PRESS RELEASE
The Salvation Army Celebrates 128th Anniversary
March 10, 2008 –As far as this philanthropic organization is concerned, today is no ordinary Monday.
March 10 is the day The Salvation Army landed in America. The year was 1880, when Salvation Army Commissioner George Railton arrived at New York Harbor with seven “hallelujah lassies” to advance a legacy that today spans every U.S. state and more than 100 countries.
The Salvation Army was founded in London in 1865 by William Booth, a Methodist minister who reached out to suffering people from all walks of life – old men, young women, children, the rich who lost it all and the poor who never had it.
Booth advanced his Army to America after receiving a telegraph from Eliza Shirley, a 17-year-old Salvation Army officer whose parents had emigrated from England to Pennsylvania. Shirley had been helping Philadelphia’s poor and was leading street evangelism meetings, efforts that led her to believe America was ripe with need.
Shirley was right. Within five years of The Salvation Army's arrival to America, the organization had spread up and down the east coast. In that time it also expanded to Canada, India, Switzerland, Sweden, Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan.
“Today we pause and reflect upon the millions of lives The Salvation Army has changed in America during the past 128 years,” said Major Dan Sjögren, commander of The Salvation Army Northern Division.
The Salvation Army came to Minnesota and North Dakota in 1886, a region known as The Salvation Army Northern Division. The division is part of The Salvation Army Central Territory, which includes 11 Midwestern states. The Central Territory is one of four territories representing the United States Salvation Army.
To volunteer with The Salvation Army or to make a credit card donation, call 651-746-3400 or 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Checks made out to The Salvation Army may be sent to 2445 Prior Ave., Roseville, MN 55113. Click below to make an online donation.
