Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
Wilbert West is not like the other Salvation Army holiday bell ringers. Oh, he does all of the banging and clanging and shivering in a frigid metro-area parking lot that you’d expect. But his unique singing routine—consisting of slightly altered Christmas carols, delivered in a soulful voice and scored to cowbell—have made him the most successful bell ringer in his area over the past four years.
• I've been ringing the bell for four years. So far, since I've been ringing, I've been the No. 1 bell ringer in my area. But we're all standing out there in the cold, doing our best.
• I'm usually at I-270 and West Florissant [Avenue] at that Walmart and Sam's Club there. But I'll tell ya: Wherever they put me, I'm gonna shine. I'm just a joyful person—even on a bad day, I'm having a good day.
• I normally do home health care for people, but I take off work to ring the bell five weeks at Christmas time.
• I have fun singing the songs that I make up while I ring the bell. I have fun with children—sometime I give them the bell and they start ringing it and singing with me
• I don’t know if my singing makes people give more money, but when you just greet people going in and out of the stores with a smile, it cheers them up, and they say "you're like, the best bell-ringer I've seen," and they seem so happy, and then maybe they feel like they should give something. It could be in a slow area where people won't hardly donate, and I can bring it out of 'em.
• We're not actually allowed to ask for any money, we just ring the bell. The kettle speaks for itself.
• Our shifts go from 10 or 10:30 in the morning 'til 7, 7:15 at night. They drop us off and pick us up in a van. We get hot chocolate and breakfast at the Salvation Army first, too.
• My wife had a niece who passed, and the Salvation Army helped out her three small kids, they did good for them. They provided clothes and toys for them. We really help people.
• They give us hand warmers and gloves. I have my heavy coat and my hood and my skullcap. When we get really cold we take a little break and go inside. I have rung the bell outside in the rain, and it didn't bother me a bit. But if it's real, real bad, we won't go out. With a lot of the young-kid ringers, I have to let 'em know you have to dress for the cold so you can make it through the whole day.
• If you dress warm, it's a piece of cake—and this year I'm gonna dress like Santa Claus.
• I've never had anyone dump a whole wad of bills in the kettle before, but I did have one lady who came and dropped a whole lot of change in, a whole sandwich bag of change. Some people put checks in, too.
• I have a way with people, and I like helping people in the community where I live. I love to give. When you give, you get more in return.
