Salvation Army under new leadership

Jun. 27—The Salvation Army of Owensboro has recently welcomed Lts. Carla and Victor Haworth as its new officers.

And the pair seemed to be adjusting to it all so far.

"It's been fantastic," Victor Haworth said Monday. "... We moved here last week. I preached yesterday (Sunday) morning, and this is the first day in the office."

The Haworths have a history with the area.

Carla Haworth was born and raised in Owensboro and began attending the Salvation Army as a young teenager, eventually becoming a soldier at the age of 14.

A graduate of Apollo High School, Carla Haworth found her way to The Salvation Army Evangeline Booth College where she graduated and was commissioned in 1988.

"(It's) not completely unfamiliar because we would come back to Owensboro for most of our vacations and trips," Victor Haworth said. "Her parents lived here. Her stepdad still lives here. She had a sister that lived here.

"There's familial ties here."

Born in Rota, Spain, Victor Haworth moved around a lot through his life as his father served in the U.S. Navy.

After graduating from Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, he began attending The Salvation Army Norfolk Corps, where he enrolled as a soldier before being called to become an officer while at Territorial Youth Councils.

Victor Haworth made his way to Evangeline Booth College, where he graduated and was commissioned in 1989.

It was also the place where he and Carla Haworth met, eventually marrying in January 1990 at the Owensboro Corps.

The pair became the commanding officers of the Atlanta Bellwood Corps and executive directors of The Bellwood Boys and Girls Club before resigning in their early-20s and settling down in Falls City, Nebraska, to be closer to Victor Haworth's parents.

During this time, the Haworth family raised three children and operated their own contracting and construction businesses.

They also stayed involved in the community, with Victor Haworth serving as pastor for the First Brethren Church in Falls City for 16 years, while Carla Haworth directed the worship and youth programming.

But after Victor Haworth's parents moved to Arkansas about eight years ago, they decided to move nearby his and Carla Haworth's families.

"When our youngest ... graduated high school about three-and-a-half years ago, we had plans to get down closer to both," Victor Haworth said.

The Haworths bought a home in Madisonville in 2020.

Soon enough, Victor Haworth said he felt called back to The Salvation Army after a 30-year absence.

"When we lived in Nebraska, there was no Salvation Army church. And when we moved back down here, there was — and so we began going back," he said. "There was (also) no Brethren church ... so we started attending The Salvation Army and got reinvolved ... and felt led back to, instead of me building things, to help people and serve God."

Having knowledge of the facility and what it provides to Daviess, Hancock, McLean and Ohio counties, the Haworths are "trying to do more."

"We handle so many, especially our food program, out of here," Victor Haworth said. "We don't have the storage, we don't have the manpower (with) 500 food baskets a month (that) we serve ... and the need is growing.

"As the economy and inflation hits, and things are more expensive — there's less money to pay for groceries for a lot of families."

Another effort and focus area includes the renovation of the former thrift store into a social services center — an effort that was first started by the facility's predecessors, Capt. Alyssa Irvin and Lt. Judah Irvin — as an expansion into The Salvation Army's national Pathway of Hope initiative.

"The Pathway of Hope program isn't just about helping you now ...," Victor Haworth said. "(The program) is focused more on families and helping them learn budgeting and a whole host of things to hopefully break generational cycles, and give people a real opportunity to break cycles and improve their lives and (others)."

The social services center will include a brick exterior to the front of the building, and will include two large rooms that will be for storage along with a multipurpose room.

Additionally, the floor plan indicates there will be three office spaces, a conference room and a waiting area situated towards the front of the building.

A walk-in freezer is planned to be installed in the large storage area, while a bathroom facility and other doorways will be up to code in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The total renovation cost is about $200,000.

"At the moment, (this is) the focus," Victor Haworth said. "We have about half the money for the renovations raised. We have a contract to do half the building, and the focus here for the next however long it takes is to raise the additional money we need to get the front end of that building renovated, and get the staffing in place and serve the community even better.

"We're doing good, but we need to keep on keeping on."