Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome.
It is time now for our community connection right here on K one,
the one you trust. We have the Salvation Army in with us, and
we have Luke Antonia swayin. How you guys doing great? Yeah, well,
first of all, welcome to the community. Thank you, thank you.
We're so excited to be here. Tony, you're liking it here so
far. It is now. You came over from still Still Well this on
the east side of the day and you've made it all the way as far
west as Bartleshook. Congratually. Yeah. Ye. The community has really been
receptive with the Salvation over the years, very supportive. Yeah, and I
understand. We have the Angel tree coming up. We do. Yeah.
Now we used to have like maybe one or two. We've got a whole
bunch of angel trees this year. We do. Yeah. Our hope is
we've talked with different community partners and been very receptive, and so we're gonna
have some angels, of course at Walmart like we normally have, but also
at a few other locations. We're gonna have one at Snsion Saint John down
in their lobby, the Rogers State University Building Bank first and Trudy. So
yeah, they're gonna have some other options that might drop by and see what
you see. All right, Tony, you tell us a little bit about
our angels, would you? Our angels? Yeah, and you know how
do we identify our angels? Well, it is it's a program with one
of our highest profile Christmas efforts. It was the Angel Tree was actually created.
I didn't know this until nineteen seventy nine in Virginia at a shopping mall
to provide clothing and toys for children at Christmas time. It was a program
where they got the idea the local children were riding their gift needs on Hallmark
greeting cards that featured pictures of angels. And that's how it came to be.
And some people would stop buying, get these these cards, and they
would purchase these gifts and so you know, and just carry it on and
carry on. And today it's our Angeletry program. Yeah, and it's been
going strong for a good long time, for a good long time. Yeah,
over forty years now. Yeah, and yeah, my kids are I
have something that are in their forties and yeah, last one in sixteen,
and it's a yearly thing we do the angel shopping in every community we've been
in. Yeah, it's been something that we've done and the kids get a
big kick out. Yeah they think that, you know, that's probably just
as cool as anything else at Christmas. Sure. Yeah. And if you've
not done this with your family, I invite you to do it because it
turns into a nice little credition. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. So tell
us a little bit about what we got going on down at the Citadel.
Yeah. So, you know, early in the fall, we did applications
and uh, you know, we had tried to identify the families that were
most in need, and so you know, we've after going through that process.
Of course, we also try to there's other there's other places in town
that were offering some similar things, and so we try to make sure that
we're not duplicating uh yeah, those programs and yeah, so we uh,
you know, tried to identify those that we can help the most. And
uh and we're coming up November the eighth, we'll start putting out some of
those those uh those trees up the angel trees, and we'll uh we'll start
hanging some of those angels on on those trees. At location, and by
November the fifteenth, we should have all the angels out at all locations.
Yeah, and uh yeah, and then we'll we'll just check them every few
days and see how they're being adopted and and uh and taken in and and
hopefully you know, refill those trees and get this. This year, we're
serving over four hundred angels in this community, and so, uh, it
takes an army, you know as well, that's right. Yeah, yeah,
yeah, so everybody, everybody's going to play an important part, Yeah
for sure, Tonny. Tell us a little bit about your new home down
on Ucy. I mean, the neighborhood's is really kind of nice. You've
got a lot of neighbors and you got a lot of just open space there
too, as well as some businesses and everything. But how do you like
your your corner of Bartlesville. We really like it. It's just you know,
it's quiet, but it's a it's just a really sweet spot to be
in. We have the we have the lighthouse across the street, and coming
to neighbors, good neighbors, coming to know them pretty well. They have
come and visited our church on Sunday morning, and so we're just you know,
making relationships and uh, just wanting everyone to know that we're down there
and we're we're alive, and we're well and we want to help. Yeah,
you guys have a thing called an auxiliary. I do believe, because
I believe I run into the folks whenever there's a need there there you don't
even have to ask. See this show up right, we do. Yeah,
it's a wonderful group of auxiliary ladies. They are hard workers. I've
I've never been a part of a group like that. I'm really thankful that
us coming in that we were blessed with such a wonderful group of ladies.
They have just came in and just again, like I said, the community
made us feel welcome. Those auxiliary ladies made us feel welcome, and they
have just come in and like, whatever you need, we're here to help,
and they've just been super supportive. We're really blessed. You know,
you think of the Salvation Army in times of a real major crisis, but
it's also the day to day crisis. The Salvation Army is there too.
I remember running into the auxiliary when, of all things, it dared to
get hot in Oklahoma. Yeah, but it got unbearably hot for a good
stretch, and they've provided bottled water and a place to cool off for folks
who were just being distressed with that as well. But the Salvation Army works
in so many different ways. I understand. You're also helping out a little
bit little co op thing with Mary Mark their code drive that's going on right
now, and you break there on your website. Yeah, if you look
real close, you can figure out. Ah, there you go. I
can write a check in the kids, you can get a brand new code
that's right. Yeah. There. The coat drive is happening next week and
I think distribution is gonna happen midweek there hopefully if everything happens right. And
yeah, there's there's a lot of people who've been supportive and uh and uh
and it's going really well. Yeah, of course. Yeah, there's always
been amazing, has been amazing. Yeah, they're they're doing a great job.
And uh yeah, just thankful for the community support. And just like
you mentioned, yeah, there's always the need for support financially, and it
goes a long way, it does, you know. And when you think
about, uh, when you give to a nonprofit organization, how much money
is going to administration. How much money is actually going to the cause.
Uh, you'll find it all, but just have any fraction goes to the
cause. When it comes to the Salvation Army. Yeah, the Salvation Army,
we do have several layers of accountability that try to keep us on track
so that we're doing the most good. That's our slogan, and that's just
the most good. Not necessarily doing most good better than anyone else, but
just doing the most good with the resources that we have that we've been entrusted
with. And so that's you know, we've tried to hold ourselves accountable to
that end. Yeah. I want to get back to the angel gree because
that's the big thing coming up here. Yeah, how do we go about
shopping for the books? You've never done this before? They want to start
their family tradition. Yeah, that's right. How do we do this?
Yeah? So you know, just those places that we mentioned, you come
up and you can you can look at those angels and you can identify whatever
might fit your family. Each one is a single child. Each angel represents
a single child, and there there's usually listed on there a wish and then
some needs some clothing and perhaps betting or something of that nature. And and
so you would take that angel and you would purchase those items and uh,
and then you just return those items to our location. They're on one on
one more unwrapped one on one north with the angel. You want to make
sure it stays with the tag. The gifts stay with the tag. It's
very important important and uh and yeah, and those gifts should all be back
by December seventh, and that gives us time to to do all the sorting
and be ready the next week for distribution and uh. And so those families
will all receive those gifts. Yeah, you know, the the kids have
no idea they do. That's the beauty. That is the beauty of it
because they know, yeah, you know, yeah, and they just they
just know that it's Christmas and wow, look at this. That's right.
One of our few rules is no kids at distribution day. That way,
the parents, you know, they show up and they they're able to take
those gifts home and wrap them themselves and and uh and make sure that you
know those gifts they they are they're coming from mom and dad. Yeah.
That that is really the nice little secret. You know, we were not
about telling secrets. But keeping one like this is kind of important, right
right, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The Salvation Army works so
many wonders for so many different people on a day to day basis. And
you know, the citadel down there has been there for a good long time.
Yeah, it's in great shape. And you have a lot of folks
who are very very welcome and they know exactly how the Salvation Army helps out.
But there are other folks who say, well, yeah, I've heard
great things about the Salvation Army, but what happens if I need the Salvation
Army? How do I go about making myself known to that? How does
that work? Yes, so you can come by location. You can call
us our numbers nine one, eight, three, three, six, six
four five four. You can ask for either Tanya or myself and we can
try to talk you through the process. You know, the Salvation Army,
we you know, there's certain core programs that we do, but there's also
other things that we try to you know, yeah, we try to help
out with and we we're you know, we're huge on partnering with other community
organizations and example, Yeah, and so whatever, you know, whatever we
don't do, we try to point you in the direction of someone else is
doing it and doing it well, because people are doing some really great things
in this community and doing them really well. And so yeah, just trying
to partner with others. And now our donations welcome. Donations are always welcome,
say that ahead of the rad kettle. Yes, yeah, donations are
all talking about that a little bit later. Yeah, yeah, but donations
are always welcome. You know, the needs are higher than ever. Of
course, everybody knows inflation, the cost of living has gone up and uh,
and you know, donations have kind of plateaued, and so they haven't
kept up with it with the growing needs of the community. And so yeah,
donations are always welcome and needed, and so that we can continue our
work here. Yeah. Indeed, how long Tanya have you and Luke been
doing this just with Salvation Army. Yeah, we've been. We've been working
in around Salvation Army since to sixteen for me, in twenty fifteen for Luke.
Okay, and so yeah, and we've just you know, God's just
brought us to this point. Now, well, that's great, it's great.
You know, I love it when we see the families of Salvation Army,
no matter what town you're in, you know, you're you goings see
that welcome base and you see you feel the warmth from the hearts, and
you know that that is the Salvation Army that you guys call it. Card.
You know, it's like Saint Francis of ASSISI once says, go out
and spread the word. But if you must use words, because it's the
actions that are speaking, and it's doing the will of God, it really
speaks the loudest. Yeah, and you guys do a great job with that.
Yeah, well, thank you, thank you. Well that's our hope.
Yeah, it's to keep that tradition going. Yeah, exactly. We
love what we do. We do. Luke, what drew you? Well,
honestly, my brother pointed me to the Salvation Army. I was a
in construction and uh and all the things that come with construction as a functioning
alcohol alcoholic. Yeah, yeah and uh and and so I went to one
of their recovery programs and that's how I met the Army and just fell in
love with everything that they stood for. And yeah, I met met,
uh met the Army and just turned my life around in a new direction.
And I actually had several job offers to go back into construction. But it
just the joy that I found in serving others far surpassed, uh that that
the joy of making money. So yeah, that's an amazing story. Yeah,
in and of it. So yeah. Yeah. And Tanya, how
long have you two been together? Oh? We just celebrated the twenty third
September was twenty eight years Wow. We marriage? So wow? You guys
are so young you got was this one of these things that you know,
Sweethearndergarten with the comic books up, Yeah, the kid married you out there.
We're so young. Yeah, but wow, that is great any kids
have three kids? Yeah? Actually even you know, early on one of
our experiences with the Army was that we were actually recipients of Angel Tree.
So yeah, it's kind of come full circle for us. Yeah. Yeah,
you have an amazing story, and so does the Salvation Army. And
you know what, we need the community to come together here for Angel Tree
like we've always done in the past, but this year it's a it's a
bigger challenge than what we've had before. We're going to have to really pull
together and pull this through and make Christmas bright for every chance, right,
Yeah, I know we will. Yeah, I want to thank you so
much for being here with thanks so much for having, thanks for having Can
you guys come back next Friday? Well soon, yeah, pretty such.
Maybe the seventeenth would be okay, we'll we'll have you on all right.
He Thank you very much for sharing the great word of the Salvation Army.
Thank you, thank you,