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The
Salvation Army
The
Salvation Army is a Christian charity and church that
is internally organised like a military service. Its
founders William and Catherine Booth sought to bring
Christian salvation to the poor, destitute and hungry
by meeting both their physical and spiritual needs.
The
Salvation Army was founded in London's East End in
the year 1865 by one-time Methodist minister William
Booth. Originally, Booth named the organization the
Christian Mission, but in 1878 Booth reorganized the
mission along military lines when his son Bramwell
objected to being called a volunteer and stated that
he was a regular or nothing. The name then became
The Salvation Army.
The
Salvation Army is both a charity and social services
organization; and a part of the Christian church.
One of its stated objectives is:
The advancement of the Christian religion as promulgated
in the religious doctrines . . . which are professed,
believed and taught by the Army and, pursuant there
to, the advancement of education, the relief of poverty,
and other charitable objects beneficial to society
or the community of mankind as a whole.
The
international headquarters is at 101 Queen Victoria
Street, London, England, with branches around the
world. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as
the "Sally Ann" in Canada and the "Sally
Army" in the United Kingdom New Zealand and "Salvo's"
in Australia.
The
Salvation Army operates in 111 countries and provides
services in 175 different languages.. For administrative
purposes, the organization divides itself geographically
into Territories, which are then sub-divided into
Divisions. Each Territory has an administrative hub
known as Territorial Headquarters (THQ). Likewise,
each Division has a Divisional Headquarters (DHQ).
For example, Japan is one territory, the United States
is divided into four Territories: Eastern, Southern,
Central, and Western while Germany & Lithuania
together are one territory. Each of these Territories
is led by a Territorial Commander who receives orders
from the Salvation Army's International Headquarters
in London.
The
Salvation Army is one of the world's largest providers
of social aid, with expenditures including operating
costs of $2.6 billion in 2004, helping more than 32
million people in the US alone. In addition to community
centers and disaster relief, the organization does
work in refugee camps, especially among displaced
people in Africa. The Salvation Army has received
an A- rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy.
Its
claimed membership includes more than 17,000 active
and more than 8,700 retired officers, 1 041 461 soldiers,
around 100,000 other employees and more than 4.5 million
volunteers. Members of the Salvation Army are also
the so-called adherents, who do not sign the document
to become soldier but who do see the Salvation Army
as their church and who do not wear uniform. The truth
is that the membership is much smaller, since inactive
soldiers are rarely removed from the rolls. It is
led by General Shaw Clifton, who has held this position
since April 2, 2006 after the 2006 High Council elected
him as the next General January 28, 2006. According
to the 2006 Salvation Army Year Book, in the United
States there are 85,148 Senior Soldiers and 28,377
Junior Soldiers, 17,396 Adherents and around 60,000
employees.
In
2004, the Army in the United States received a $1.6
billion donation in the will of Joan B. Kroc, third
wife of former McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc. This donation
was among the largest individual philanthropic gifts
ever given to a single organization. The donation
came with certain restrictions that were met with
some controversy.
Disaster
Relief
The
Salvation Army's first major forays into Disaster
Relief resulted from the tragedies of the Galveston
Hurricane of 1900 and the San Francisco earthquake
of 1906. The Salvationists' nationwide appeals for
financial and material donations yielded tremendous
support, enabling the Army to provide assistance to
thousands. General Evangeline Booth, when she offered
the services of Salvationists to President Wilson
during the First World War thrust Salvation Army social
and relief work to newer heights. Today the Salvation
Army is best known for its charitable efforts.
The
Salvation Army is a prominent non-governmental relief
agency and is usually among the first to arrive with
help after natural or man-made disasters. They have
worked to alleviate suffering and help people rebuild
their lives. After the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004,
they arrived immediately at some of the worst disaster
sites to help retrieve and bury the dead. Since then
they have helped rebuild homes and construct new boats
for people to recover their livelihood. Members were
prominent among relief organizations after Hurricane
Hugo and Hurricane Andrew and other such natural disasters
in the United States. In August 2005 they supplied
drinking water to poor people affected by the heat
wave in the United States. Later in 2005 they responded
to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Most recently they
have helped the victims of the May 2006 Indonesian
Earthquake.
In
the year since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast,
The Salvation Army has allocated donations of more
than $365 million to serve more than 1.7 million people
in nearly every state. The Army’s immediate
response to Hurricane Katrina included the mobilization
of more than 178 canteen feeding units and 11 field
kitchens which together have served more than 5.7
million hot meals, 8.3 million sandwiches, snacks
& drinks. Its SATERN network of amateur ham-radio
operators picked up where modern communications left
off to help locate more than 25,000 survivors. And,
Salvation Army pastoral care counselors were on hand
to comfort the emotional and spiritual needs of 277,000
individuals. As part of the overall effort, Salvation
Army officers, employees and volunteers have contributed
more than 900,000 hours of service.
The
Salvation Army was one of the first relief agencies
on the scene of the 9/11 attacks in New York. They
also provided prayer support for families of missing
people.
The
Salvation Army, along with the American National Red
Cross, Southern Baptist Convention, and other disaster
relief organizations, are national members of the
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
(NVOAD).
Also
among the disaster relief capabilities is the Red
Shield Defence Services, often called the SallyMan
for short. The effort that they put in is similar
to that of a chaplain, and reaches many more, offering
cold drinks, hot drinks, and some biscuits and lollies
for the soldiers of the military to have, though,
if a SallyMan is on deployment, the locals are offered
a share in the produce. Despite this generousity,
the RSDS is generally unnoticed because it only works
in disaster relief and military actions, not general
welfare opportunities.
Red
Shield Appeal
The
Red Shield Appeal is The Salvation Army's ways of
raising money. Each year, hundreds of thousands of
people take to the streets worldwide to participate
in the doorknock weekend. Each year, several million
dollars are raised in each territory alone.
(Credit:
Wikipedia).
Websites
The
Salvation Army (Australia)
The
Salvation Army (international)
Profiles
Charity
Social
and Community Entrepreneurs
Media Man Australia does not represent The Salvation
Army, however has participated in a number of Salvation
Army initiatives and is a pro active supporter
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