You can keep Christmas spirit alive all year long

Thank you for showing the love that overcomes despair by supporting the Christmas Happiness, Angel Tree and Red Kettle efforts here in the Rowan County-Salisbury area.

The next time you see a school bus full of preschool or middle school kids or drop your child off at school, look around. Of the many kids you see, some of those kids would not have had anything for Christmas or had the joy of the Christmas season without your support of these Christmas programs.

On behalf of the single parents working to make ends meet, who were blessed to see their children have joy at Christmas because someone helped, thank you.

From the grandparents raising grand kids on a Social Security check (that doesn’t even meet their needs) that were able to have something under the Christmas tree and on the table to eat during Christmas, thank you for your love and support.

The money you put into those red kettles not only helped at Christmas but is still warming hearts and feeding families in the new year.

As we all open those credit card bills from the holidays or begin saving for vacation or next Christmas, don’t forget — even though we have put the Christmas trees away and cleaned up the confetti from the New Year celebration — people are still hungry and praying for a way to keep their utilities on for another month.

You can be that answer to prayer and keep the  Christmas spirit alive all year by helping The Salvation Army here in Rowan County. Just as with the kettles, if we all help a little and put it in the pot it goes a long way to keep the pot boiling.

The Salvation Army is a United Way agency.

Remember our mailing address, P.O. Box 625, Salisbury, N.C. 28145.

God bless you and yours.

— Capt. Bobby G Carr Jr.

Salisbury

Carr and his wife, NaKisha, are corps officers at the Salisbury Salvation Army.

Celebrate no tobacco

We recently celebrated my mother’s 96th birthday in Dan Nicholas Park. My sister and I, along with our children and grandchildren, were there — about 36 in all. We had a great day and a great birthday celebration.

One thing I did notice and would like to bring to your attention was that, while the playground and other youth areas were tobacco-free, right next to them were smoking areas with cigarette butt receptacles, which is not safe for anyone.

With both young and old alike enjoying the park, I would like to suggest that on our next visit to celebrate a birthday and hopefully my mother’s 97th next year, that we can also celebrate the park being 100 percent tobacco-free — which would be a win-win for all concerned.

— Donna Waldron

Hickory