Arts & Entertainment

Photo Scrapbook: Salvation Army Volunteer Has a Song in Her Heart

Joanne Wilson, 66, sings while she collects donations outside Panera Bread on Paradise Road.

Joanne Wilson of the Salvation Army collects donations for 12 hours at a stretch some days.

She dresses for the cold, wearing three pairs of pants and three sweatshirts.

She also keeps warm by singing.

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She just started singing last year. She sings to the glory of God, to express Christmas spirit and to draw people's attention to the donation container.

She says she would be lost if she wasn't helping the needy.

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Her family was helped in desperate times by the Salvation Army when was a teenager. The organization bought shoes and boots for her and her siblings and provided them with Christmas presents.

She has been ringing the bell for donations since she was a teenager.


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