The Whitworth men’s golf team rang the Salvation Army bell for the Spokane Salvation Army’s Corporate Kettle Kickoff campaign to start the signature Red Kettle fundraising and ring in the holiday season on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
This is the fourth year of the Spokane Salvation Army’s Corporate Kettle Kickoff campaign, which sees local businesses volunteer to ring bells in front of the Salvation Army’s signature Red Kettles to begin raising funds for local vulnerable families every holiday season, according to a Salvation Army Spokane press release.
Head coach Scott Kramer reaches out to charities at the beginning of the year and lets them know that the golf team is available to volunteer if needed, according to junior Landon Spencer.
“Throughout the year, they just message him if they need anything. The Salvation Army reached out to us and we got connected with them,” Spencer said.
The golf team sees volunteering as an important way to be able to connect with the community that supports them.
“Volunteering is important to us because it just reaches out to the community and makes a better day for everyone around us. It’s just good to spread cheer, especially in the holiday season,” freshman Jacob Rawley said.
“It just shows that we can give back, we can help our community because they do a lot for us as a university. We come closer together as a team and we make connections,” freshman Aaron Storem said.
Kramer and the team see volunteer work and community connection as an important part of the experience for a college athlete.
“It’s something that you can look back on and think fondly of. It’s also just fun to hang out with the guys for an hour and raise some money for a charity,” Spencer said.
The team rang the bell from 2pm to 6pm in front of Hobby Lobby on Division in four different shifts of two or three team members each, making sure that each team member got an hour to volunteer.
Other notable businesses ringing the bell on that day were: Washington Trust Bank, The Spokesman-Review, nomnom convenience stores, MultiCare and Eastern Washington University, according to the press release.