Salvation Army Major Participates in Bell Ringing Contest at Colton WalMart

Three o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 4, marked the 30th hour of bell ringing for Salvation Army Mjr. Marcelino "Butch" Soriano in his quest to reach 100 hours of bell ringing in the Salvation Army's Third Annual World Record Bell Ringing Contest. At 1 p.m. Saturday, Mjr. Soriano reached his 100 hour goal and became part of a group of record holders for the contest at the Walmart in Colton. Soriano shares the title with two other bell ringers: Captain James Brickson of Albert Lea, Minn., and Andre Thompson from Tyler, Texas. In his first 24 hours of ringing, Soriano had managed to raise a total of $731.21 toward his other goal: to raise $10,000. In total, he raised $2,445.29 between Tuesday and last Saturday. Colton shoppers and other visitors to the WalMart Supercenter on South Mount Vernon Avenue - a decided Salvation Army kettle location - had the chance to hear Soriano's bell ringing and give him words of encouragement and other donations. He was one of six people competing in the contest this year at kettle locations in California, Minnesota, Montana and Texas, all aiming to set a new world record in the Salvation-Army bell ringing contest to help raise both funds for and awareness of the Salvation Army. Soriano, a second year veteran to the contest, rang his bell for 51 hours outside a WalMart center in San Fransisco in the contest last year. Eventually, he had to take himself out of the contest due to hunger and extreme leg cramping. This year, rules have changed to allow eating during breaks; rules dictate five minutes of rest for every hour of ringing. With these new rules, Soriano has his sights set on the goal, and that's to beat last year's record of 80 hours of bell ringing by 20 hours. Standing merrily next to his bright red kettle, Soriano happily greeted people walking by and thanked those who donated to the organization on Wednesday afternoon. As he was ringing his bell, Colton residents Jana Rivers and Rene Hickmene cheered him on as they were leaving the parking lot. Rivers said she saw the story about him on the local ABC 7 news station this morning. "I feel good!", Major Soriano said after completing his 30th hour last Wednesday. He had to brave some cooler weather through the night. "It was really cold and a little windy and rainy. The coldest had to be from around 3 to 6 a.m.," he said. Each year The Salvation Army is widely known for kicking off the holiday season by encouraging people to donate to those less fortunate through the Red Kettle Campaign. Salvation Army red kettles are set up from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, as has been tradition for 123 years. Each bell ringing contestant is accompanied at all times by at least two separate witnesses and is overseen by at least one Salvation Army steward, according to official contest rules. The contest began simultaneously on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at noon Eastern Time, and ends when the last contestant rings the bell for the last time. All contestants began ringing their bells at the same exact moment, regardless of time zone. The competition is aimed at promoting the mission of the Salvation Army, which each year helps collect and distribute donations to those in need throughout the world. This year, the City of Colton and the Inland Empire have the opportunity to rally behind Major Soriano as he helps out the local community and raises awareness for The Salvation Army.