Theology Teacher Volunteers with Special Army to Bring Holiday Cheer
DJ White teaches freshman and sophomore theology at Central Catholic. He is a 2016 graduate of Cardinal Stritch Catholic High School and a 2020 graduate of Walsh University. This is his fourth-year teaching at CCHS, and he is also the Quiz Bowl club moderator.
During the Christmas season, DJ likes to volunteer for the Salvation Army, helping those who are less fortunate. The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible, and its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.
DJ helps with the Salvation Army’s toy drive and toy distribution, and he works as a bell ringer and a money sorter for the Red Kettle campaign. You may have seen him at the Kroger store in Point Place or on Navarre Avenue in Oregon, collecting donations that help provide essential support to individuals and families in need. He has been a volunteer for about 15 years, and he originally got involved through his family.
“My mom sits on the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army of Northwest Ohio,” DJ explained. “From my understanding, they ask strong business leaders and public servants to help guide the Army in an unbiased fashion. My mom works for the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, and she helped in place of the sheriff one time. She came to really enjoy helping the Army during the Christmas season. There came a point, once I was old enough to be trusted handling money, that she brought me along to help, and that’s how I got started.”
When he works as a bell ringer, his shift typically lasts from 9 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m., depending on the location and officers’ routes. Salvation Army officers go to each location to pick up the kettles when the day is done and then bring them back to headquarters. DJ has been most involved with kettle sorting, which is done at headquarters. They work with a partner to break down the contents of the red kettles. This includes separating and straightening the paper currency so that the bank can run it through a counter, sorting through the change to separate US and foreign currency, and getting anything out of the batch that isn’t supposed to be in there. “We have found many random items in the kettles over the years, ranging from pills to paper clips, foreign coins, religious medals, and even AA sobriety chips.”
DJ volunteers at kettle sorting about six days a week from Thanksgiving to Christmas. He and his family usually work one weekend shift during the Christmas season as bell ringers. This year, they worked on Saturday, December 6. While ringing the bell, he plays Christmas music to help brighten the Christmas spirit. He has found that a warm smile and a simple “Hello” go a long way in warming people’s hearts for giving.
DJ’s years as a bell ringer have given him many memorable experiences and a strong sense that he is making a difference in people’s lives. One experience that stands out most to him just happened this year. “It was toward the end of my shift, and my wife and I were tired and cold from the doors opening and closing, and this old man stopped and dug a five dollar bill out of his wallet,” DJ recalled. “He shook my hand and asked how long I had been doing this. I said it had only been a few hours, but then he stopped me and said, ‘No, how long have you been volunteering with the Salvation Army?’ I told him that I had been involved with them since I was in the 7th grade. He smiled and it honestly looked like he had a tear in his eye. He said that I had just made his day and made him feel so good inside. He then thanked me and left. It was a small moment, but it was something that I feel normally doesn’t happen. It just was nice to know that I was doing the right thing.”
Part of his volunteer work with the Salvation Army has included helping with the 13ABC annual toy drive in early December. “People are able to drive up and donate toys, and most people just donate a toy or two and then drive away,” DJ explained. “Occasionally we would have a car that had a few more. But one year, an elderly gentleman pulled up and said he had a trunk full of toys. When I went to the back to get the toys out for him, I was blown away. Not only did he have a trunk full of toys, but these toys were also all completely made of wood. He told me that each year he’d spend hours making these toys by hand for the children.”
An earlier experience has also stayed with DJ for many years. “While I was in high school and college, I helped with the toy distribution when the Army put all the toys they had collected in a hall and parents could come ‘shop’ for their kids for Christmas,” DJ recalled. “They are able to get many gifts for their children, gifts for the family, and gift cards for food during the holidays. During one of my volunteering days, I was helping a woman carry bags full of new toys to her car. We got to her car and got everything situated, and she looked at me with tears swelling in her eyes and asked if she could hug me. I’m not a hugger, but I felt she needed it, so I agreed. As she hugged me, she thanked me and said that without people like me doing this, her kids wouldn’t have a Christmas. It really made me realize the little things we all take for granted.”
If you are interested in becoming a Salvation Army volunteer like DJ, or if you’d like to learn more about the organization, please visit salvationarmyusa.org/.
History of the Red Kettle Campaign
The iconic Salvation Army red kettle campaign began in 1891 in California by Captain Joseph McFee, a Salvation Army officer who was looking for a way to cover the cost of his community’s Christmas meal. Recalling his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England, he recreated the Simpson’s Pot, an iron pot where charitable donations were placed by passersby. Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing, at the foot of Market Street where it could be seen by all those going to and from the ferry boats. By 1895 the “kettle” was used by 30 locations along the west coast, and by 1897 the campaign was making its mark in the east. That year, the kettle effort in Boston and other locations nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy. The tradition continues today. Sharing your donation at Christmastime helps The Salvation Army care for homeless and needy families, but also helps serve over 27 million people through a myriad of other services all year long. These include:
Disaster response services
Social service programs that provide food, shelter, clothing, and financial assistance
Counseling
Youth services
Senior centers
Christmas programs
Human and sexual trafficking advocacy
Veterans’ services
Prison services
Religious services
From salvationarmyusa.org/about-us/the-red-kettle/
Previous Editions of “After the Bell”
Tye Turner (September)
Elaine Gabalac (October)
Randall Pryor (November)
Tom Trease (December)
