Woodbridge Kiwanis Bell Ringing, Prince William County, Virginia

by Brian Bell

Ding, ding, ding. You know the sound and what it means. Ding, ding, ding. It likely gets you reaching for your wallet. Ding, ding, ding.

If you stop and put some money in the little red kettle, it likely gives you the feeling that you have done something good. And, if you are the one ringing that bell, you likely get that same feeling.

"It gives me personal satisfaction in helping someone else," said Ken Stang, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Woodbridge. He has been volunteering as a bell ringer for 12 years and takes a two-hour shift at the Walmart near Dumfries every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ken Stang

Salvation Army bell ringers are out throughout Prince William County collecting for the annual Red Kettle Drive with a goal of $150,000.

With a 40 percent increase in the number of qualified children for its Christmas assistance program, Capt. George Hackbarth from the Prince William Corps of the Salvation Army (also a Woodbridge Kiwanis member) knows every donation is important.

When the Salvation Army has to pay bell ringers, Herb Tiede, who coordinates the Kiwanis volunteers, said, "the Salvation Army is losing out."

Herb Tiede

"We are making about $400 a day for the Salvation Army," he said. "Everything they take out of the kettle is clear. We don't charge a nickel [as bell ringers.]"?Kiwanis bell ringers collect between $3,000 and $4,000 each year and have been doing so for the last15 years.

"The Salvation Army provides excellent support for the community," Tiede said. "Many, many people come by here and say, 'I'm always grateful for the Salvation Army.'"

"We provide qualifying families with toys and/or clothing for children 12 and under," Hackbarth said, along with other services.

Stang said, often those who drop money into the kettle say they have been helped by the Salvation Army. "They want to give back."

"We hear little stories like that all the time," Tiede said. "When they see us, they make a special effort to come over and tell us how they've been helped. They give from the heart.

Tiede said the reason he volunteers as a bell ringer is quite simple. "It's a great Christian feeling, that's all," he said. "It's something that's a lot of fun for some old men to do."

"You get to meet people and it gives you a feeling of satisfaction to be helping people," Stang said. "I certainly would encourage others to volunteer."

"I do this because when I got out of the hospital in New York, the Salvation Army did more for me than anyone else. I've been a bell ringer for 30 years," said Kiwanian John Wiley. "The Salvation Army has always meant a lot to me."

John Wiley

"A lot of people come by and thank us. They know we are volunteers," Wiley said. "He just glows when he does this," Tiede said of Wiley.

"We are constantly looking for volunteers as long as they can commit to a two-hour shift," Hackbarth said, adding he would like to see more than 50 percent of his kettles covered by volunteers in the coming years.