Northern Highlights - The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army
Northern
Highlights
News about how you are helping The Salvation Army do the most good in Minnesota and North Dakota
Hop aboard with The Salvation Army Northern Division
Inside
In St. Cloud, a one-two punch against hunger, homelessness (pg. 10)
Man’s 15-year drug rampage ends at The Salvation Army (pg. 4)
Plunging oil prices test Salvation Army locations in Minot, Williston (pg. 8)
Dairy Queen restaurant owner sweet on giving to The Salvation Army (pg. 14)
2015
Northern Highlights
2
Northern Highlights, a publication of the
Northern Division, is a newsletter about
Salvation Army activities in Minnesota
and North Dakota.
Mission Statement
The Salvation Army, an international
movement, is an evangelical part of
the universal Christian Church.
Its message is based on the Bible.
Its ministry is motivated by the love of God.
Its mission is to preach the gospel of
Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in
His name without discrimination.
DIVISIONAL COMMANDER
Lt. Col. Robert E. Thomson
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Debra Wilken
COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR
Annette Bauer
WRITER/PHOTOGRAPHER
Craig Dirkes
To Reach Us
The Salvation Army
Northern Division Headquarters
2445 Prior Avenue North
Roseville, MN 55113
651.746.3400
SalvationArmyNorth.org
Lt. Cols. Robert and Nancy Thomson
People in crisis know that without stability, there is no forward
motion. Progress grinds to a halt.
So it goes for the people we serve. Some have been derailed by a lost
job, or stacks of medical bills, or a house fire. Others are caught in
the complicated throes of generational poverty. All need help finding
their footing.
The Salvation Army Northern Division offers solid ground. We
are a team of 800 employees and 91,500 volunteers providing
loving service to more than 415,000 people in every county of
Minnesota and North Dakota. Our mission is to preach the gospel
of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without
discrimination. We meet these needs through six main areas
of service: basic needs, housing, rehabilitation, youth services,
counseling, and disaster relief.
We are committed to designing programs that equip people with
tools for sustained, lasting success. Our “Pathway of Hope” initiative
(pg. 12), for example, empowers families to overcome barriers to
self-sufficiency. Other families receive similar support through our
partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing (pg. 16).
Just like the families we serve, the Northern Division has its
own challenges to overcome. In North Dakota, for example, the
unexpected downturn in oil production has tested our operation
centers in Minot and Williston (pg. 8). We’ve adapted to the growing
number of people seeking assistance by ramping up staff numbers
and adding services. Both of these centers continue to thrive.
Indeed, the inspiring stories in this 2015 edition of Northern
Highlights magazine are a testament to the Northern Division’s
incredible volunteers and donors. Your support allows The Salvation
Army to do the most good for thousands of hurting people and
families. Thank you for your love and generosity.
Love from afar: Minnesota and North Dakota residents
have given more than $65,000 to The Salvation Army’s
ongoing earthquake relief efforts in Nepal. These
donations have helped our disaster teams provide food,
tents, hygiene kits, and other critical supplies to more than
100,000 survivors. The April 25 quake killed 9,000 and
destroyed more than 500,000 homes.
God bless you.
Lt. Col. Robert E. Thomson
Northern Division Commander
3
2014
The Salvation Army
Northern Division
Statistical highlights for The Salvation Army
in Minnesota and North Dakota
800 employees
and
91,500 volunteers at
50 housing/shelter
facilities provided
430,000
housing stays
39
31 Salvation Army
stores distributed
operation centers provided
236,000
807,000 186,000
items of free clothing
bags of
hot meals groceries
434,000
Additional Services
202,000
Christmas toys
Total
people
served
8,000
rent and energy
assistance cases
342,000
volunteer hours
43,000
people given
disaster asistance
2015
Northern Highlights
4
Stop the insanity
Man’s 15-year drug rampage ends at The Salvation Army
A
s a high school sophomore, Casey Koerner was as smart as he was athletic. He tested
out of his school’s sophomore curriculum and attended class with juniors and seniors.
College scouts came to watch him play soccer – he’d been competing at the varsity
level since the eighth grade. He was, by all accounts, an exemplary young man.
Then, Koerner tried drugs. By the end of his sophomore year, he had dropped out of high school
and was living with a drug dealer in a trailer park.
“I smoked weed 24 hours a day,” said Koerner, 36, who comes from a good family in the western
Twin Cities suburbs. “Whatever drug was in town – coke, mushrooms, acid – I had my hands
on it.”
So began his 15-year nightmare, a hazy blur of drugs, alcohol and anger. In that time, he enrolled
at 12 treatment centers and failed every one.
Thankfully, his 13th go at treatment was a different story. In 2009, he enrolled at The Salvation
Army Rehabilitation Center in Minneapolis, where he found the peace only God can provide.
The Salvation Army
5
The center offers free or affordable long-term, inpatient
rehabilitation services for up to 130 men from across
Minnesota, North Dakota and beyond. He graduated in
2010 and has been sober ever since.
Peer pressure
Koerner’s nosedive began during his first few weeks of
high school. He felt awkward, overwhelmed and out of
place, having previously attended a small Catholic school.
Very small: “My 7th grade class was me and three other
kids,” Koerner said.
Suddenly, as a sophomore, Koerner was in a public school
with 700 kids.
“I got placed with seniors because I was already past
what they taught in my grade,” he said. “I wasn’t learning
anything because I already knew everything. The school
didn’t even have a math class for me.”
About the only thing he didn’t know about was drugs and
alcohol, a dubious subject that the seniors in his class were
ready and willing to teach.
“Partying became more appealing to me than class,”
Koerner said.
He starting smoking marijuana and snorting cocaine.
Eventually, school officials caught him with drugs in his
car. He was expelled.
He transferred to an alternative school at age 16, but got
kicked out of there, too.
“I was tripping on acid in class all the time,” Koerner
recalled.
His parents couldn’t handle him anymore.
“They basically kicked me out,” said Koerner, who has four
younger sisters. “I moved in with the guy I bought weed
from and got a job working fast food.”
Shot dead
After two years of doing drugs and working dead-end jobs,
Koerner had a near-death experience when he was 18 years
old. Unfortunately, he didn’t heed the wakeup call.
That summer, one of his marijuana-dealing friends needed
help collecting drug money. Koerner agreed to tag along.
They went door-to-door, asking people to pay up.
Along the way, the two bumped into one of Koerner’s meth
buddies, who asked Koerner if he wanted to leave and
get high.
Northern Division
“I hadn’t smoked meth for a few days – I wanted some,”
Koerner said.
Koerner’s dealer friend was OK with him leaving early
because there was only one more house on the collection
list.
Later that day, Koerner found out that his dealer friend had
been shot dead at the final house. A 16-year-old kid who
owed $100 for marijuana invited him inside and opened
fire.
“My friend got shot 15 times with a .22-caliber rifle –
the kid emptied his gun, reloaded, and shot him some
more,” Koerner said. “I should have been at that house. If I
wouldn’t have bumped into my other friend, I would have
been dead.
“At that moment, I gave up. I gave up on God and I cursed
Him.”
1 47
$
$
$
=
spent on
addiction
treatment
to
reduced drug-related
crime, theft &
criminal justice costs
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Rather than use the shooting incident as fuel to turn his
life around, Koerner spent the rest of his teens and all of
his 20s getting high, day after aimless day. By age 21, he
had amassed 22 minor consumption violations. He rented
out people’s basements, never settling into a stable place
to live.
“At one point I was selling drugs and living with
three strippers in a one-bedroom apartment on Lake
Minnetonka,” Koerner said.
He eventually began working as an irrigation installation
specialist. He made decent money and stayed in the
profession for about 10 years, selling drugs on the side.
“I worked hard, went home, drank beer, and smoked
weed,” Koerner said. “I got fired so many times, but then
they’d take me back. I made sure my bosses did the same
drugs I did. It was harder for them to fire me if they were
buying drugs from me.”
2015
Northern Highlights
Triggers
Koerner’s lust for several of his
staple drugs dissipated as his 20s
dragged on. He quit dropping acid,
for example, after one particular
dose of the hallucinogen kept him
high for several days in a row.
“I didn’t want to do any permanent
damage,” Koerner said, adding
that he quit eating psychedelic
mushrooms for the same reason.
Meth was trickier. Koerner had an
on-again, off-again relationship
with the drug. He couldn’t make a
clean break from it.
“I thought I was the most
worthless, horrible piece of crap
when I was doing meth,” Koerner
admitted. “There were lots of years
when I was on it, then off it, then
selling it, then not selling it.”
Alcohol and marijuana remained constants.
Throughout his life, his decision to use all of these
chemicals was often triggered by any of three thoughts:
1. He has five children with five different women
in four states.
2. Dropping out of high school and ruining his
soccer career.
3. The shooting incident.
Koerner never knew when these thoughts would pop into
his mind. When one did, his impulse was to self-medicate.
6
up several arrest warrants in
Minnesota.
In 2008 he fled to South Dakota to
work for his uncle and get sober.
Less than a year later, he failed
at sobriety and his uncle kicked
him out.
In December 2009, Koerner’s dad
picked him up in South Dakota and
drove him back to his childhood
home near Lake Minnetonka,
where his parents still live.
His parents had heard about The
Salvation Army Rehabilitation
Center in Minneapolis. They gave
Koerner an ultimatum: go straight
to the rehabilitation center, or get
out of their house.
“I didn’t want to go to treatment,”
Koerner said. “I wanted them
to let me stay at their house that
night. They’d bailed me out so many times before, but they
wouldn’t this time. They said I had to go.”
He left the house in a huff, on a cold and snowy December
night. He began walking down a hill near his parents’
home. Below, Koerner could see the glowing windows of
his favorite bar.
“I was in my hometown – I knew exactly where I was
going, I knew exactly who had dope, and I knew exactly
where I could sleep,” he said.
Halfway to the bar, he stopped walking and looked back
toward his parents’ house.
“It could be as simple as a smell, or a stupid song on the
radio,” he said.
Then, he started crying. It dawned on Koerner that by
walking down the hill to the bar, he was beginning the
same uphill journey he’d endured for the past 15 years.
Hitting bottom
He turned around, marched back to his parents’ house
and snuck into a shed in the backyard. His dad eventually
found him huddled in a corner, shivering.
Koerner stopped selling drugs sometime during the late
2000s.
“I quit selling because I thought about the spider web
effect – how people could die because of the drugs I sold,”
he said.
Although drugs were mostly off the table, booze was not.
Koerner remained a hardcore alcoholic well into his late
20s. He found plenty of trouble along the way, racking
“He asked what I was doing,” Koerner said. “I said, ‘Fine.
Take me to that stupid rehab place.’”
The night was a lesson in tough love that Koerner will
never forget.
“The best thing my parents ever did for me was refuse to
help me that night,” he said.
The Salvation Army
7
Redemption
Koerner arrived at the rehabilitation center on Dec. 28,
2009. He answered some intake questions and took a seat
in the chapel.
God said hello to him immediately.
“I felt a weight get lifted off me that I haven’t felt before – I
really can’t explain it,” he said. “I haven’t felt that weight
ever since that moment.”
Koerner spent the next six months in the program,
receiving counseling, spiritual support, and volunteer
“work therapy” for 36 to 40 hours per week.
Work therapy involves organizing and distributing clothes,
furniture and other donations made to Salvation Army
stores. The rehabilitation center is funded by sales at
Salvation Army stores in the Twin Cities.
While in the program, Koerner learned to trust God and
give Him control.
God did not disappoint – especially when it came to
Koerner’s legal matters.
“Eventually, I turned myself in for the five warrants I had
out for me – two were felonies – and pleaded no contest,”
Koerner said. “I told the prosecutor I did everything they
had on me, and way worse. She thought I was crazy and
practically refused to handle the case if I didn’t have a
lawyer.”
A Salvation Army official spoke to the judge and prosecutor,
vouching for Koerner and explaining the progress he had
made.
Northern Division
said if I so much as spit on the sidewalk, I’d get the full
sentence.”
Koerner tied another loose end while in the program:
finishing high school.
“I hadn’t been to school in 15 years,” he said. “I was scared
to take the GED test. I passed with upper 90s in all the
subjects, and 100 percent in social studies.”
Koerner graduated from the rehabilitation center in June
2010 and has been working for The Salvation Army ever
since, both in Salvation Army stores and at the center.
Today, he’s the center’s intake coordinator. He is the first
person to meet every broken man who arrives in search of
a new life.
He is always anxious to tell each man about everything he
learned in the program when he, too, was broken.
“I should not be standing here alive, or as a free person,”
Koerner said. “Now I have an active relationship with God.
I start out with Him every morning, and I end with Him
every night when I go to bed.”
Today, Koerner’s biggest life challenge is not knowing all of
his five children, the oldest of whom is now 18. His parents
have full custody of his 7-year-old daughter.
“Father’s Day is always touchy for me,” Koerner said.
He deals with this hardship by reciting the Serenity Prayer,
which calls on people to accept the things they cannot
change and to have courage to change the things they can.
“The toughest part of that prayer is having the wisdom to
know the difference,” he said.
“The prosecutor came back to me and said it was my
lucky day,” Koerner said, chuckling. “The judge reduced
everything to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. But he
S
If you or a loved one would like more information about The
Salvation Army Rehabilitation Center in Minneapolis, call
612-332-5855. The program accepts men from Minnesota,
North Dakota and beyond.
hopping at or donating merchandise to your local
Salvation Army store helps save people in crisis.
All store proceeds in North Dakota and Greater
Minnesota fund local Salvation Army programs that provide
your neighbors with food, clothing, shelter, and other
critical services. In the Twin Cities, store proceeds fund
The Salvation Army Rehabilitation Center in Minneapolis.
To find a store or drop-off location near you, visit
SATruck.org.
2015
Northern Highlights
8
A ‘shale’
of two
cities
Plunging oil prices test
Salvation Army locations in
Minot and Williston
Captains Rhegan and Joshua Stansbury,
Williston Salvation Army
H
ydraulic fracturing – or “fracking” – allows
oil companies to extract petroleum and
natural gas from oil shale. The technology
has transformed western North Dakota into
a veritable gold rush.
Lately, plunging oil prices have slowed progress. The region
now lacks the breakneck bustle it had been enjoying since the
late 2000s.
The backslide has added a new layer of busy to The Salvation
Army’s operation centers in Minot and Williston. When the
oil boom began, these locations were busier than ever helping
people who: 1. Arrived from a different state but couldn’t find
work. 2. Had lived in Minot or Williston their entire lives but
couldn’t afford the skyrocketing cost of living.
Now the two locations are even busier, helping a third group
of people: those laid off amid the economic downturn.
Williston
The Williston Salvation Army has been serving 1,150 percent
more people since the oil boom began, jumping from about
700 people in 2008 to around 8,000 people in 2014.
The 2015 numbers could
catapult higher, given the city’s
new economic climate.
“People are getting laid off –
suddenly, they’ve lost their job
and their home,” said Captain
Joshua Stansbury, Williston
Salvation Army administrator.
“Another common scenario
happens when housing doesn’t
accompany a job. People laid
off from good-paying jobs are
locked into apartment leases
for X amount of months, with
no way to pay.”
“Les” and his dog wait for
services at the Williston
Salvation Army.
The average monthly rent in Williston is among the nation’s
highest – around $2,200. Although the Williston Salvation
Army’s rent assistance program is not equipped to pay that
kind of money, the charity is able to help in other important
ways: food, clothing, transportation assistance, job searching,
and more.
These services are a godsend to people like “Les.” He moved
The Salvation Army
9
Northern Division
to Williston from North Carolina in 2010 and spent five years
working in the oil fields, only to be laid off in early 2015.
“I was homeless there for a while,” Les said in July. “First time
I’ve been homeless.”
He began working side jobs – house painting, plumbing, yard
work – and earned enough money to move into an apartment
in June. Ever since, The Salvation Army has been helping him
fill the gaps by providing gas vouchers and food baskets once
a month.
“The Salvation Army has been very helpful,” Les said.
If he becomes homeless again, the Army’s transportation
assistance program could provide him a one-way ticket back
to North Carolina. At the height of the oil boom, the Williston
Salvation Army spent $8,000 or more per month on bus
tickets.
1,150% Increase
in people served
by the Williston Salvation Army
from 2008 to 2014
To better serve the influx of people like Les, the Williston
Salvation Army has added two staff members and has begun
offering hot meals with the help of community partners.
The charity also operates Project Heat – a cold-weather
transitional shelter it opened in 2014 with partner New Hope
Wesleyan Church. Project Heat is the only shelter option in
town, allowing up to 10 homeless men to sleep in the warmth
of a modular home leased from a local housing company.
“No matter if we’re in a boom or a downturn, the amount of
services we provide never slows down,” Stansbury said.
Minot
The Minot Salvation Army is
experiencing similar challenges, with
food being one of the biggest. Lately, a
whopping 300 families per month have
been coming for groceries.
“We had a serious spike in numbers
when the oil production dropped,” said
food shelf manager Vickie McMullen. “Most people who get
food here are the working poor.”
That includes lifelong Minot resident Shanon DeVries, her
husband and two teenage kids. They’ve been receiving support
from the Minot Salvation Army ever since the Minot flood of
2011. They lost almost everything and still haven’t recovered.
Another busy day in Minot for (from left) Ashley Pister, social worker;
Vickie McMullen, food shelf manager; and Lt. Randy Stahl, Minot
Salvation Army administrator.
“Before the flood, we never needed any help from The Salvation
Army – we gave to them,” said DeVries, 40, who over the years
has received food, gas cards and emotional support.
Her family is planning to move to Colorado this fall because
they cannot afford to live in Minot anymore. “I’ve never
wanted to leave Minot – I’m rooted here,” DeVries said.
“Between the flood and everything that’s happened after it,
I’m not sure where we’d be without The Salvation Army. They
are amazing.”
As a thank you, DeVries and her sister gave The Salvation
Army $800 worth of proceeds from a craft show they hosted
in May.
Like Williston, Minot is also experiencing a housing crunch.
Every month, social worker Ashley Pister helps dozens of
families feeling the pinch.
Last summer, one of the families included a father, mother
and seven kids. The father works for a property management
company that gave him a large salary and housing. When oil
prices crashed, the father’s salary dropped and he was ordered
to pay rent in the amount of $2,200 per
month.
Shanon DeVries
“When he called me, he was getting
locked out of his home,” said Pister, who
got the family into a hotel room to prevent
them from becoming homeless. She also
worked with local agencies to secure a
storage unit so that the family wouldn’t
lose their possessions. In the end, she
found the family a four-bedroom home
they could afford – $1,500 per month.
“The family was grateful,” Pister said.
Looking ahead, the biggest challenge in Minot and Williston
will be securing adequate funding and volunteer support for
the extra services the locations are providing.
2015
Northern Highlights
10
St. Cloud
businesses
sponsor meals
at dizzying pace
‘PhilanthroFEED’ program provides
one-two punch against hunger, homelessness
I
t’s getting harder and harder to find a business in St.
Cloud, Minn., that hasn’t sponsored a meal at the St.
Cloud Salvation Army.
The businesses are smitten over “PhilanthroFEED,” a
new program that allows organizations to purchase
entire community meals for as little as $250 and serve the
food themselves.
“There are very few charities where you can directly hand
out your donation to the people benefitting from it,” said
PhilanthroFEED director Jim Muellenbach, adding that
up to 180 people eat lunch at the St. Cloud Salvation Army
every weekday. “I think that’s a big part of PhilanthroFEED’s
success.”
Success indeed: The program is on pace to include up to
60 business sponsors in 2015. That’s up from 29 sponsors
in 2014, and 10 sponsors when the program began in 2013.
“Even if we reach only 50 sponsors this year, that’s still a
savings of about $25,000 – money we can use for our other
important programs such as housing,” Muellenbach said.
“The nice thing is, most of the sponsors who sign up once,
sign up again.”
Texas Roadhouse of
St. Cloud can attest to
that. On June 24, the
steakhouse sponsored its
sixth meal in less than
two years.
Volunteer Tiffany Mason prepares a
lunch catered by Texas Roadhouse.
“This is right up our
alley – we like to do
things for vets,” said the
restaurant’s co-owner,
Tiffany Mason, noting
that the St. Cloud Salvation Army serves a large number of
veterans from the local VA Medical Center.
She helped serve the lunch with three Texas Roadhouse
employees and three employees from another repeat
supporter – St. Cloud Toyota Scion, a two-time
PhilanthroFEED sponsor.
How PhilanthroFEED works
PhilanthroFEED sponsors have two main options:
purchase an evening or weekend meal for $250, or a
weekday lunch for $500.
A third option is available to food service companies: cater
a meal themselves. That’s what Texas Roadhouse does,
providing trays of piping hot pulled pork, corn and baked
potatoes.
“Every time we’ve done PhilanthroFEED, we’ve catered the
whole thing,” Mason confirmed.
As for the volunteer component of the program, it’s simple:
Sponsors bring a handful of people and help serve meals
for a few hours.
1 10
in
Source: United States Department of Agriculture
Minnesotans
go
hungry
PhilanthroFEED is an attractive charitable activity because
it’s fun and affordable. In some cases, it doesn’t even cost
a dime. In April 2015, students from a local elementary
school held a spaghetti drive, brought the noodles and
sauce to the St. Cloud Salvation Army, and served the food
themselves.
The Salvation Army
11
Northern Division
VOLUNTEER
FOR
Megan Wisbar
The
Salvation
Army
Left: The St. Cloud Salvation Army includes a 69-bed transitional shelter.
The facility is a former hotel. Right: Up to 180 guests eat lunch at the St.
Cloud Salvation Army every weekday.
The program is also important because it gets the public
involved with helping their community year-round, and
introduces new donors and volunteers to the important
work of The Salvation Army.
“PhilanthroFEED provides more opportunities for groups,
companies and individuals to work side-by-side with The
Salvation Army outside of the holidays,” Muellenbach said.
How PhilanthroFEED helps
Supporting PhilanthroFEED does much more than
provide hot meals for hungry men, women and children
in the St. Cloud area. It also houses them.
PhilanthroFEED saves the St. Cloud Salvation Army
thousands of dollars that can be repurposed for its free 69bed transitional shelter. The shelter is expensive to operate
and is almost always filled to capacity.
“The shelter costs $50,000 to $60,000 per year just to keep
it in shape,” said Major Lee Morrison, St. Cloud Salvation
Army administrator.
Seven of the 69 shelter beds are reserved for veterans, who
can stay up to two years. The rest of the facility is a mix of
rooms for families, single men and single women, all of
whom can stay up to 90 days. On-site case management is
provided to all.
These housing programs have an excellent success rate.
Last year, about 100 families left the shelter having secured
permanent housing.
“We’re happy to say they left and haven’t come back,”
Morrison said.
Learn more about PhilanthroFEED at
SalvationArmyNorth.org/st-cloud.
T
he Salvation Army needs volunteers.
Thousands of them. Last year more than
91,500 people volunteered for The Salvation
Army, and that still wasn’t enough.
Most needed are volunteers who can commit to one or
both of the following: 1. Helping at least once every month.
2. Helping on weekdays.
Volunteer Megan Wisbar does both at the St. Cloud
Salvation Army. She’s been serving meals every Wednesday
for the past two years.
“It’s like therapy,” she said. “This is where I come to relax.”
The Salvation Army offers a multitude of volunteer
activities across Minnesota and North Dakota: serving
meals, distributing groceries, helping disaster survivors,
cleaning, office work … the list is endless.
Help people in need by volunteering at your local
Salvation Army. Learn more at SalvationArmyNorth.org.
2015
Northern Highlights
12
Lost mom finds her way
on ‘Pathway of Hope’
Salvation Army initiative focuses on root causes
that keep families from becoming self-sufficient
T
wo years ago, Dawn Lasserre and her daughter
Rachel moved to Hibbing, Minn., looking
for a fresh start. They had left a small town in
Wisconsin, where Dawn worked as a certified
nursing assistant. Without getting into details, their lives
had become too turbulent there.
In Hibbing, Dawn knew somebody she and Rachel could
live with while they found their footing. Unfortunately,
Dawn couldn’t find a job to save her life.
“I couldn’t even get a gas station to hire me – nobody in
town knew me,” said Dawn, who has a good work history.
That was April 2013. She finally landed a job that September,
working in special education at a local school. But by then,
the financial damage had been done.
“For six months, no bills were being paid and no money
was coming in,” Dawn said.
She had never experienced that type of financial crisis. To
stay afloat, she started getting food at the Hibbing Salvation
Army. There she met caseworker Nancy Massich, who told
her about a new Salvation Army initiative that could help:
Pathway of Hope.
Pathway of Hope is a national initiative that provides longterm, one-on-one support for struggling families that want
to start thriving. Each family meets with a Salvation Army
caseworker at least once a week to formulate a game plan,
set goals and track progress.
Dawn signed up during spring 2014.
“You have no idea how desperate I was,” she said. “When
somebody extends a branch of hope, you say heck yeah.”
Starting small
Families in crisis often stay in crisis because their challenges
seem too daunting to overcome.
That’s where Pathway of Hope comes in. The initiative
meets families where they’re at and provides a clear and
realistic path to self-sufficiency.
“Together, Dawn and I set goals,” Nancy said. “Small goals,
so that I did not overwhelm her.”
When Nancy says small, she means it: “Even if I got the
dishes done, I was one step ahead of where I was before,”
Dawn said. “It was as simple as keeping my focus up
instead of down.”
13
Nancy Massich,
left, and Dawn
Lasserre share
a light moment
at the Hibbing
Salvation Army.
Gradually, Nancy offered bigger responsibilities and loftier
short-term goals. When obstacles arose, Nancy had Dawn’s
back.
“Sometimes I would just cry,” Dawn said. “I never knew
what was going to drop from one day to the next. But I
had Nancy pushing me, standing by me, holding me
accountable.”
Nancy also kept her eye out for other programs that could
help Dawn and Rachel.
“Nancy got us bikes through a local bike program,” Dawn
said. “And when back-to-school started, she got Rachel
supplies through The Salvation Army.”
Dreaming big
Nancy and Dawn also set long-term goals, such as having
Dawn find a summer job.
“Nancy put a bug in my ear about what I was going to do
without an income all summer,” Dawn said.
Ironically, Dawn got a job at a gas station after all. She
started working there at the end of the 2014 school year
and hasn’t stopped. Now, nine months of the year, she
works at both the school and the gas station. The extra
income has helped Dawn chip away at another big goal:
paying off debt.
40
of U. S.
%
single mothers
live in poverty
The Salvation Army
Northern Division
“Dawn is a wonderful person,” Nancy said. “She wanted to
provide a better life for her daughter and was determined
– she just needed a little guidance.”
That guidance has led to Dawn being a stronger and more
confident version of herself.
“I’m much more stable – mentally, physically and
financially,” she said. “This program is not for people
looking for a handout. It’s set up to give you a hand up to
a better life. It teaches you to be proud of yourself and say,
‘Hey, I can do it.’ The scary parts in life aren’t quite as scary
anymore.”
Growing initiative
As of September 2015, Pathway of
Hope is offered at all 30 Salvation
Army Worship and Service
Centers in Minnesota and North
Dakota. It began in August 2013 at
just a handful of the centers.
Hibbing Salvation
Army Worship and
Service Center.
Through Pathway of Hope, dozens of families have
achieved these and other goals:
• Buying a home or finding stable housing
• Obtaining full-time employment
• Getting a driver’s license
• Improving their credit
• Starting college and/or obtaining GED
• Receiving mental health treatment or other medical care
“The power of this initiative lies in
the weekly meetings with Pathway
of Hope case managers,” said Sherrie
Trucker, Pathway of Hope director
in Minnesota and North Dakota.
“This keeps goals on the forefront
Sherrie Trucker,
and makes people feel accountable.
Pathway of Hope director
Goals are broken down into small
action-steps so that people can experience the satisfaction
that comes with achievement.”
“When I started Pathway of Hope, I had six big debts to
pay off – now I only have three,” Dawn said. “If everything
goes perfect, I’ll have everything paid off in a year.”
Pathway of Hope is designed to impact generational
poverty by targeting families with children. The initiative
is just one example of how The Salvation Army uses
donations to develop programs that transform lives and
produce lasting change.
Through it all, Nancy has been impressed by Dawn’s
resolve.
To learn more about Pathway of Hope, contact your local
Salvation Army or visit SalvationArmyNorth.org.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
2015
Northern Highlights
14
Like father, like son
For Dave and Matt Frauenshuh, the value of philanthropy spans generations
L
ongtime Salvation Army
supporter Dave Frauenshuh
is one of Minnesota’s most
prominent commercial real
estate developers, and arguably the most
successful developer of medical properties
in the country. The devout Christian has
been a staunch ally and perennial donor
of The Salvation Army Northern Division
since 2002 and serves on The Salvation
Army’s national advisory board.
Dave is passionate about The Salvation
Army because “of the breadth of its
mission,” he said. “The Army touches on so
many of the problems in society. My giving
comes from my belief that I can’t out-give
Jesus.”
Matt, 33, now a proud husband and father
himself. “When you are blessed with more
than you deserve, it is a gift.”
Today, Matt is following in his father’s
footsteps – both as a successful businessman
and an ardent Salvation Army supporter. He
lives his dad’s “God’s-not-ours” philosophy
through his job as CEO of Fourteen Foods,
a company that includes 164 Dairy Queen
Grill & Chill restaurants in 10 states. He
uses the 9,000-employee business to raise
millions for charity.
The Salvation Army is one of those charities.
In nine years, Fourteen Foods has raised
more than $500,000 for The Salvation Army
via miniature red kettles – or “Counter
Kettles” – located next to the cash registers
inside all 164 restaurants, 365 days a year.
Fourteen Foods has used
counter kettles to raise
$500,000 for The Salvation
Army.
Throughout the decades Dave spent building his companies
from scratch, he passed down a valuable lesson to his son,
Matt Frauenshuh: “My dad taught me from a very young
age that everything we are given is God’s, not ours,” said
“The Salvation Army is a good fit for Fourteen Foods
because the money we raise in small towns stays in those
15
The Salvation Army
Northern Division
small towns,” Matt said.
“I like that The Salvation
Army is involved in small
communities. I like that it’s
faith-based.”
Faith is important to Matt, who
named his company Fourteen
Foods for a reason: “It’s based
on Matthew 14, when Jesus
feeds 5,000 people.”
Fourteen Foods doesn’t stop at
counter kettles. The company
sponsors Salvation Army
events and its employees ring
Several Dairy Queen Grill & Chill restaurants owned by Fourteen Foods regularly host tours for
bells during the Christmas
inner-city kids enrolled in Salvation Army youth programs.
season. In addition, some
of its restaurants regularly
“Far from it,” said Lt. Col. Robert Thomson, Salvation Army
host tours for inner-city kids
commander in Minnesota and North Dakota. “A mother
enrolled in Salvation Army youth programs.
and son volunteering together once a month makes an
impact. A father and his daughter ringing bells together at
Christmas makes an impact. What’s important is that our
younger generations are exposed to the importance and
value of giving.”
82
Give confidently.
cents of every
DOLLAR DONATED
goes directly to
service.
Matt believes that the larger Fourteen Foods becomes, the
more people his company can help. He’s well on his way to
making that happen: When Matt took over the business
from his father in 2006, Fourteen Foods – then Frauenshuh
Hospitality Group – was three years old and included seven
DQ Grill & Chill restaurants. Under Matt’s leadership, the
company has added an average of 18 restaurants annually
during the past nine years.
“This is about God’s will, not what we want,” Matt said. “The
focus of my life is not about finding personal happiness. It’s
about helping others.”
Heirloom of giving
The lessons Dave taught Matt have created a new legacy
of giving that is producing a larger impact than Dave
ever could have made alone. Their story illustrates how
important it is for parents to pass down a philanthropic
vision to their children.
But make no mistake: You needn’t be a business tycoon to
make an impact.
Encouraging the younger generations to get involved has
become a priority for The Salvation Army. Right now,
much of our support comes from the Baby Boomers and
the Silent and Greatest generations. The Salvation Army
made an indelible mark on them during such worldwide
struggles as the Great Depression, World War II and
the Vietnam War. The brave men and women of these
generations have not forgotten what The Salvation Army
did for them, and they continue to give accordingly.
Generations X, Y and Z, on the other hand, have not been
exposed to the important work of The Salvation Army in
the same way the older generations have.
“In order to maintain our status as the largest and most
trusted faith-based charity in America in the decades
ahead, we must engage the upcoming generations,”
Thomson said. “As hard as we are working to demonstrate
to our younger supporters the value and importance of
The Salvation Army, there is no substitute for parental
influence.”
There are many ways to expose your children to the good
work of The Salvation Army, from volunteering together,
to starting a fundraiser, to shopping at or donating to our
stores. Learn more at SalvationArmyNorth.org.
2015
Northern Highlights
16
For the long haul
Salvation Army housing programs offer years of support for struggling families
T
anya Barkhausen and her two young sons had reached the end.
It was October 2011. They had just lost their home in the small
town of Belgrade, Minn., where Tanya – then a divorced single
mother – was continuing her lifelong career as a certified nursing
assistant. She had been battling three debilitating afflictions: 1. Cancer.
2. Mental health issues. 3. A serious back injury she sustained in 2010.
“I’ve always been a walking health problem,” Tanya said.
Despite being close to winning her battle with cancer, collectively, the three
infirmities had finally done Tanya in. She was physically unable to work, with
no place left to sleep but her car.
“It was our first time being homeless,” said Tanya, 36, a St. Paul native who put herself through
nursing school at age 19, and had been working continuously since age 12. “It was awful scary
for all of us.”
The Salvation Army
17
Northern Division
The family spent two days living out of
Tanya’s car. On the second day, Tanya
connected with a Stearns County social
worker who pointed her to the St. Cloud
Salvation Army’s family transitional shelter.
After spending two months stabilizing at
the shelter, Tanya and a Salvation Army
social worker applied for Shelter Plus Care,
a U.S. Department of Housing program
offering permanent supportive housing for
parents with a dual-diagnosis disability.
Such families receive housing and case
management through The Salvation
Army and other qualified agencies. Across
Minnesota, The Salvation Army manages
more than 40 housing units through Shelter
Plus Care and similar programs.
“I can’t put into words how beneficial
Jennifer is,” Tanya said. “She’s helped with
gas when I’ve needed to get to appointments.
She’s helped with food any time I’ve needed
it. She’s helped with school supplies. She
sent my kids to Salvation Army camp.”
Jennifer has also come through in times of
crisis.
“Jennifer was there for me when I had to go
to the emergency room – she came to the
hospital and helped me with my daughter,”
Tanya said.
Salvation Army case manager Jennifer
Krebs, left, has been assisting Tanya
Barkhausen and her family for the
past two years.
One of those units is a townhome just north
of the Twin Cities, in Monticello. It was the perfect fit for
Tanya and her kids.
“We moved in the day before Christmas Eve,” Tanya
recalled. “That was one incredible blessing for Christmas. I
was overwhelmed with joy knowing my kids weren’t going
to be in a shelter anymore. They’d have a permanent home.”
Forward motion
It’s been nearly four years since Tanya moved in, and she’s
doing great with the continued support of The Salvation
Army. She works part-time at Walmart. Her sons –
Anthony, 16, and Dayton, 8 – are getting good grades. She
remarried and has a daughter, Adilyn, a happy and healthy
2-year-old.
Tanya’s case manager, Jennifer Krebs, is quick to point
out that Salvation Army support services are still needed
despite Tanya now being married.
“People still need support even if they are starting to move
forward and earn more money,” said Jennifer, adding that
rent is paid on a sliding scale based on income. “With the
population that Shelter Plus Care serves, there comes a lot
of barriers; supportive services are still needed in order
to maintain housing even if they are paying full rent. We
want people to be stable before they live completely on
their own. We don’t want people to end up with another
eviction or homeless episode.”
Jennifer has been helping Tanya’s family for the last two
years.
Through Shelter Plus Care, Jennifer assists
Tanya’s family and five others living in
Salvation Army housing units.
“Tanya and her family mean so much,”
Jennifer said. “They are a strong family that
just needed a little help. The support The Salvation Army
has given them has helped break down the barriers.”
Looking ahead, Tanya would like to obtain a degree in
human services.
“That’s where my passion is – helping people,” she said.
“Once life becomes more comfortable, I’d like to go back
to school.”
4.1
million
U.S. parents with a
disability,
with kids under 18
Source: lookingglass.org
Meanwhile, Tanya is content moving forward with the
support of Jennifer and The Salvation Army, one step at
a time.
Tanya’s son, Anthony, is fine with that as well. During the
interview for this story, Anthony asked his mother: “Is it
weird if I think Jennifer is a mom to me, too?”
A
s Tanya’s story illustrates, success doesn’t
happen overnight. It requires time, effort,
patience, and a whole lot of love.
With help from our monthly donors, The Salvation
Army is able to provide long-term, sustained services
to people like Tanya and her family.
Learn more about becoming a monthly giver at
SalvationArmyNorth.org.
2015
Northern Highlights
18
Tracy Moore, RN,
Good Samaritan
Medical Clinic
Coordinator
Just what the doctor ordered
Mayo Clinic partnership fills needs, prescriptions at Rochester Salvation Army
W
ithout four injections of insulin per
day, 45-year-old diabetic Mike Elzy
of Rochester, Minn., could die in a
matter of days. He is unemployed,
broke and without health insurance.
“Diabetes is a costly disease,” said Elzy, who also needs
medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and
acid reflux disease.
Elzy is enduring a rough patch in his life. Thankfully, he can
get his insulin and medications for just $5 per prescription
at the Rochester Salvation Army’s Good Samaritan Health
Clinic.
Good Samaritan
Medical Clinic
is located on the
bottom floor of
the Rochester
Salvation Army’s
“Castleview”
housing facility.
“I’m thankful for
this place,” said Elzy,
who is living with
and caring for his
sick mother until
he can find work.
“Without this clinic,
it would be awfully
hard for me to get my
medications. Without them, I die. That’s the truth.”
Stories like Elzy’s are common at the clinic, located on the
bottom floor of the Rochester Salvation Army’s 32-unit
“Castleview” housing facility in downtown Rochester.
In addition to filling prescriptions through its onsite
pharmacy, the clinic offers these and other medical
services:
i Eye clinic
i Mental health
i Pediatrics
i Diabetes clinic
i Smoking cessation
i General medical
The clinic is made possible by world-renowned Mayo
Clinic. Mayo funds the pharmacy and provides most of
the volunteer doctors, nurses and support staff. Last year at
Good Samaritan, nearly 200 medical volunteers provided
healthcare to 700 people during 1,320 visits, and filled
3,700 prescriptions.
One of the volunteers is Chander Singh, a retired Mayo
Clinic nurse. She’s been helping out two nights per week
for over a year. She checks patients’ vital signs, offers
referrals, and provides education about diabetes, exercise,
The Salvation Army
19
Northern Division
healthy eating, and other common wellness topics.
Volunteer nurse
Chander Singh
takes the blood
pressure of patient
Mike Elzy.
“Many people are not aware of these things,” said Singh,
who began volunteering at the clinic the same week she
retired. “It’s a pleasure to see the patients here and listen
to their stories. Education is so critical.”
Another important service: bloodwork. Patients who
need it are referred to Mayo Clinic, where they can receive
any of about 20 tests – from Hepatitis to Hemoglobin –
free of charge.
%
4.6 do not
of
Source: Gallup Inc.
Minnesotans
have health insurance
The clinic is open weeknights by appointment. The
waiting room is forever packed with people in need of
medical attention for a range of ailments: strep throat,
sprained ankle, pneumonia, urinary tract issues … the list
is endless. Most of these patients are either underinsured
or without insurance.
“We see a lot of people who are on their company’s
insurance but cannot afford the deductible,” said Good
Samaritan Medical Clinic Coordinator Tracy Moore, a
registered nurse. “We are a safety net for so many people.
Without The Salvation Army, there is virtually no other
place they can go.”
New Mission
Ever since the Affordable Care Act went into effect in
January 2014, the clinic has been on a new mission:
Sign people up for health insurance.
“Everybody who comes in for a medical appointment
must fill out an application to see if they qualify for
insurance,” said Jessica Schultz, a Good Samaritan
pharmacy tech and certified navigator of MNsure, the
state’s insurance marketplace. “Hopefully when people
come for a visit, they can have their needs met other than
seeing a doctor.”
The day Schultz was interviewed for this story, she was
helping Elzy – the man with diabetes – apply for UCare,
a low-cost insurance provider.
Jessica
Schultz helps
a patient
apply for
medical
insurance.
“Our goal is to
get everybody on
insurance,” Schultz
continued. “We don’t
want this clinic to
be the only place
people rely on for
their medical care.”
The clinic has made another adjustment in light of the
Affordable Care Act: broadening its service area. After
the law took effect, patient numbers began to decline. The
Salvation Army responded last summer by expanding
the clinic’s service area to include patients who live in all
six counties adjacent to Olmsted County. Now, patient
numbers are back near their historical averages.
“We have this nice facility and we
didn’t want it to go to waste,” said
Good Samaritan Medical Director
Dr. Thomas McLeod, who has been
volunteering at the clinic for 20 years.
Dr. Thomas McLeod,
Good Samaritan
Medical Director
McLeod is a primary care physician
at Mayo Clinic’s Division of Primary
Care and Internal Medicine. He is
proud to volunteer for The Salvation
Army and applauds the clinic for the
services it provides.
“These are basic healthcare needs,” he said. “I like availing
myself to people who fall into that hole of not having
access to care or not being able to afford it. We take
satisfaction in helping people navigate those troubled
waters.”
The Rochester Salvation Army also operates the Good
Samaritan Dental Clinic, where volunteer dental
professionals provide free or affordable emergency dental
care, x-rays and extractions.
A
family recently gave The Salvation Army
a gift in memory of one of its members
who had received loving care at the Good
Samaritan Medical Clinic.
Memorial gifts to The Salvation Army celebrate the life
of a loved one and perpetuate their legacy by providing
hope to people in need.
Similarly, honorarium gifts pay tribute to a friend
or relative, or celebrate special achievements such as
birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.
Learn more about making a memorial or honorarium gift
by calling Donner at 651-746-3496.
2015
Northern Highlights
20
Giving
yields
dividends …
and vice
versa
Donating stock among
the simplest ways to
change lives
T
Dave and Pat Teskey smile as lunch is served inside the E. Lake St. Salvation Army.
he 40-year-old lunch tables
and folding chairs inside the
Minneapolis E. Lake St. Salvation
Army cafeteria were on their last
legs. The tables were rusting and delaminating. The
chairs were falling apart.
“It was hard keeping the tables clean,” admitted
Captain Jesus Trejo, site administrator since 2011.
“Food was getting trapped in the cracks.”
The 100-plus people who eat a free weekday lunch
at the facility deserved a nicer dining environment.
But money for cafeteria upgrades wasn’t available
in the 2015 budget. Cash spent on new tables and
chairs would have meant less money for the E.
Lake St. Salvation Army’s youth programs, or fewer
groceries for the nearly 500 families coming to its
food shelf every month.
Enter Salvation Army donors Pat and Dave Teskey,
a retired couple from the southern Twin Cities
suburbs. In September, they solved the lunchroom
problem by purchasing 12 new tables and 72 folding
chairs.
“The Teskeys blessed us,” Trejo said. “Our staff and
guests love the new cafeteria setup.”
Interestingly, the Teskeys didn’t purchase the tables
and chairs by writing a check or giving online. They
did so by donating stock.
Many people are surprised to learn that donating
stock is perhaps the easiest way there is to support
The Salvation Army.
“It was a simple phone call,” Dave Teskey affirmed,
adding that donating stock includes additional tax
benefits.
He made his call to The Salvation Army this
summer. Arrangements were made for the Teskeys
to transfer their stock to a Salvation Army account.
The Salvation Army then sold the stock and put the
proceeds to work.
One =
phone
call
effort required
to
donate
stock
The Salvation Army
21
Captain Jesus Trejo
Northern Division
This
T
thanks belongs to you
he three notes below were written by people served by The
Salvation Army Northern Division.
One can only imagine the pain and hardship that brought each of
these families to The Salvation Army.
Equally unimaginable is the loving compassion of Salvation
Army donors and volunteers. We were able to serve these people
only because of your support.
“Thanks to the Teskeys, hundreds of people in need are
now able to eat lunch in more comfortable and dignified
surroundings,” said Corinne Overstake, special gifts
manager. “Although most people who give stock do
not give toward specific needs, we’re always thrilled to
accommodate such requests.”
The Teskeys found out about the E. Lake St. Salvation
Army’s need after touring the facility and several other
Salvation Army locations during the past year, including
our Harbor Light Shelter in Minneapolis and Booth Brown
House youth housing facility in St. Paul.
“With any charity we give to, we like to see the programs
in person and meet the people running them,” Pat Teskey
said. “I would encourage everybody to visit the sites to see
the good work The Salvation Army is doing.”
In addition to tables and chairs, the Teskeys have also
donated stock toward the purchase of towels, socks and
underwear for Harbor Light residents; general financial
support for Booth Brown House; and a laundry list of
other upgrades at the E. Lake St. Salvation Army, plus
camp scholarships for kids.
“The Salvation Army addresses people’s physical needs and
their spiritual needs – both of those things are important
to us,” Dave Teskey said.
To learn more about changing lives by donating stock,
please call 651-746-3504 in the Twin Cities or toll free
at 800-456-4483 in North Dakota or Greater Minnesota.
More information is at SalvationArmyNorth.org.
The E. Lake St.
Salvation Army
and partner Loaves
and Fishes serve a
free hot lunch to up
to 130 people every
weekday.
Indeed, these thank you notes belong to you…
2015
Northern Highlights
22
Northern Division Summary of Financial Statements
Annual Financial Report of Operating Revenue and Expenses
2014
YEAR ENDED 9/30/14
Public Support and Revenue
United Way
Contributions
Program Service Fees
Government Fees, Grants and Reimbursements
Sales to the Public
Other Revenue (Includes Gains/Losses)
total public support and revenue
Program Expenses Social Services
Worship and Service Centers
Residential Services
Rehabilitation Center
Total Program Expenses
Northern
Division
Financial
Summary
$1,756,903
42,463,146
2,410,567
10,681,304
8,027,914
585,580
13,258,877
128,613
$ 65,925,414
$13,387,490
31,001,516
12,717,052
12,147,601
55,866,169
Support Services
Fundraising Expenses
Administration
Total Supporting Services
total expenses
6,730,856
6,203,844
12,934,700
$ 68,800,869
(2,875,455)
2,700,716
(174,739)
18,309,791
$18,135,052
Excess of Expenses Over
Public Support and Revenue
Net Transfers from Other Salvation Army Units
Decrease in Net Assets
Operating Net Assets, Beginning of Year
operating net assets, end of year
Recap of Net Assets
Operating Net Assets
Board Designated Net Assets
Total Unrestricted Operating Net Assets
Temporarily Restricted Net Assets
total operating net assets
Adult
Rehabilitation
Center/
Thrift Stores*
14,107,315
2,805,201
16,912,516
1,222,535
$18,135,051
11,451,625
11,451,625
1,935,865
1,935,865
$13,387,490
* The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center
combines its audited information with other Salvation
Army rehabilitation centers across an 11-state region. The
numbers listed in the above report have been extracted to
show the center’s Twin Cities efforts.
23
Northern Division Summary
of Financial Statements
Year Ended September 30, 2014
The Northern Division Financial Summary
represents a consolidated reporting of the
operating funds of Salvation Army units
in Minnesota and North Dakota under the
command of the Northern Division. Land,
building and trust funds held by Territorial
Headquarters are not included in these figures.
The Salvation Army
Northern Division
Territorial Board of Trustees
Commissioner David Jeffrey
Commissioner Paul R. Seiler
Commissioner Carol Seiler
Colonel Jeffrey Smith
Lt. Colonel Ralph Bukiewicz
Lt. Colonel Richard Amick
Lt. Colonel Paul Smith
Major Richard E. Herivel
Mr. Bramwell Higgins
The Salvation Army
Northern
Highlights
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 3847
Northern Division Headquarters
2445 Prior Avenue North
Roseville, MN 55113
1-800-456-4483
SalvationArmyNorth.org
SalvationArmyNorth
@SalArmyNorth
What’s your
#RedKettleReason?
You can be the difference between an empty kettle and one that raises $30 or more per hour. That’s enough to
provide a family with two bags of groceries, shelter an individual for a night, or get Christmas gifts to kids in need.
Visit SalvationArmyNorth.org/bellringing to reserve your favorite kettle location.