JERRY DAVICH: No cash? No problem. Salvation Army's 'TipTap' device offers plastic alternative for kettle campaign. - The Times of Northwest Indiana

Jerry Davich 219-853-2563

Tom Miller looked similar a quality Christmas histrion successful beforehand of the Walmart successful Valparaiso.

He sported a strand of twinkling lights portion ringing a doorbell adjacent a reddish kettle. I felt compelled to marque a donation, if lone to grounds a abbreviated video of him successful action.

“Merry Christmas,” helium told lawsuit aft customer.

Miller has been ringing a doorbell for The Salvation Army since 2006, galore years aft his parents archetypal introduced him to the vacation foundation contented astatine the Village Shopping Center successful Gary.

“I truly bask it,” Miller told me. “Being a doorbell ringer not lone gives backmost to those successful need, but it besides leaves a lasting imprint connected those who donate to the kettle. Even kids similar to enactment wealth successful the kettles.”

More kids whitethorn beryllium putting wealth into the kettles by utilizing the caller “TipTap” strategy for The Salvation Army of Northwest Indiana. It’s designed to springiness customers of section retailers much options for donating different than giving cash.

“Fewer shoppers are carrying currency today,” Capt. Bersabe Vera, commandant of the organization, said successful a statement.

Shoppers tin present marque donations with recognition oregon debit card, and with Apple Pay oregon Google Pay utilizing the TipTap instrumentality mounted connected the reddish kettle stand. The instrumentality gives customers the enactment of a $5, $10 oregon $20 donation, oregon immoderate operation of the three, simply by tapping their recognition oregon debit paper connected the magnitude chosen.

“TipTap volition assistance america to scope our assertive Christmas fundraising extremity of conscionable implicit $1 million,” said Kevin Feldman, the organization’s manager of development.

This caller donation instrumentality volition surely boost the seasonal campaign, though I thin to springiness my spare bills to bell-ringers who person a sparkle successful their personality. I enactment this to the trial a fewer years agone by volunteering to ringing a doorbell for The Salvation Army.

My societal experimentation was arsenic elemental arsenic a smile. I donned a reddish vest, stood adjacent a reddish kettle, and rang a doorbell until my wrist was sore. I did this astatine a fewer stores crossed the Region, but I acted otherwise astatine each one.

I wondered if radical springiness much money, oregon immoderate money, if I dressed sloppily alternatively than spiffy. Or if I greeted strangers with vacation cheer compared to quiescent indifference. Or if I made oculus interaction with them versus looking down astatine the ground. And besides if I stood alongside a young kid who rang the doorbell alternatively of me.

I learned that astir radical had already decided to springiness money, oregon not, careless of my props oregon cognition oregon appearance. And astir of them were prompted to bash truthful by a benignant of Pavlovian effect to proceeding the doorbell ringing, apt from the parking lot. I conscionable happened to beryllium the idiosyncratic ringing the doorbell and saying convey you.

The astir antithetic donation I received was a shiny penny and a yellowish guitar pick, squeezed into the kettle by a feline who hurried past me.

“Sorry, it’s each I got,” helium told me.

It wasn’t rather the uncommon golden coin that gets dropped into a kettle by anonymous donors. But I appreciated the guy’s consciousness of work to donate… something.

“When radical spot america retired determination bell-ringing successful the cold, they volition bargain america coffee, oregon blistery chocolate, oregon a lukewarm meal,” Miller said. “I admit my chap bell-ringers. I can't convey them capable for their clip and effort that they enactment successful each day.”

I wonderment if that feline with the guitar prime would person made a heftier donation if helium could person utilized a recognition oregon debit card. Several radical walked passed maine and apologized for lone having recognition cards, not spare currency oregon escaped change. The Salvation Army’s caller TipTap instrumentality whitethorn situation much radical to marque a donation.

“People are inactive giving cash,” Miller said.

Hello darkness, my aged foe…

Several readers responded to my file connected little daylight successful the precocious afternoon. Here is simply a sampling of their comments.

“I disagree with your crushed for walkers/ joggers/runners/bicyclists having accidents owed to the clip change,” Judy E. wrote via email. “I’m an aboriginal riser and locomotion the canine astatine 6 successful the morning. So earlier this clip alteration I was walking successful the dark. There are others retired arsenic good doing their thing. The clip alteration is not the issue. Someone volition get the abbreviated extremity of the instrumentality (dark oregon light) erstwhile the clip changes.”

David S. cited aggregate opinions, listed successful order.

“First, Indiana needs to get disconnected their corporate duffs and bash distant with daylight savings. Second, pedestrians ever person the close distant nary substance wherever they are. Thirdly, I ever contend that radical connected bicycles are vehicles and indispensable obey the postulation laws astatine each times. Fourth, bicyclists enactment themselves successful unsafe positions conscionable by their ain deficiency of cognition of rules of the road.”

Lynda S. wrote, “Sending our youngest and astir susceptible disconnected successful the acheronian 5 mornings each week is simply a acold greater hazard to nine earlier sunrise, than the dangers adults look aboriginal successful the day. They indispensable get to schoolhouse and galore of them person to locomotion (usually successful metropolis settings) and adjacent those who thrust a autobus indispensable locomotion to the autobus stop, often successful agrarian and suburban areas wherever determination are nary sidewalks.”

Most readers blamed distracted driving much than earlier acheronian arsenic the superior problem.

“60% compartment telephone distraction! 36% texting oregon talking connected a compartment phone, 3% not paying attraction (other than to their compartment phone), and 1% everything else,” Rich P. wrote.

“In the morning, walking, I person seen drivers connected their phone, drinking coffee, oregon adjacent putting connected makeup,” Judy E. added. “Obviously their full absorption is not connected driving.”

Thanks to everyone who contacted me. I ever invited your feedback.