Taking to the Streets

If you were driving in downtown Joplin today, you may have stopped at a red light and helped the less fortunate. The Salvation Army is collecting money for the holiday season. You know it`s getting close to Christmas when you hear these familiar bells. Salvation Army Volunteers collected money at the intersection of seventh and main all morning. This is their first event which kicks off the holiday season . "This is defiantly like a drive through, the bank or the drug store. You just drive right through and you`re able to help out hundreds of people,"said Deborah Williamson from the Salvation Army. Mark johnson is a volunteer for the Salvation Army and he has a certain way of grabbing your attention. "Just a loud good morning usually catches their attention. It throws them off, they`ll slow down once again they see the shield and the apron they donate to a good cause. That`s the key to it. Good Morning," said Johnson. The volunteers fought the hard winds and occasionally had to chase down a loose dollar bill. Along with the winds they also had to dodge speeding traffic. The volunteers saw hundreds of drivers and collected everything they could because every dollar helps. "We weren`t sure how the public is going to react as far as the giving season and they`ve been so generous already this morning. I think this year has been more positive than last year,"said Williamson. All in all the volunteers collected almost 13 hundred dollars,job well done. To donate to the Salvation Army call 624-4528. Reported By:Brad Douglas