The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit is challenging metro Detroiters to join them in “doing the most good” as the organization celebrates its fifth annual Doing the Most Good Week, May 10-16, 2010.
DMG Week is unique to metro Detroit, and is designed to call attention to individuals and groups, who through their actions and donations are “Doing the Most Good” to help the communities in which they live and work. New this year, individuals may pledge to “Do the Most Good” at www.salmich.org and post how they’re doing the most good on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/salmich.org.
The goal of the week is to build awareness of The Salvation Army’s services within the community. To participate, all it takes is doing something positive to help someone in your community. “Doing the Most Good” is as easy as opening the door for someone, greeting people you encounter with a smile or saying something nice to everyone you meet during the course of the day.
The campaign coincides with the 56th Annual National Salvation Army Week May 10-16, which was created by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954.
The Salvation Army is once again partnering with the Detroit Tigers to help raise awareness of Doing the Most Good Week. Throughout the week, WJBK-TV (Fox 2) will air a public service announcement about Doing the Most Good starring short stop Adam Everett. The PSA will also be played before all home games at Comerica Park. Everett volunteered on The Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Truck during the Detroit Tigers Annual Winter Caravan earlier this year. The truck is a mobile feeding unit that delivers food to Detroit’s most depressed areas 365 days a year.
The PSA was crafted to help educate viewers about the programs and services offered by The Salvation Army and how donations are used to help those in need.
“Doing the Most Good Week is a time for everyone to make a stronger commitment to helping those in need, an important sentiment for those struggling in metro Detroit,” said Major John Turner, general secretary of The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division. “The Salvation Army has chosen the phrase ‘Doing the Most Good’ because it is our promise to do the most good with contributions of money, time and resources. Eighty-three cents of every dollar donated is directly allocated to services that assist people in need,” Turner said.
Each day of DMG week, The Salvation Army is focusing on a different way to do the most good. A schedule of the week’s activities is outlined below:
- Monday, May 10 is Doing the Most Good for Your Neighbor Day
The Salvation Army couldn’t continue Doing the Most Good without a dedicated team of volunteers. The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division will recognize husband and wife volunteers Wayne and Marge Cooper of Plymouth as Family Volunteers of the Year; and Colonial Plymouth Kiwanis as Organization Volunteers of Year with a special recognition ceremony at The Salvation Army Plymouth Corps Community Center, 9451 S. Main St., Plymouth, at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 13. The couple is truly Doing the Most Good in their community.
The Salvation Army also kicks off Doing the Most Good Week with a special food and toiletries drive at Hiller’s Markets in metro Detroit Monday, May 10 through Friday, May 14.
Individuals are also encouraged to visit www.salmich.org and pledge to Do the Most Good via an interactive share button on the Web site. Additionally, do-gooders can also post how they’re doing the most good on The Salvation Army’s Facebook wall.
Also, anyone who donates clothing, furniture or household goods to a participating Salvation Army Thrift and Family Stores through May 31 will earn a $10 gift certificate good for use at any Van Heusen, IZOD or Bass retail location.
- Tuesday, May 11 is Doing the Most Good for children day.
Livonia nonprofit ConnectUS will deliver 75 hand-made puppets to The Salvation Army’s Booth Shelter for Women and Families at 1:30 p.m. on May 11 during a visit with the shelter’s young children. ConnectUS was established to fill a need for quality day programming for severely multiply impaired (SXI) wheelchair-bound adults. The program is designed to provide stimulating activity for members, including puppet assembly. Shelter staff will use the puppets as an available play activity for the shelter’s children.
In addition to its regular food and shelter programming, The Salvation Army also provides summer day camps and after-school services to metro Detroit children throughout the year. Children are also some of the charity’s most prolific volunteer fundraisers. To learn how your children can help by hosting their own fundraiser, call (248) 443-5500 or visit www.salmich.org
- Wednesday, May 12 is Doing the Most Good in the face of disaster day.
The Salvation Army has disaster response teams on call to serve at many disasters, from the recent tornados in Mississippi to ongoing relief in Haiti and Chile. Locally, mobile canteens in metro Detroit provide food, vouchers for temporary shelter, blankets, communications, emergency lighting and clean-up kits to victims of fire and other disasters. To find out how you can volunteer to help with these efforts, call 248-443-2242 ext. 347.
- Thursday, May 13 is Doing the Most Good for your mind, body and soul day.
The Plymouth Wellness Center, located at 1075 W. Ann Arbor Road, will host a personal care items drive from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. to benefit The Salvation Army’s Plymouth Corps Community Center. Guests who bring a personal care item (deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.) will receive a free 10-minute chair massage or 10-minute sinus release treatment and will be entered into a drawing for a detox package, including a 30-minute infrared sauna session, 30-minute ionic footbath session and a one-hour massage, plus a drawing for a couples massage. Those who donate will also learn tips and techniques on how to take care of (and even pamper) themselves, so they can focus Doing the Most good every day.
The Salvation Army also hosts many character building activities for children through their Salvation Army Outdoors programming and at its Camp Echo Grove in Leonard, Mich. Now is the perfect time to find out how you can get your child involved in upcoming summer activities. Call (248) 443-5500 for more information.
- Friday, May 14 is Doing the Most Good for the hungry day.
The Salvation Army wraps up Doing the Most Good Week with the final day to donate food and toiletries at Hiller’s Markets, which the business has generously offered to host at its six metro Detroit locations, including Berkley, Plymouth, Northville, West Bloomfield and its two locations in Commerce Township. Hiller’s Markets will encourage guests to ‘Do the Most Good’ and purchase extra nonperishable food items and toiletries for their neighbors in need, then drop them into designated shopping carts in the stores. The proceeds benefit The Salvation Army Corps Community Centers in Plymouth, Royal Oak and Pontiac.
- Saturday, May 15 (Armed Forces Day) is Doing the WRITE thing day.
The Salvation Army celebrates Armed Forces Day by continuing the legacy of The Salvation Army Lassie. Community members can show their appreciation to a soldier currently serving our country by going to www.salmich.org, Facebook and on Twitter @Salmich and writing a short note that The Salvation Army will send to a designated unit in the Armed Forces.
“Each one of us can make “doing the most good” our personal mission; to do the most good with the time and resources that we have. None of us can truly know the value of a good deed and therefore we should never miss an opportunity to do some good by considering the act too small,” Turner said.
To find out how you can join The Salvation Army in “Doing the Most Good,” visit www.salmich.org for a listing of some quick and easy ways to make an impact on the lives of those around you.
Founded by William Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. In 2009, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit was involved in providing 3,181,865 million meals and 724,134 nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.83 of every dollar raised to provide direct services to people in need each and every day of the year. For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at www.salmich.org.
