Salvation Army awarded gift
Friday, February 5, 2021
By Joe C. Mullinax
The Rotary Club of Spartanbug presented a gift of $2,500 to the Salvation Army. 

Andy Hayes, Rotarian and Salvation Army Board member, Captain Sam Kim of the Salvation Army, and President Koger Bradford. 

"For many years the Rotary Club of Spartanburg has volunteered to ring the bell for Salvation Army and take in donations during the holiday. In response to the pandemic, we did not feel it was prudent to put our membership in harm's way this year, yet we knew their need was great. We asked our membership to contribute to this worthy cause and were able to provide $2,500 for their work in our community. In Rotary, we believe in making the world a better place and it starts at home," says President Koger Bradford.
Andy Hayes, who has been a Rotarian for 16 years and has served on the Salvation Army board of 10 years, says, "You have no idea what $2,500 can do for our Community Center. It can mean months and months of healthy snacks, new physical activity equipment, and is a tremendous help. Funding for our Community Center comes from sales at our stores, which has been crushed by COVID."

The Salvation Army Community Center, located in the Northside community, provides a safe place for kids after school and during the summer. They receive help with their homework, healthy snacks and particiate in sports. The Community Center has the ability to serve up to 100 children.

Andy Hayes says, "89 cents out of every dollar goes to support the cause at The Salvation Army. The funding provided by the Spartanburg Rotary Club is comparable to the amount normally raised by the Club's bell ringing efforts, which of course were decimated this year because of COVID. It couldn't have come at a better time."