SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) Over sixty Metro Detroit celebrities— including four from WWJ and several more from our Audacy sister stations— braved the cold to ring the bell with the hope of collecting donations to fill their Salvation Army red kettle to the brim this holiday season. The donations go to help those in need across the listening area--providing them with food, shelter and more.
The celebrities— from radio, television and print/online media— stood outside of supermarkets across Metro Detroit from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, December 7th, to take part in The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit’s 12th Annual Celebrity Bell Ringing Weekend. While the day is done, you can still donate to their virtual red kettles through Monday (individual links later in article).
The three local celebrities who raise the most money will be honored with trophies at the end of the weekend.
The event is coinciding with Pat Milliken Ford $20 Challenge. For every $20 donation, made online or to a physical kettle, Pat Milliken will match and quadruple the donation to turn it into $100.
For the physical red kettle; it must be a $20 bill— not two tens, four fives, etc.— in order for the match to occur.
Salvation Army supporters can join in the Pat Milliken Ford $20 Challenge by making a $20 donation in the following methods:
-Texting GIFT to 24365
-Donating money via an online kettle, Paypal, Venmo or physical red kettle
-Visiting SAmetrodetroit.org
-Calling 877-SAL-MICH
The matching opportunity ends at 11:59 p.m (Saturday, December 7th).
You can support our own Rob Davidek, Darrylin Horne, Charlie Langton and Aricka McCauley by donating to their virtual red kettles through Monday, December 9th.
Also participating from our Audacy sister stations:
WOMC
JoAnne Purtan
Jason Raithel
WYCD
Rachael Hunter
Holly Hutton
Rob Stone
Sarah Thomas
See stories of families the Salvation Army of Metro Detroit has helped here
“As Detroit media trade in their microphones and notepads for bells, we are extremely grateful for Pat Milliken Ford and our local celebrities who spread Christmas cheer and fundraise for good,” Major Charlotte Hall, general secretary and metro Detroit area commander of The Salvation Army Great Lakes Division, said in a release. "The generous donations from this event and throughout the campaign will help provide our community with warm meals, safe shelter, and other vital services throughout the holiday season and 365 days a year.”
Also on Celebrity Bell Ringing Weekend; the Salvation Army Great Lakes Division partnered with the Elks Lodge where Elks members will ring the bell at several red kettle locations throughout the region. The lodge that raises the most when they ring the bell will be awarded the first-ever Golden Kettle Award, a traveling trophy to be passed on to the top fundraising lodge each year.
“I want to help the community,” Lisa Serrano with Elks Lodge told WWJ’s Rob Davidek while they were both ringing the bell this morning at the Kroger on Five Mile in Livonia. “There’s a lot of people out there who could use the money, especially now. There’s the homeless, there’s people struggling with the economy.”
About the Salvation Army: “Founded by William and Catherine Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. At work in Michigan since 1887, The Salvation Army operates 61 centers of operation throughout the state. Annually, these facilities provide nearly 4.8 million meals and more than 1.1 million nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.83 of every dollar raised to provide direct services to people in need each and every day of the year. For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at centralusa.salvationarmy.org/greatlakes."