Lotus Charity Gala Aug 23rd

My name is Dave Markham and I am a director and sponsor of our amazing cycling club.  Every year our club supports a charity of one of our members.  The members of Lotus have supported some great charities over the last few years and this year is no different.  This year we are supporting The Salvation Army which is a charity that I have supported for many years.  We have a fantastic gala we are planning for August 23rd.  Now a little about the charity and why I support the Salvation Army.

Eighteen years ago I was asked by a friend to join a rag tag group of about 50 men who every year on December 23rd raise money for the Salvation Army by carolling to all the bars and restaurants in the kits area of W. Broadway.  At the time I didn't know much about the Salvation Army but an evening of drinking and carolling sounded like fun.  In eighteen years I only missed one year because of the birth of my eldest son who thankfully was born on December 22nd.  Our carolling group has raised to date a staggering $226,000. This being the 45 year the carolling group has been together I thought it would be fitting to host a gala to raise a few extra dollars to try and push us over the $250,000.00 threshold but I can't do it without the help of our amazing and generous Lotus members.

Why support the Salvation Army? 
The Salvation Army's primary objective is to provide compassionate support and assistance to men, women, families and children in our community.  The Salvation Army is the largest social services agency outside of government. 

For underprivileged kids the Salvation Army offers camps at Sunrise and Camp Mountainview.  Camp programs aim to meet health, spiritual, educational, social and recreational needs. 

For adults the programs are extensive. The Salvation Army offers correctional and justice services which include support, outreach and other types of assistance to re-establish their lives productivity and enable positive re-integration into the community following incarceration.  The Salvation Army also offers addiction services to support people who suffer from substance use disorders and who are unable to cope with their problems for themselves.

For women and their children of domestic abuse the Salvation Army offers short term emergency shelter and programs to support them during this difficult time.

Help is also provided to men, women, families and children experiencing or at risk of homelessness.  The Salvation Army offers overnight stays during extreme weather and also emergency shelter for 30-90 days with programs and support designed to help people out of homelessness.

The Salvation Army represents a continuum of care and offers hope to the most vulnerable in our city.

There will be more details to come about our gala evening in support of the Salvation Army.  I hope you can all save the date for Thursday August 23, 2018.