Applications spike for red kettle jobs

BROOMFIELD - If she's ever going to become a licensed nurse, this is how she has to do it. Shawn Graham came to that conclusion not too long ago. She works at night as a certified nursing assistant. During the day she works at the Broomfield Salvation Army. And this weekend, she'll start working weekends as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army.

"I'm taking all of the money I earn from bell ringing, putting it toward nursing school," she told 9NEWS on Monday.

That job will pay her somewhere in the $8.50 to $9 an hour range. And this year, there was more competition than ever for the 23 available slots in the Broomfield area.

"We didn't even have to advertise in the paper this year," Captain Thomas Fenton with the Salvation Army said. "We're getting a lot of applications this year and a lot of first-time applicants." Specifically, he told us, applications are up 100 percent this year when compared with last. It's something a spokesperson for the regional Salvation Army said he is seeing statewide.

"We're seeing people from all walks of life now," Fenton said. "I think the economy has frightened people. It's frightened them no matter what they earn."

The "Kettle Campaign" kicks off in Colorado on Friday. Fenton spent the better part of his Monday delivering the kettle stands to area grocery and department stores.

"This is when it really starts to gear up," he said.

He said he's not surprised that applications for the job are up.

"Some people need the money for Christmas presents or to pay off bills," he said.

Others, like Fenton, have other reasons for working for the Salvation Army this holiday season. The Californian simply hopes she can make it through another Colorado winter.

"I can't even imagine how many layers I'm going to need," she told us with a laugh.