The Salvation Army USA
Reviews and Complaints

I e-mailed the sergeant listed on the website in Milwaukee, WI that was the contact person for the Toys for Tots Program in late October or early November. I never heard from this contact person who was listed as a representative for the program.

I called yesterday, 12/12/19 to inquire again and I was told that the program was closed.

My grandchildren were in need of toys for this Christmas because I have several grandchildren.

I want to tell you that I am extremely unhappy and hate to see them suffer this holiday season.

Someone needs to get back to people that call and not just leave them hanging.

As I was leaving the Stoneridge Mall located in Pleasanton, California this evening about 5:30pm, the woman who was manning the bucket and ringing the bell was using profanity because no one was donating any money. She used the M***** F***** phrase and S***ty people. She said it loud enough that I could hear her more than 20 feet away. She may have been upset, but she represents your organization and did a very poor job of it.

Good evening,

I am writing this message as a last effort to get some resolution with the issues at the Pensacola Salvation Army. I have tried calling, I've spoken with various individuals, left messages and so far nothing has been done.

First I need to address the most pressing matter, Captains Herbert and Joanne Frazier have been contacted to request the return of our property and have not responded to us. They have in their possession 2 goals that were donated to the Pensacola Seahawks and they refuse to return them. We have tried to talk to them and they have ignored us. They ignored us, but went to the donor's mother's home to question her instead of handling the business directly with us or even the donor himself for the matter. They have yet to respond to our requests.

As far as ongoing issues over the life of our program: when captain Frazier was installed, he told us that he really wanted to work with us to help further the Salvation army's presence in the community. He then proceeded to tell us that our program was not only supposed to be raising money to cover our kids needs but also that we should be raising enough money to pay the bills in the community center including the insurance for the building, the salary of the employees and the insurance for the employees. We explained to him that the center was used by the entire community to include a swim program, after school program and community members who were not apart of our program so how could the entire responsibility for all the money fall on us. We also told him that we were aware that there were 2 major donors who had agreed to donate $10, 000 per year to assist with the community center needs so the total responsibility could not be only ours as we were just a sports program and we were bringing in enough revenue from our registration, fundraisers and concession stand to cover every dime of what we used, plus some. He continued to take in money from our program and threatened to not even allow the children to have a banquet or homecoming as we have done all the other years we had been there under the leadership of other captains. We met with him several times to try and straighten things out, each time with him telling us information that was untrue and could not be traced back to any source within the Salvation Army.

We met again with the Captain and Mrs. Frazier about the upcoming baseball season. They advised us that they wanted us to run the program independently of the Salvation Army and remove the Salvation Army's patch from our uniforms. They advised that we could continue everything as we had been doing otherwise but that way they would not have to be a part of what we were doing. So us handling our affairs separately was his set up, not ours. It is now evident that this was done so that he could set us up to push us out.

After several meetings with no resolution, Captain Frazier told us that the Salvation Army had advised him that all contact sports were being eliminated from Salvation Army facilities. He stated that he wanted to keep basketball but we advised him that basketball is a contact sport too. He had no answer for this. We left the meeting and called around to Salvation Army headquarters and we were advised that this was also not true.

After this we met with the captain again and he told us that there was a new background check process and that none of our coaches had ever had checks done. He blamed Thomas Vick and insisted that no checks had ever been done for the life of our program. He ran the checks and advised our president that he was not allowed to be around children. We asked him to tell us why, he could not provide any information as to why. He provided us with a number for an individual who could give the information but that person never called us back. At this same meeting, he and Mrs. Frazier advised us that they would be keeping the insurance in the community center to cover our programs' children until December 2019 and in the meantime they would be negotiating with headquarters to provide us with a lease for the facilities. We asked several times after the meeting about the lease and they always stated that headquarters had not given them any information and they would give it to us as soon as possible. In the meantime, they went to the league president of the football program, Brian Reed, and told him that they were refusing to cover our children under the insurance policy at the center.

We had asked the captain to help us make sure that the bathrooms were maintained for our families, he refused stating that the bathrooms were old and that he and his family would not want to use them either. We even asked if cleaning supplies could be left and we would clean the restrooms just to make sure that the children had a clean restroom to use. This was never done either. As a matter of fact, the locks to the area with the only clean restrooms in the entire building were changed in order to purposely prevent our families from having access to adequate facilities. We even agreed to help get doors for the stalls in the women's restroom but were unable to get any clearance for this either. The roof in the gym also had a leak for several months. We agreed to assist with fixing this as we also used the gym for basketball and practices for the cheerleaders and having standing water on the floors is an obvious hazard. The Captains refused to have it fixed as well.

During the life of the program, we have also always had access to the ice machine to provide ice for the children on the teams in the heat during practices and games however the Captain refused to have the ice machine fixed and we were told by the Salvation Army staff that we would have to purchase our own ice.

When the new community center director, Rick Martin, came in, several parents began reporting that he was talking to them, during his working hours and on the Salvation Army property, with alcohol on his breath. He had several verbal altercations with members of our program, all while smelling of alcohol and appearing intoxicated.

Now, Captain Frazier has been observed in the community bashing our program and our president, AFTER he changed the locks on the building, to make it appear as if the Pensacola Seahawks had done something to the Salvation Army. He and his staff have been also slandering our program stating that we have been misusing funds however, there is a paper trail of all the money taken in while we were with the Salvation Army and it can be guaranteed that the money that was taken in and reported always matched the books AND that more money was brought in than what we used.

This problem needs to be quickly addressed. We do not want to have to pursue legal action to address our property that is being retained unnecessarily and the slander of our program but we will do what is necessary if no resolution can be achieved.

Pensacola Seahawks board of directors

*This message has also been sent to Major Bob Johnson

Pictures and video of the inadequate conditions of the bathrooms, the pest problem and the leak in the gym are also available upon request. Some pictures have been attached to this message.

It is with regret and a heavy heart that I have to send this e-mail to you. After our last conversation on Wednesday, October 23 in which I explained that your aggressive behavior last Tuesday, October 22 where you verbally assaulted another meal participant was unacceptable, I believed that you understood how your actions were unacceptable. We do note that you did go on after that and had a positive time in our Meals with Love Program.

Subsequent to that we received a phone call from our Territorial Legal Department informing us that you filed an online complaint in which I was named and in which Susanne was named as victimizing you during and after the mealtime incident. You filed a complaint through our Safe From Harm online portal. All such reports go directly to our Legal Department. The report was sent after our meeting and the Wednesday meal.

I explained to you in our meeting that your aggressive behavior was unacceptable and explained that Susanne had to react quickly to calm you down. Our conversations with you were done in order to insure positive behavior at our programs into the future. Yet, you sent the complaint, displaying a total lack of understanding of your part in all of this. The fact that we had to speak to you after you victimized not only the individual who was the target of your wrath, but everyone else who was seated around the meal tables does not make you a victim. It was our duty to speak to you about this incident.

Since this report was filed through our legal department, which handles lawsuits and liability, it has been decided to sever any relationship you have with The Salvation Army. In plain language, you are banned from the premises at 1000 C Avenue NW and can no longer receive any services and attend any activities associated with The Cedar Rapids Corps. This includes the meal program, Christmas activities, Women's Ministries, congregational activities, social services and all other outreach.

It is our contention that no wrong from our staff was perpetrated upon you. The Salvation Army did not victimize you in any way. As our legal department has been alerted be advised that you have now placed yourself within their purview. Our local personnel has been cleared of any wrongdoing, but it is your inappropriate behavior that has now been noted.

In light of the fact that you have been previously suspended from The Salvation Army, have sent numerous letters of unsubstantiated complaints to board members and have now corresponded with a false Safe from Harm allegation, in order to lessen the possibility of liability you are no longer allowed on our premises. Please refrain from any future letters or phone calls as well.

This action is in no way retaliatory to your filing a report, as inappropriate behavior should always be reported. It is a protection of our local staff from any further false accusation, a protection of our other program participants from your anger filled outbursts combined with your inability to acknowledge any wrong doing on your part and your history of such harassment to staff, clients and board members.

Sincerely,

Major Alan Hellstrom
Corps Officer