Every time a bell rings ...

As many have already read the employees of Cabela’s have many committees for the many departments of the corporation and each of them love to give back to the community.

Well, this committee, called simply the Volunteer Committee, is no different when it comes to extending their hands during this the season of giving and looking for more areas to give.

The Volunteer Committee consisting of employees at the Cabela’s Travel Service, employees of the three department building have tossed their hats into the ring to make children’s Christmas a brighter day by donating funds made from the sale of bells to Toys for Tots.

Employees of the Global Trade Compliance, Supply Chain and the Quality Assurance in the Travel Services building involved in this project are Jordan Gann, Karen Stewart, Kerry Verbeck, Stephen Anglin, Andi Curtis, Suzanne Ottosom, Melissa Korrey, Dawn Hickmand, Kelli Lapp and Sandra Virgalitte.

This committee, according to Anglin consists of “anyone who can help based on work load,” but manages to do a lot.

Anglin the only male in the group at this time attributes his co-worker Stewart as the power house behind getting this specific project underway and full steam ahead.

This year’s Christmas project, Gann said, “Is to raise money to support Toys for Tots by selling bells for $5 each.”

The reasoning behind the selling of bells, Stewart said, “It’s a little thing (idea) from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” something catchy during the season people would relate to and remember because Toys for Tots is a really good cause.”

This isn’t just any fundraiser.

The Volunteer Committee members who agreed to be interviewed said they are donating the proceeds to Toys for Tots in honor of Hilary Crawford and her love of this particular organization and children.

“It’s a way to donate to them and celebrate her too,” Anglin said.

Stewart said the committee bought 200 bells and have about 50 left for sale, plus, “we had a $500 donation for Toys for Tots given to us.”

The bells were described as “rustic” the perfect kind of bell for Cabela’s to decorate their gazebo by the pond as well as the Christmas season.

To personalize the bells Gann said purchasers can, “take them home and write a message to someone they have lost or in memory of, and then we will tie them to the gazebo.”

So people can get their bell back, Stewart said there are numbers on the bottom of the bells used for identification so once the decorations on the gazebo are taken down buyers can reclaim their bell(s).

Sales of the bells have already begun and the Volunteer Committee members invite the residents of Sidney to purchase one from Karen Stewart by calling her at 308-255-2384.

“The more money the better,” Anglin said, “because all the donations go to Toys for Tots and it will be under Hilary Crawford’s name.”

The bells may be hung, if the purchaser so desires, on the Cabela’s pond gazebo on Dec. 5 during the lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. an event that is open to the public and the Volunteer Committee members are encouraging people to join.

If residents are unable to come to the lighting ceremony but would still like to participate in purchasing and having a bell hung on the gazebo, Stewart said she would be more than happy to hang on to the bell(s) and hang it for anyone who would like to help make the gazebo as festive as possible.

The young committee, according the members interview formed only a month ago – with the members currently on board – is not stopping with this holiday cheer event and will be at Sloan Estates on Dec. 28.

This according to Gann is to “make ornaments and stockings” and enjoy the company of the residents.

“We are going to try and do one volunteer project a quarter,” Virgalitten said of their future plans.

Lapp went a step further in the efforts of the committee’s involvement within the community by saying, “We would love if the community had ideas that they wanted to call into us, if they had a need.”