Grace and Salvation: New commanders have big goals for Bucyrus Salvation Army

There's something people should know about Majors Tom and Debbra Grace, the new commanders of the Bucyrus Salvation Army.

"I'm the dreamer," said Tom Grace. "And she is the detail person. Which can put a little strain on the marriage sometimes, because her office is right next door to mine."

"And because he doesn't like 'No,'" his wife added, as they laughed.

The Graces, who have been married 43 years, are gearing up for their first Christmas in their new community, with plenty of plans for the new year.

"Frankly, this is a breath of fresh air," Tom Grace said of their new hometown.

After serving in Canton for six years, they arrived in Bucyrus in late June, replacing captains Ray and Heidi Valdez, who were assigned to Westerville.

The Graces also have served in the Cleveland area, and spent 15 years in Wadsworth.

"We've served in large communities and we've served in small towns, and we just find small towns — they feel more like home," Deb Grace said. "People are kinder. You kind of find your niche."

"I think we're more effective in a small town," her husband added. "Which is ironic — I'm originally from Philadelphia."

Deb Grace is an Ohio native, and has spent all but a few years of her life in the state.

"But we'd never been here," she said. "We'd never been to Bucyrus until we found out we were coming."

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'We wanted to slow down'

Both of the Graces are "lifetime Salvationists," the children of Salvation Army officers. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren. Now, they're four years away from retirement.

"We wanted to slow down and enjoy these last four years," she said. "A bigger operation is very stressful. We just, basically, all we did was work. And that's not healthy."

The COVID-19 pandemic added even more stress, as they dealt with additional demands and a shrinking staff.

"It wasn't just the mental aspects and the emotional aspects; it was physically so demanding," Deb Grace said. They loaded and unloaded "thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds" of pantry items from trucks into cars, plus cooking and other chores.

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'It starts with the people'

They fell in love with Bucyrus quickly.

"It starts with the people," Tom Grace said. "Without question, the people."

They lived in Canton more than six years, and only got to know their neighbors in the last 18 months, Deb Grace said. They got to know one family well, "but we were never in a neighbor's home," she said. They moved into their new home in Bucyrus on June 28 and spent the Fourth of July at a neighbor's home, "for a meal with their family."

"That almost brought tears to my eyes, and I thought, 'That's what we missed.' Relationships. Conversations. Getting to know people," she added.

While they built some good professional relationships in Canton, Tom Grace said, Bucyrus is different.

"There's no pretense; it is what it is," he said. "I love the Midwest honesty. Either it's a yes or it's a no. And to be honest with you, I'm not sure we've experienced a 'No' yet in five months."

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Everywhere they go, people are happy to speak with them, he said.

"There's no stuffed shirt about it; there's no feeling like 'What does the Salvation Army want?' kind of thing, because of what we do," he said. "It's always a kind reception."

When they walk down the street, people smile and wave, or say hello.

"It's little things like that, even," Deb Grace said. "We love it. We're happy to wind up here. Happy to be able to minister here while we're here and try to have an impact for good on the community, that the Salvation Army will under our leadership."

New facility needed, Graces say

They have many goals for their new command, but one of their top goals will make all of the others more practical: They believe the Salvation Army needs a new facility.

"I believe — and it's taken me maybe a couple weeks to believe this after being in this town and seeing A, the generosity of the people, but B, more importantly, the character of the people, that together as a community of servers, we can do something very special that really isn't done in many towns," Tom Grace said. "And I believe that because I have yet to come into a situation in Bucyrus where what people are looking for is credit for what they're doing."

The current facility includes three buildings, but only one has plumbing — and it's not the one where staffers and volunteers work. They have to walk outside and cross the yard to get to the bathrooms in the main building's basement.

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"We were here for the first day and we were like, 'This is not OK.' It's not handicapped accessible," Deb Grace said. "We don't have phones on our desk here."

The available space is not program-friendly; there's no place for small meetings.

"It's not very useable space," she said. "The Army's been making do for a long time."

"In its day in 1939 when it was built, sure," her husband added. They praised the generosity of the Shupp family, whose donations made the current building possible.

"This doesn't represent the Salvation Army well to the community," Deb Grace said. "And it's a detraction —"

"From our ability to serve," he husband finished.

Tom Grace said he's optimistic the Salvation Army will be able to move into a different facility by the middle of next year. It might even be possible to share space with other organizations that work to meet citizens' needs, creating a "one-stop-shop."

"The other thing that I think we've noticed here, there's an opportunity to do that, to work together more easily," Deb Grace said. "With other agencies and organizations."

Salvation Army 'could be doing more and doing better'

They also want to offer new programs in Bucyrus schools.

They believe the Salvation Army "could be doing more and doing better" in Bucyrus, Deb Grace said.

"The Salvation Army will always stand in the gap for the poor people and they will always have a hand out; but also, we want to start giving a hand up, to get them back on their feet," she said. A major goal is to break generational cycles of poverty through education and long-term case management.

"Our ultimate desire it to put in place programs, relational programs, starting with young people, to show them that what has been modeled to them in their childhood and as they're growing up isn't the only way." Tom Grace said. "Through education, starting at the elementary level, they can aspire to be more. I'm not putting anybody down when I say that; but they can aspire to more and achieve more."

"They don't have to be what they've known," added Deb Grace. "There are goals that they can have and people that are willing to come alongside and help them achieve them."

The Graces have met with Mayor Jeff Reser and Bucyrus school officials to discuss launching programs in the district next school year. They're looking for funding, volunteers and partners.

"Investing in children is worthwhile, and that's one of the things we'll be doing," Deb Grace said.

They're also working on chartering a women's auxiliary, whose projects will include an after-school program. Women interested in joining can contact Deb Grace.

Volunteers needed during Christmas season

The annual, full-menu Thanksgiving meal will be served 5-7 p.m. Wednesday in the basement of the main building, kicking off the holiday season. Meals also will be available to-go, and walk-ins are welcome.

After that, the focus moves to the annual kettle campaign.

"We have a significant need for bell-ringers," Tom Grace said. "That's our biggest need right now."

Most bell-ringers are volunteers, but the Army also hires a few people to fill in during the day while many people are at work. Some of those positions are still open.

Two Bucyrus service clubs, Rotary and Kiwanis, have an annual competition to raise the most money in a single Saturday.

"They collect a majority of our kettle campaign, and they're back," Tom Grace said. "We're grateful for that."

This year's kettle campaign officially will kick off during the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce's Candlelight Christmas, 5-8 p.m. Dec. 2. The Salvation Army will present some awards, serve treats and show Christmas movie clips at Schines Art Park during the event.

Volunteers are needed in all areas, Deb Grace said. The organization has been taking applications for Christmas assistance since early October, and is still accepting them. All participants will receive food assistance, and the Army provides gifts for families with children.

A drive-thru distribution is scheduled for the week before Christmas; volunteers are need to help with that, too.

To register for the program, call the Salvation Army office, 419-562-0071.

'Our over-arching goal'

The Graces stressed they want to do more than put some programs in place.

"Our over-arching goal of everything that we do here is that when we leave here, there will be a greater ownership of the people of the community, which will ensure that whatever develops while we are here will continue to be here," Tome Grace said. "New programs are great, but if you've not put something in place, when it's time for you to exit — and we've experienced this, unfortunately — they can die off. And there is such an urgent need, particularly for the education programs."

ggoble@gannett.com

419-521-7263

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Bucyrus Salvation Army commanders see education need to stop cycle