Do you hear what I hear? No, not the jingling of sleigh bells; but the ringing of bells at red kettles around the country. And one local man is kicking off the annual Salvation Army fundraising campaign with a world record attempt.
Salvation Army Officer Major Curt Sayre started ringing a hand bell just after midnight Wednesday outside the Giant grocery store in Bethesda. He won’t stop until at least 1:00 p.m. this afternoon when the Salvation Army holds their Red Kettle Christmas Campaign Kickoff at their regional headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue.
That’s more than 36 hours straight of bell ringing, which would break the previous world record of 34 hours set by another Salvation Army Officer in Washington state.
“This is about more than breaking a record,” Major Sayre said in a statement. “ There are families in need in Montgomery County and across the Washington area that depend on the nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars and checks that go into these kettles each Christmas season. The Salvation Army is doing the most good with these donations right here in our backyard.”
More than 275 red kettles will pop up across our region starting tomorrow. The Salvation Army hopes to raise more than $1.6 million dollars in the D.C. metro area this holiday season.
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