John F. Marshall
Senior Vice President

So….it’s 10:00 a.m. on a Friday morning and, with two of my colleagues, I’m standing outside of a Macy’s store entrance getting ready to ring bells for The Salvation Army for two hours. Did I mention that the temperature was 12 degrees and that a wind was blowing? Despite all my efforts to dress warm, I was already feeling the cold (I looked like the Michelin man). This Macy’s is a huge store with two entrances….we were assigned the rear entrance which wasn’t as heavily trafficked as the front and where the wind definitely was blowing much stronger.

Our firm decided to “get in the spirit” and volunteered to ring for a total of four hours, two shifts of two hours each. It started slow, but then more and more people began to arrive and, despite the cold, many stopped to make a deposit in the red kettle. After that, the two hours went by really quickly and I think our trio of bell ringers did pretty well in starting to fill the kettle. And, despite the cold, all three of us completed our experience feeling as though we had done something good for the Army and all those they help.

So, what are you going to do this holiday season to make a contribution, perhaps to your favorite charity? I don’t mean making a financial gift, but something that will require that you give of your time and talent to do something good. It certainly does not have to be ringing a bell for two hours, although I would heartily recommend the experience. Maybe it is helping at a shelter, or serving meals at a church which provides food to the hungry. Perhaps you might want to make a visit to your local hospital and offer to spread a bit of cheer and a few words of encouragement to those recovering. Or, what about going to the local nursing home and just sitting down to chat with someone who just may be all alone during the holidays.

I have learned over the years that it takes very little effort to do something nice for someone in need. There certainly is little if any personal expense involved and the reward to you can be substantial and really quite uplifting. And who knows? You just might end of touching someone in a very special way and helping them to enjoy this wonderful time of the year.

I trust that you will have a wondrous holiday season this year and that you and yours will find great joy in whatever and however you celebrate. “’Tis the Season to Give” has always resonated with me…..let it happen to you, too.

All the best!