Why I Give
In every community, there are individuals whose generosity towards The Salvation Army positively impacts the lives of people going through hardship.
The reasons why they donate may be different, but it usually stems from an impactful experience that led them to choose The Salvation Army.
Elda Egan donates to The Salvation Army because she is thankful for the support they gave to her son Luke. In previous years, Luke who was struggling with severe mental illness, started going to The Salvation Army food bank in Prince George, B.C. According to Elda, this not only helped Luke ensure his food security, but it also provided him with a safe space that he enjoyed.
“He felt very supported by The Salvation Army, and they knew him by name. I started to support The Salvation Army because it was my way of giving back to the group that was helping my son,” Elda shared.
“He felt very supported by The Salvation Army, and they knew him by name.”
In October 2022, Luke unfortunately passed away. Elda has continued to provide a monthly donation to the food bank that helped her son as a thank-you for their help and acceptance.
For other donors, the inspiration behind their support has come from a single event that marked them. On Nov 29, 1963, a tragedy occurred that changed the life of George Stevens. On this day, Trans-Canada Air Lines (now Air Canada) Flight 831 from Montreal to Toronto crashed shortly after take-off. All 118 people on board were killed including George’s brother, who was returning from a business trip.
After hearing on the news that the flight had gone missing, George rushed to the airport in Toronto to find his sister-in-law. When he arrived, there was chaos, George and his sister-in-law were led into a private room along with another 45 worried people who were anxiously waiting for news on their loved ones.
When George entered the room, he noticed that members of The Salvation Army were already trying to comfort people.
“What amazed me was that going around offering tea, coffee, and words of sympathy were members of The Salvation Army. This was all within 20 minutes after the news announcement of the missing plane, so I just have no idea how they got there so quickly. It made a terrific impact on me,” George said.
What he witnessed that day inspired George to make annual donations to The Salvation Army. George trusts the Army to allocate the funds where they are most needed.
“What amazed me was that going around offering tea, coffee, and words of sympathy were members of The Salvation Army.”
Sometimes, the reasons for donating can be generational as well. Lorna Court is a committed donor of The Salvation Army’s Harbour Light in Vancouver. When she was young, she remembers that her mother would donate to The Salvation Army, as they helped her mother’s cousin Pat, when he battled with alcohol addiction. Lorna believes Harbour Light was responsible for turning cousin Pat’s life around. Shortly after her mother passed away, Lorna decided she would continue donating to Harbour Light just as her mother would.
Lorna makes three-year monetary donation commitments to help Harbour Light with specific improvement projects, she has supplied the Education Centre at Harbour Light with hundreds of books and she has a bequest listed for The Salvation Army in her will.
“It’s an honour to be even a microscopic part of the work The Salvation Army does.”
“It’s an honour to be even a microscopic part of the work The Salvation Army does. It just makes me so proud to be able to help with the wonderful work they do. To be even a cog in the wheel is so powerful,” Lorna said.
These donors and countless others continue to give hope to clients who are currently struggling in different ways.
By Juan Romero
