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A Furious Finish to The Salvation Army Golden Kettle Contest

The Salvation Army
12/28/20 11:06am
city Nonprofit Dispatches

This dispatch was added by one of our Nonprofit Neighbors. It does not represent the editorial voice of The Rapidian or Community Media Center.

The Kentwood City Rotary Club has won The Salvation Army's Golden Kettle Award for 2020. The service club was able to raise enough support for The Army over the last few days prior to Christmas Eve to narrowly claim first place from the Pilots for Christ.
The 2020 Golden Kettle will be presented to the Kentwood Rotary Club.

The 2020 Golden Kettle will be presented to the Kentwood Rotary Club. /A/Capt. Mika Roinila

The Golden Kettle Contest is part of the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. The Golden Kettle competition between local service clubs is an annual attempt to engage community organizations in helping The Salvation Army and it's well-known Red Kettle Campaign to raise support for its program and mission in the Grand Rapids area.

The Salvation Army is pleased to announce that the second annual Golden Kettle Contest amongst Grand Rapids area service clubs has now been completed. A furious finish by the Kentwood Rotary Club helped the group overtake the long-held first place leader, and to win the coveted trophy by a mere $27.85!

With only four days left in the competition, Kentwood Rotary Club trailed the Pilots for Christ by $639. However, in the last few days of bell ringing, the club was able to rise to the top of the standings by adding $667 to its total. The final results are as follows:

1. $3,316 - Kentwood Rotary Club (35 hours of ringing)

2. $3,288 - Pilots for Christ (28 hours of ringing)

3. $1,940 - Golden “K” Kiwanis Club (21 hours of ringing)

4. $1,282 - The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary/Young Families Group (16 hours of ringing)

5.   $ 864  - Grand Rapids Kiwanis Club (5 hours of ringing)

6.   $ 350  - Comstock Park Rotary Club (6 hours of ringing)

“It was very, very close. You couldn’t ask for a better competition! Kentwood Rotary came from third place several weeks ago and won. It all relates to the number of hours and number of people who are involved that makes the difference!” exclaims Auxiliary Captain Mika Roinila.

The collective efforts of the service clubs helped raise an impressive $11,040. This year’s results well exceed the totals from 2019 by some 150%. Last year with only four groups competing, the 2019 winner Golden “K” Kiwanis raised $2,471 and the collective total by all groups in the competition was $4,320.

“The service clubs did very well in helping The Salvation Army ‘Rescue Christmas’ in 2020 for many people. The entire community has stepped up this Christmas Season, and we are extremely happy. Thank you Grand Rapids!” adds Roinila. The Salvation Army will continue the Golden Kettle competition again next year, with hopes that more groups will join the efforts.

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