy to give their time to serve the community and help the less fortunate."\nGiving back to the community was Thompson's message as well, as he spoke about following Jesus Christ's examples of helping others. He spoke about the Salvation Army's mission statement, and the need for the community to come together to help people in need.\nLt. Colonel and divisional commander Jack Getz summarized the Salvation Army's place in the community. \n"Faith is our motivation, we do this because we love people, we want to meet their needs and go the extra mile," Getz said.