Bowling Green woman shares the importance of giving back

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – As Christmas draws near, many nonprofits are hard at work, helping to make everybody’s holiday the best that it can be.

This week, the Salvation Army is distributing presents for its Angel tree program, giving presents to families who may not be able to purchase any for their children. For one Bowling Green woman, though, the Salvation Army has meant the world, helping her and her family growing up when they needed it, and it was through those interactions that inspired her as an adult to give back to those who may be facing similar situations.

“I think as a kid we thought it like the Salvation Army, like food, where they provide a lunch was like a restaurant, like we would tell everybody, like, we’re going to the restaurant, we’re going to the Salvation Army for lunch, like, whatever. And we loved their food. We loved the people. We, that’s actually why we get involved now, because we’ve made so many connections with people. And that just like their interactions and their encouragement that we had as kids led us to want to volunteer as adults,” Salvation Army volunteer Kinlee Rose said.

Rose says that the work of the volunteers truly made a difference that has stuck with her even into adulthood.

“I was the kid who still remembers the boombox. I remember the baby doll. I remember the Barbies, I remember the clothes, I remember all of it, it made a difference to me because without that, I probably wouldn’t have gotten anything, you know? And so a kid, no kid understands the full extent of Christmas. They just want the gifts, and to know that I probably would have gotten nothing. But some random person decided to give me everything that I wanted, or even a little bit of what I wanted. It truly made a difference. And you know, if I was a kid who didn’t get anything, I probably wouldn’t have the desire to want to give back now. But because I did get my favorite gift as a child, my favorite boombox, it’s made me want to, need to give somebody that boombox,” Rose said.

Rose serves as an example for how a little kindness can inspire the next generation of volunteers and shows just why the Salvation Army works so hard to accomplish its mission.

“I think it’s a blessing for us to see, and certainly an encouragement for those serving in the field right now, currently, or those that are our staff or those volunteers that are serving in our organization even today, to see someone come back and serve in the same capacity that they once received help. It’s definitely a blessing to watch that. But of course, it’s why we do what we do,” said Capt. Monica Horton with the Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested in helping out, you can reach out to its quarters or visit salvatonarmyusa.org.