Salvation Army dance troupe takes second place in eastern regional star search competition

Members of the local Salvation Army dance troupe receive second place medals for their performance at the Salvationist Star Search Eastern Region competition in Hershey, Pa., last month. | Photo Courtesy of local Salvation Army

Posted By: Anna Bedell July 25, 2023

By Anna Bedell

Most people are familiar with the Salvation Army from its soup kitchen that runs all year round and its bell ringers at Christmas time.

But that’s not all that the Salvation Army does. Earlier this summer, the local Salvation Army’s dance troupe won second place in the Salvationist Star Search 2023 Eastern Territory USA competition in Hershey, Pa.

In 2016, the local Salvation Army began an after-school program called CAM Academy, which stands for Creative Arts and Music.

“It’s provided to any child and any person who wants to learn how to act or dance or sing, it’s free,” said Capt. Shareena Echavarria, who along with her husband Capt. Emmanuel Echavarria have been with the Salvation Army since 2016. “We pick the kids up, we bring them home, and we feed them dinner.”

“They compete nationally, and Bristol always wins, it’s amazing,” she said. “They compete against Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Bangor, Maine.”

All of these programs are funded by the fundraisers that the Salvation Army does during Christmas with the red kettles, and by donors such as the Arthur G. Russell Company, Inc. who funds their soup kitchen entirely.

The Bristol Salvation Army sent students from its Creative Arts and Music program to the Salvationist Star Search 2023 Eastern Territory USA competition in Hershey, Pa., last month. | All photos courtesy of Capt. Shareena Echavarria.

In addition, the Salvation Army works with network agencies within Bristol to make sure the organization is meeting the needs of everyone, while also referring their services when they can and serving when they are needed.

“It’s a really great partnership,” said Echavarria.

“We have ESPN who provides us with food every week, we couldn’t do it without then,” she said. “We have a partnership with the United Way of West Central Connecticut located in Bristol, and they assist us with funding our emergency services, and we also have a partnership with the Walsh family, we couldn’t do it without them.”

The Echavarrias are currently running the soup kitchen during the week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., which is open to all. 

“We prepare hot meals and it runs entirely off volunteers, so thankful for that,” said Echavarria. “We have emergency services, we provide food pantry, rental assistance and utility assistance.”

Echavarria said the community needs are growing in their soup kitchen and in their emergency services.

“My husband and I are just hoping to keep meeting the needs in Bristol, we know that the army can move you every July, and we’ve been told that we’re staying so that’s great,” she said. “We know that we’re here until July 2024 but our work is not done.”

Echavarria’s hope for the future is to continue seeing a community working together to make sure all needs are met. Whether in sports, or at the Boys and Girls Club, or through work experiences being offered in the United Way during the summer for teenagers, or for the Salvation Army in Bristol to offer creative arts and music program.

These experiences instill values in kids, she said, especially just teaching them how to read music and making sure that kids go to camp in the summer from Bristol.

“I urge you to come see me in December when I’m fighting over 1000s and 1000s of toys making sure every kid gets exactly what they asked for,” she said.

“This is all because I was one of those kids, I was the beneficiary of the Salvation Army in Norwich my whole life until I was 14, and sometimes people get upset when they say all these people are depending on a system, but I always think about the kids and it’s not their fault, they need food, and they’re going to keep doing this.”

For anyone interested in volunteering or donating to the Salvation Army, they are located at 19 Stearns St., in the Federal Hill area, or visit the website at:  https://easternusa.salvationarmy.org/southern-new-england/bristol/

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