Jim and Jo Anne Graser are in charge of the counter kettles and ring bells for the Salvation Army during the holiday season.
Jim is from Park Ridge, a suburb of Chicago. He graduated from Main Township High School South, where he went to school with Hilary Clinton.
“That’s my claim to fame,” Jim said.
He was a firefighter in the village of Rosemont and also involved in his family’s printing business. He retired 6½ years ago and moved to Shawano with his wife of 5½ years, Jo Anne. He has been blind for 12 years due to diabetes. He has two children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He is a member of St. John Clocktower Church in Gillett, People with Disabilities and Visually Impaired People.
Jo Anne is from McHenry, Illinois. She graduated from McHenry High School and began working for United Airlines in data entry. For almost 25 years she did consulting for Hewitt Associates, which is where she met Jim. She retired 5½ years ago. She has three children and three grandchildren.
The couple has a cabin up north where they like to boat, fish, shop and gamble. At First Presbyterian Church. Jo Anne does some of the office work along with office projects. She make meals for Safe Haven, helps with the community dinner and is on the mission commission.
Q When did you volunteer for the Salvation Army?
A Jim: “I joined the Salvation Army board four years ago, and when it became known that 100 percent collected in the county is spent in the county, that’s when I started working with the kettles. My wife is a volunteer and I am a volunteer. The bell ringing is fundraising that we do in the city.”
Jo Anne: “I started out just taking him to the meetings and then staying. I felt myself drawn to helping, and now I’m a volunteer.”
Q What do you do?
A Jim: “This year we’re helping with the counter kettle campaign. Jo Anne felt she could work with the distributors. I cleaned up the kettles. There are 32 that are distributed throughout the county. We have taken them in the past. We found homes for all of them. They are all the way from Wittenberg/Birnamwood to Cecil and Bonduel. The little kettles are out now until Christmas. Bell ringing started Nov. 21.”
How else do you help?
A Jim: “This is the first time Jo Anne and I will be ringing as a couple. There are many slots open for two-hour shifts. I’m signed up to do it more than once. Next year we hope to have a cabana type shelter that a Boy Scout is making. As a board member I’ve been able to support the other programs of the Salvation Army, offer suggestions and try to support it. Our board has grown, but I think they can always use more members. Our community has a lot of needs. To help with the campaign, you can call 715-701-3045.”
Q Why do you volunteer?
A Jim: “I do it because I’ve always felt my position is to help and serve. In this nice community, we came with the idea that we’re going to help others.”
Jo Anne: “I like to help and be a part of good projects and work with very good people. It’s a chance for me to give back. My father was a fireman in Chicago. On the coldest nights during a fire, the Salvation Army was there to support them.”
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