As she walked in to pick up some groceries from the Jewel Foods in Oak Forest, Raye Ann Saunoris, of Country Club Hills, stopped in her tracks by what she described as a fragile, thin voice singing “Silent Night.”
Saunoris investigated where the song was coming from, and ended up meeting 79-year-old Verna Furbeck stationed by a Salvation Army red kettle, just as she has for the last 50 years.
“She gave me inspiration,” Saunoris said.
It was all in a day’s work for Furbeck, of Blue Island, who started ringing the Christmas bell while attending Salvation Army Church on Belmont in Chicago.
“I try and do something for other people,” she said, “even when I’m off the kettle.”
Life has not been easy for Furbeck. Years ago she was struck by a drunken driver, resulting in health issues she still carries.
“The doctors told me I would never walk again,” she said. “Look at me today — I’m walking.”
Saunoris, whose mother died in June, said Furbeck was a reminder of her mom’s giving spirit.
“Her effort to spread joy is a blessing,” she said.
The next time Saunoris saw Furbeck outside Jewel, she went in and bought her a bouquet of flowers. Nobody had ever given Furbeck flowers before.
“As soon as I gave her the flowers, she grabbed my hand and held me. Tears were running down her face,” Saunoris said. “She is an angel to me.”
“I was so surprised,” Furbeck said. “I would rather have flowers when I’m alive.”
Over the weeks, Saunoris has stopped by Jewel to check on her new friend. Bell ringers finish up their season on Christmas Eve, so Saunoris and Furbeck exchanged phone numbers.
At the doorway on the other side of the Oak Forest store, fellow bell ringer Oliver Guzman volunteers as a way to give back to an organization that helped him out when he was having a rough time.
“This time of the year is a season of Thanksgiving,” he said. “This is a time to give, it is the only time in the year when people remember.
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“Salvation Army has helped me through social programs. At one point I was homeless and they helped me find a place to live and paid my rent.”
So now he spends some time outside as a way to help provide that service to others.
According to Luis Acosta, captain of the Salvation Army in Blue Island, all the money collected in the kettles helps residents in a service area that includes Blue Island, Robbins, Midlothian, South Holland, Calumet Park, “and a few more,” he said.
Acosta is in charge of finding bell ringers for stations in Homer Glen, Alsip, Orland Park and Tinley Park, starting the first week in November. Their budget is enough to hire 11 people, and they depend on volunteers to fill out the roster, but that can be a struggle, he said.
“We are lacking bell ringers,” Acosta said, noting the red kettles are the organization’s main fundraiser. “Depending on how much we collect, that is what we can provide to the community.”
With less bell ringers and other changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Salvation Army has made some changes to the age-old kettle program, including incorporating QR codes and accommodating online payment methods.
But it comes down to people, and Acosta is happy to have Furbeck on his team.
“She will tell you she is a soldier,” he said. “Every year she is here to bell ring. … The fact that she is so dedicated and willing to go out there is an example for all of us.”
While collecting money and singing Christmas hymns, Furbeck also touts the organization she’s representing.
“People should go and get help at the Salvation Army if they need it,” she said. “They help residents if they have fires, homeless and other tragedies.
“They helped me and now Salvation Army are my family.”
Mary Compton is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.