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Palm Beach Residents Unite to “X” Out Human Trafficking

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The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County renews valued partnership with #ENDITMOVEMENT. 

West Palm Beach, Florida (February 26, 2021) – On Thursday, February 25th, The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County joined 16 coalition partners, local residents, and individuals across the world, to participate in END IT DAY 2021. END IT DAY is an annual invitation of the #ENDITMOVEMENT coalition to take a stand against human trafficking. By utilizing a simple RED X drawn on the hand, END IT DAY calls others to join in the fight for freedom and to shine a light on human trafficking.

Majors Chip and Leisa Hall, Area Commanders of The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County, along with Area Command department heads, blazed the path in the fight against human trafficking by boldly displaying the RED X on END IT DAY 2021 (Photo Attached). In addition, END IT DAY was observed at the Territorial Headquarters chapel service by inviting participants to pray for those experiencing human trafficking and to join in the END IT DAY movement.

The Salvation Army, among the largest global nonprofit providers of social services to people living in impoverished communities around the world, is deeply committed to the modern-day fight against human trafficking (for sexual and labor purposes) and forms of commercial sexual exploitation innately linked to sexual trafficking. This commitment emerges from both The Salvation Army’s mission – to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination – and is rooted in the organization’s early history.

On the local level, The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County has partnered with Catholic Charities to provide a safe house for victims of Human Trafficking in Southeast Florida. Catholic Charities is providing supportive services (case management, transportation, community resources). Apart from providing safe 24/7 shelter, security, and meals, The Salvation Army Anti-Trafficking initiatives work alongside local law enforcement, FBI, ICE, and numerous other community partners to identify, rescue, and restore victims of forced labor and sexual exploitation. We help both foreign and domestic victims of all ages and ethnicities through our nationwide case management network.

The Salvation Army was founded in London, England, in 1865 by Catherine and William Booth. The Booths went against Victorian conventions and took their ministry to the dirty and dangerous streets of London’s east side where they reached out to the destitute and desperate. Their efforts eventually evolved into a battle to protect women and children from the horrors of sex trafficking. In the 1900s, the organization pioneered an undercover sex trafficking investigation, which directly shaped the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885.  

If you would like more information about The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County, and/or to inquire how you can help the #ENDITMOVEMENT, please contact Frank Marangos, Director of Development and Communications at 561.686.3530 and/or visit www.salvationarmypalmbeachcounty.org. Facebook information can be found @salarmypbco. 

About The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County

The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1922, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 98 years. 

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“Frankly Speaking” Radio Program Featured in Palm Beach Society, Feb. 26 – Mar. 4 Issue

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The February 26 – March 4 issue of the Palm Beach Society magazine features an article on The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County’s Director of Development and Communications, Frank Maragos’s, new weekly radio program, “Frankly Speaking” (p. 8). The issue also features a center spread thanking the dedicated volunteers of The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County.

READ THE CURRENT ISSUE.

Join Frank on “Frankly Speaking,” Saturdays at noon on WJNO 1290 AM, for insights on matters related to philanthropy and charitable contribution to the Palm Beach County community.

TSA PBC Love Volunteers Center Spread_Palm Beach Society_Feb21

 

About The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County:

The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1922, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 98 years.

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Blind Volunteer Inspiring Others To Give Back

Goddest Johnson documenting calls placed for food and financial assistance at The Salvation Army Women’s & Children’s Shelter in Orlando.

 

Orlando, FL (January 27, 2020) – Meet Goddest Johnson, a longtime volunteer with The Salvation Army Orlando Metro Area Command. She is legally blind, but she does not let that stop her from volunteering her time to serve. Despite her disability, Goddest committed to volunteering as the front desk receptionist at our Women’s & Children’s Shelter, assisting our social workers by answering the phones and filing paperwork.

Eleven years ago, Goddest was involved in an accident that left her visually impaired. With two children to raise, she moved to Orlando, Florida, from Houston, Texas. Goddest was determined to overcome her disability and live her life. “I’ve always had a passion for community service,” she shares. Taking matters into her own hands, Goddest got involved with the National Federation for the Blind and was named Vice President of Community Service. She became an advocate for creating community service opportunities for the visually impaired.

“I reached out to The Salvation Army because they were an organization that helped me when I was younger. So, I reached out, and they gave me a chance,” Goddest explains. At the age of 12, Goddest and her siblings were placed in foster care after their mother’s incarceration. “The Salvation Army was an organization that would come. They provided food and clothing – we were in different group homes, and I remember it being a resource that helped us.” Goddest recalls the years of support she received as a child. “Angel Tree was how I got gifts from the age of 12 up until 17,” Goddest shares.

For the past four years, Goddest has rendered countless volunteer hours to The Salvation Army Orlando Metro Area Command. Whenever a call for volunteers goes out, Goddest is there. She has prepared meals and serve homeless individuals, she has assisted with the preparation for our annual Thanksgiving feast, she has stuffed hundreds of Christmas stockings for kids and senior citizens, and she has assisted with over two dozen events.

Goddest is on a mission to shed light on the opportunities that are available for people with disabilities. She wants to spread hope amongst those who may feel helpless because of a disability. “Never let it define who you are. You always have a way of doing what you can do your way. So, don’t let your disability, whatever it may be, hinder you.”

The Salvation Army Orlando Metro Area Command has over 2,000 active volunteers. To learn more about our opportunities, visit our website www.SalvationArmyOrlando.org or contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Octavio Serrano at, 407-423-8581 ext. 26454.

 

 

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One Man’s Story of Rehabilitation and Salvation

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Fred Wilcox

(ORLANDO, FLA.) – Admitting to your wrongdoings is a difficult task, but it is the first step to spiritual healing. Accepting your past is a big pill to swallow, but it is necessary for self-healing. Fred Wilcox, a former resident at The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Orlando, knows these two challenges all too well. He sat down with us to share his story of hope, salvation, and rehabilitation.

Six years ago, Fred was faced with the consequence of his years of alcohol abuse. “I lost everything, my wife, my home”, he shared. Like many young adults with promising futures, the art of peer pressure led him down a path of destruction. “I started drinking when I was 13,” Fred revealed, “we did it because we like the way it made us feel.”

For years, Fred let his addiction control his way of life. He recalls the times when he was sleeping on his friend’s couch. He reminisces on the times he would sit around drinking, but something shifted in him. “I just was tired of not being able to support myself, I knew at that moment that something had to change,” Fred shared.

The Journey to Rehabilitation

Fred Wilcox

For that reason, he decided to turn his life around and regain control of his destiny. “I moved to Daytona Beach to try and get help, and they referred me to the ARC in Orlando.” The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Orlando is where Fred began his journey to self and spiritual healing. Upon arrival, Fred was embraced by a supportive team with a mission to heal, revitalize, and uplift his spirit. “They had group, individual, and work therapy, and a twelve-step program that really helps you,” he shared. After two years of hard work and self-discipline, Fred was rehabilitated, working, and providing for himself. His word of advice to those struggling with drug & alcohol addiction is this… “Don’t worry about doing it for other people, do it for you!”

The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARC) provide spiritual, social, and emotional assistance for men who have lost the ability to cope with their problems and provide for themselves. Each center offers residential housing assistance, work, group, and individual therapy, all in a clean, wholesome environment. The physical and spiritual care that program participants receive prepares them to re-enter society and return to gainful employment. To learn more about the ARC in Orlando, visit www.SalvationArmyOrlando.org or call 407-295-9311. Click here and subscribe to our YouTube Page for more powerful testimonies.

 

Watch Fred’s full story of Hope, Salvation, and Rehabilitation:

 

Want to share your story of how The Salvation Army Orlando Metropolitan Area Command helped you? Contact our Majorie Pierre at majorie.pierre@uss.salvationarmy.org.
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Salvation Army Supporter Helps Build Playground for Homeless Children

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Richard has fond memories of going to parks as a child. He still can recall every detail of the ones that are most special to him. When he took a tour of The Salvation Army’s Towers Center of Hope and the Red Shield Lodge shelter for women and families in Jacksonville, Florida, the playground made an impression on him – but not for the right reasons.

It was old, in disrepair and clearly in need of some love. After he went home, the playground kept coming up in his mind. Finally, he decided that he needed to do something about it.

“I went home, and I guess it was two or three days before I started thinking about it again,” Richard said. “And I thought, you know, I could so something that would be better. I made my proposal, it was accepted, and here we are today.”

Richard could have just written a check and felt good about the difference he made. But he isn’t that kind of fellow. He researched the best playgrounds and the best building materials and imagined what would provide the best playground experience for the children, drawing from his own happy memories. When the time came to tear out the old playground and build the new, Richard put in hours of his own sweat equity.

The result of his labor of love is incredible. Hope Park is now a vibrant and engaging playground of the highest quality. The children who stay at the Red Shield Lodge now bound out of the doors and play with abandon on a playground created with an enormous level of care. Richard designed the entire experience of the playground with intention.

“What I tried to do here was to incorporate some of the things that I remember from the days that I visited parks,” he said. “We’ve incorporated a mural on the perimeter wall which has some phrases and inspirational words that hopefully the children and parents can take with them. Maybe it will be inspirational enough that it will change their lives a little bit.”

Hope Park is not the only thing Richard has created that will change the lives of shelter residents and other Salvation Army clients in the Jacksonville area. He is also providing funding through his two endowments to enable veterans and other adult clients to continue their education or job skills training so they can build a better life. Richard’s sustaining gifts support The Salvation Army’s local Pathway of Hope program that offers participants the opportunity to break the cycle of generational poverty. The overarching goal of the program is to provide participants the order to become more stable and self-sufficient. In addition to creating Hope Park, Richard has also created a third endowment to provide for the future maintenance of the park, ensuring its preservation.

At the center of the Hope Park project for Richard, from the start, was the children.

“Really, the kids here are the innocent victims of their particular situation,” he said. “I thought if I could turn a frown into a smile, that would be an achievement. Who knows, maybe they’ll be brought back someday having remembered the good times that they had here and want to be a part of this organization in some fashion. You never know where things like this will lead.”

By: Antoinette Vitale

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Service Back to Full Capacity for Daytona Beach Salvation Army Following Hurricane Damage

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When Hurricane Matthew made landfall in 2016, The Salvation Army of Daytona Beach, Florida, sustained damage to its Center of Hope, specifically in the form of roof issues and broken windows. With that said, the structure managed to escape without catastrophic impairment. The arrival of Hurricane Irma in September 2017, however, did cause significant problems.

Though Daytona Beach was not struck directly by the storm in a way that neighboring areas were affected, storm surge flooded the Center of Hope’s first floor after a full evacuation had taken place in the area. As a result, The Salvation Army was unable to return to the building, and programming – including social services, dormitories and a computer lab – was displaced.

After more than a year of obstacles and a gradual period of re-acclimation, however, the Center of Hope reopened in January 2019 and a rededication of sorts took place in late March. The newly-minted building includes space for a renovated social services office, veterans programming, Pathway of Hope, residential services, job training and a food pantry.

“With the resources that we had, we kind of gave the building a facelift,” said Major Caleb Prieto, corps officer. “The comments we received at the open house were very encouraging. I think it looks amazing and that was backed up by the feedback. Not only were we able to restore what we had previously, but I think we’re in the best place we’ve been.”

The arrival of Irma and the damage sustained forced The Salvation Army’s social services efforts into a time of transition and flexibility. A partnership was struck with a local hotel to house residents displaced by the building closure and, while service delivery had to operate at less than full capacity, both the corps building and additional space at the hotel were turned into offices equipped with the tools to perform case management and other essential activities.

The period of displacement wasn’t navigated without hiccups, including a partnership in concert with the Department of Corrections that was placed on hold due to the structural challenges. Still, the community rallied around the work of The Salvation Army during a trying time, and the future is bright as a result.

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Norma T. Roberts

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Booker T. Washington commends work of The Salvation Army

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