Our View: Filling the kettles is a Modesto tradition
When it rains money from above, nobody worries about getting wet. The money was falling from the ceiling of Modesto Centre Plaza on Thursday afternoon for the Salvation Army’s annual Kettle Kickoff luncheon. By the time the fundraising event was over, $200,973 had been raised to help fund the Army’s various programs.
The total was a little shy of last year’s $206,635, but it was still a great way to start the season of giving.
The Kettle Kickoff once was a uniquely Modesto event, having started in the city some 22 years ago when Modesto’s grande dame of charity, Bette Belle Smith, put her head together with good friends Marie Gallo, Kenni Friedman, Betty Ustach and Hugh Barton. Its start was modest, but it grew. And grew, and grew.
We’ve detailed the services that the Army provides many times in these pages, and they are many. The money raised Thursday will help fund the Red Shield Center and its homeless shelter that provides meals, clothing and medical attention. It will help people get back on their feet or put their feet on the right path.
Last year, Maj. Kyle Trimmer had just arrived in Modesto. He had heard about our Kettle Kickoff but hadn’t experienced it. He called “breathtaking.” He noted then that the idea hatched by Smith & Co. had spread to many other cities. One of those is Turlock, where the Kettle Kickoff on Tuesday raised $46,169.
One of the most impressive things about the event is the amount of laughter it generates. When the dollars start falling, everyone gets into the spirit. People rarely enjoy themselves more than when they’re involved in doing good for someone else.
Over the next few weeks, people will be asked to open their pocketbooks repeatedly for good causes. Let’s hope we can keep those smiles on our faces as we open our hearts and, if we’re able, our pocketbooks.
Devices are great; so are teachers
We were happy to see the Modesto City Schools board approve $1.3 million for new computers for junior high students. The computers will be the smaller than laptops, more along the lines of a tablet. One board member worried that such a small device would not afford students an opportunity to learn keyboarding skills. It’s a valid concern, but by the time these students are using electronic devices for anything more challenging than homework and gaming, their devices are likely to be even smaller yet. And instead of typing, they’ll need to worry more about speaking clearly and knowing when to tell the computer to put in a period or a question mark. Educational devices are progressing so quickly that they’ll do almost everything for students, except think. And that’s where the teachers come in ... and always will.
Keeping kids, animals comfortable
One of the joys of going to the county fair is checking out the livestock areas, whether high school students are showing their animals or not. While that’s fun, in the heat of summer it can sometimes become a chore. So we appreciate the $250,000 donation Associated Feed & Supply made to the Stanislaus County Fairground to build new pens, energy-efficient fans and other upgrades. They hope to have everything installed in time for next year’s fair, July 10-19. We’re especially happy to hear about the fans. It seems sometimes when air is moving, it sort of smells better.
This story was originally published November 21, 2014 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Our View: Filling the kettles is a Modesto tradition."