Kettle Kickoff raises $46,169 for Turlock Salvation Army

Supporters of The Salvation Army raised $46,169 at the annual Kettle Kickoff Luncheon on Tuesday, and they finally learned the identity of an anonymous donor of an even bigger amount for years.

Turlock philanthropist Jane Vilas, who died in May at 90, gave $50,000 a year for 14 years, said Maj. Debi Shrum, who oversees the city’s Salvation Army services. The money went into an endowment rather than daily operations, she said.

“God bless Jane,” said Mayor John Lazar after announcing Tuesday’s total. “She was a wonderful lady.”

Vilas, who had been a co-owner of the former Evans Telephone Co., supported many other causes in and near Stanislaus County. Among them were Emanuel Medical Center; California State University, Stanislaus; the Gallo Center for the Arts; and the University of California at Merced.

The Kettle Kickoff marks the start of the holiday-season collections outside stores and other locations. Teams had five minutes to dash around the crowd at the Assyrian-American Civic Club and fill their kettles with money. The team named Just Plain Nuts won with about $12,600.

The money will go to social, educational and recreational services provided by The Salvation Army in Turlock.

The audience of about 600 got a bonus this year – a performance by one of the winning duos in Dancing with the Turlock Stars, which raised money for The Salvation Army in September. The dancers, Nicole Gordon-Couto and Jerry Powell, had won the Mirror Ball Trophy for getting the most votes from supporters.

The earlier event was modeled on the “Dancing with the Stars” television show, with professional dancers paired with novices.

The Salvation Army Modesto Citadel will hold its Kettle Kickoff on Thursday at Modesto Center Plaza. It is sold out.

This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Kettle Kickoff raises $46,169 for Turlock Salvation Army."