The Kentwood Rotary Club was out for the first time on Saturday, Nov.23 as volunteers manned The Salvation Army's Red Kettle in front of the JCPenney entrance inside Woodland Mall. Members of the Club took on 2-hour shifts starting at 10:00am and finished their day at 8:00pm. Kentwood Rotary has participated in the annual bell ringing campaign for numerous years, and members look forward to the annual tradition.
According to Kettle Coordinator A/Captain Mika Roinila of the Fulton Heights Citadel, the Kentwood Rotary raised a total of $333.27, and have established the lead in the Golden Kettle competition.
The city-wide competition has challenged all service clubs to get involved. Other clubs have booked dates at various locations in the city, and will compete for the prize. The Comstock Rotary Club will be ringing bells on Dec.19 at the Alpine Street Walmart location. The Golden K Kiwanis Club has signed up to ring bells at JC Penney on three Saturdays, and the Grand Rapids Kiwanis will be at Family Fare on Northland Drive on Dec.14. Members of the Kentwood Rotary Club will return for a second date of ringing at the same Woodland Mall location on Dec.21. With the bell ringing contest nearing the end on Dec.24, the Kentwood Rotary will try to win the Golden Kettle from any competing clubs that will be out in force the last weekend of the Holiday shopping season.
The Salvation Army will provide updates on the "standings" for all to follow. And if you are not a member of a service club, don't worry. The Salvation Army needs more volunteers and everyone is invited to select a date, time, and location by simply going online to check www.registertoring.com.
The Rapidian, a program of the 501(c)3 nonprofit Community Media Center, relies on the community’s support to help cover the cost of training reporters and publishing content.
We need your help.
If each of our readers and content creators who values this community platform help support its creation and maintenance, The Rapidian can continue to educate and facilitate a conversation around issues for years to come.
Please support The Rapidian and make a contribution today.