Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Salvation Army Public Relations Manager Sally Courtney explains the kinds of gift donations they’re seeking this Christmas

Transcript

Salvation Army Public Relations Manager Sally Courtney explains the kinds of gift donations they’re seeking this Christmas · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We know that Christmas is such an exciting time, such
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: a wonderful time to spend with your family, your friends,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: your loved ones, but it can also be quite a
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: difficult time, particularly as the cost of living rises, and
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: you know, some people may not be in a situation
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: where they're able to do things in the same way
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: as what they have in previous years. Now, we know
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: that that one organization that is always there to help
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: is the Salvation Army. And joining me in the studio
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: right now is Sally Courtney, who is indeed the public
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: relations manager for the Salvos here in the Northern Territory.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Sally, Good morning Cannie. Lovely to
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  Speaker 1: have you in the studio now. The Salvos always do
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  Speaker 1: a lot to support territorians maybe in need of a
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: bit of a hand up, And come Christmas time, it
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: is a time when a lot of people do sort
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  Speaker 1: of need that hand up, don't they.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, you know everyone's got their I guess they're
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: regular expenses, and we all know the cost of living,
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: unfortunately is increasing, So I guess yes, Christmas can unfortunately
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: put pressure on people when we all want to provide
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  Speaker 2: for our children. I guess not just our children, for
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: friends and enjoy Christmas as we all like to experience it.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: I guess yeah. But and the Salvos do so much
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  Speaker 1: in this space. I know that you've got plenty of
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  Speaker 1: different things on to, you know, to help those in need,
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  Speaker 1: but also for those that are maybe you know that
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  Speaker 1: are in the position where they're able to donate or
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  Speaker 1: to help. Now, firstly, tell us about the Wishing Tree,
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  Speaker 1: the Camart Wishing Tree. Are they at all all the
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  Speaker 1: km Arts around the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they are, Katie. It's a fantastic partnership we've had
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  Speaker 2: with Kmart for thirty five years now, the Wishing Tree,
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  Speaker 2: and it's really an opportunity for people to be able
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  Speaker 2: to donate gifts and try to make it easier for them.
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  Speaker 2: I guess where they can go to Kmart by a
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  Speaker 2: small present and it doesn't have to be anything to
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  Speaker 2: too large or too expensive and then leave it at
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  Speaker 2: the Wishing Tree there. So you can do that in
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  Speaker 2: Darwin at col A Linga and also Casserena and you
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  Speaker 2: can conveniently lead the gift there. The Salvation Army then
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  Speaker 2: organize all the gifts and sort them and get them
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  Speaker 2: to children. You know, for their appropriate ages.
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  Speaker 1: So sometimes we spoke about this the other week we
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: caught up with with those that are part of the
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  Speaker 1: whole gridge. But sometimes people just sort of think, all right,
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: let's buy Teddy Bears or let's buy things for the
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  Speaker 1: little ees. But it's not just the little east that
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  Speaker 1: we need to look out for at this time, is it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, you run on the mark there, caddie. We
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  Speaker 2: really actually do need gifts. We do provide gifts right
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  Speaker 2: up to child A teenagers basically at age sixteen, and
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  Speaker 2: particularly boys, we are really after presents for them. Twins
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  Speaker 2: as well. Ironically we do cover we do provider should say,
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: gifts from babies right up through to sixteen.
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  Speaker 1: So I always think maybe a good way of doing
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  Speaker 1: it too, if you are somebody who can make a
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  Speaker 1: donation is if you've got a child that's say eleven
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  Speaker 1: or fifteen, you know you're out doing a Christmas shopping,
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  Speaker 1: think to yourself what would your child like? And you
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  Speaker 1: know what can what's affordable, but what you know, what
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  Speaker 1: could you put under that wishing tree that a child
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  Speaker 1: of your own child's age might like?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah exactly, I mean obviously it's a bit easier for
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  Speaker 2: parents when you do have your own own children and
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: you know what they like. But yeah, that's a great
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: way to approach it. I guess if you don't have children.
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  Speaker 2: The other way to look at it is vouchers are
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  Speaker 2: invailable vouchers for sports stores, covers it really you know,
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  Speaker 2: BCF there, I say, but we all love you couldn't
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  Speaker 2: go wrong with buying just some you know, a fishing
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  Speaker 2: ride or you know, lures whatever. I mean, everyone's into
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  Speaker 2: their outdoors as we sort of tend to be up here,
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  Speaker 2: so I guess you can get a bit creative. But
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  Speaker 2: vouchers are really really great. Yeah, appreciated, Sally. What else
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  Speaker 2: is on?
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  Speaker 1: I know that you've got the toy drive and plenty
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  Speaker 1: of other things happening as well in the lead into Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, we've got I'd just like to mention so kmarts
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  Speaker 2: are doing their wishing tree casts. Aerinas come on board,
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  Speaker 2: so they've got a they've got a gift drive for
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  Speaker 2: us as well, so you can as of next week
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  Speaker 2: buy a small gift once again and just look out.
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  Speaker 2: You can leave it there. There'll be two big mobile
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  Speaker 2: sort of boxes there, Palms and Gateway. Fantastic. They've come
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  Speaker 2: on board as well. So as of now they're running
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  Speaker 2: a gift drive for us as well. That's situated out
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  Speaker 2: the front of Big w So you just conveniently can
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  Speaker 2: just grab something little and leave it there with them.
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  Speaker 2: So we, you know, we are really really thankful that
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  Speaker 2: pretty much all the shopping centers have come on board. Also.
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  Speaker 2: We if people do want to donate, they actually don't
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  Speaker 2: have the time, which I completely understand, it's crazy. Tell me,
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  Speaker 2: you can simply go into a Salvos store. We've got
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  Speaker 2: five around Darwin pumps and cooler Linger as well, and
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  Speaker 2: the rural areas. This goes for Catherine as well, and
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  Speaker 2: you can actually make a donation over the counter or
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  Speaker 2: another way you can do it. You can buy a
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  Speaker 2: ten dollar dinner plate and you will get that plate
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  Speaker 2: and then that donation actually goes to providing a meal
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  Speaker 2: a dinner for someone, so there's that option as well,
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  Speaker 2: or also going online of course, if you're happy and
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  Speaker 2: you want to quickly just donate online, just go to
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  Speaker 2: our website.
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  Speaker 1: And Sally you spoke then about you know, about that
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  Speaker 1: donation providing a dinner for somebody. What is done then
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  Speaker 1: over the actual you know those that day that Christmas
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  Speaker 1: Day by the Salvation Army in terms of making sure
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  Speaker 1: that people have something to ash.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Great, I'm glad you asked that, because that's when
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  Speaker 2: to be on a Salvation Army really do step up
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: another level. When we actually all have our days off
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  Speaker 2: over Christmas and Boxing Day, that's when our staff at
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  Speaker 2: our hostels here in Darwin and Catherine and Alice and
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  Speaker 2: our officers then put on lunches and dinners for the community.
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  Speaker 2: So they open houses and we can pretty much put
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  Speaker 2: on lunch for anything up to two hundred people and more,
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  Speaker 2: and Catherine as well, So we give people the other
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  Speaker 2: chimney that really one either have nowhere else to go
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  Speaker 2: or no family spend Christmas with, or people who really
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  Speaker 2: can't afford to simply just go and buy a nice
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  Speaker 2: lunch and get a gift and they can come into
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  Speaker 2: our community centers there and have lunch. And we also
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  Speaker 2: do that for our residents that live in our shelters,
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  Speaker 2: our hostels, and there's Salvation Army staff organized gifts and hampers.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: It sounds like there is so much happening in the
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  Speaker 1: lead into Christmas that I thought it was good to
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  Speaker 1: get you in nice and early because I know that's
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: sometimes we all get a bit kind of worn out
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  Speaker 1: towards the end of the year when we're trying to
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  Speaker 1: organize everything. But I know that there are plenty of
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  Speaker 1: people that listen to the show who want to do
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  Speaker 1: want to help out over Christmas time too, So I
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  Speaker 1: think it's a good opportunity to give people ample time
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  Speaker 1: to get organized if they do want to go out
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  Speaker 1: and buy gift for a young person who maybe wouldn't
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  Speaker 1: otherwise get one.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, Katie, No, any support is certainly appreciated. I
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: must say what I've seen this year, Territorians are really
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: generous and businesses that are actually reaching out to me
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  Speaker 2: now it's just just amazing. They're buying bikes, they're running
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: their own food and gift drives, which that's another really
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  Speaker 2: simple way. You can get on our website and quickly register,
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  Speaker 2: run your own toy or gift drive and we then
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  Speaker 2: come and pick that up. So you simply just promote it,
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  Speaker 2: you know, share it around with your office staff and
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  Speaker 2: you can do it that way. But no, it's just
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  Speaker 2: it's really fantastic the support that the territories give us
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  Speaker 2: to them be able to help others.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely will Sally Courtney, the public relations manager for
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  Speaker 1: the Salvation Army here in the Northern Territory. I really
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: appreciate your time. Thank you as always for coming on.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie for having me.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: Thank you