Snow, cold doesn't stop 77-year-old bell ringer

Richard Sperling is used to the cold. He spent many years in and out of freezers, working as a butcher for independent grocery stores.So ringing a Salvation Army bell 40 hours a week outside of the Jewel/Osco store at Randhurst Shopping Center in Mount Prospect isn't much of a hardship.And the jovial 77-year-old said he gets back much more than he gives in the form of smiles from adults, enthusiastic donations from children and the generosity of store employees, who regularly bring him hot soup and candy bars."The people who shop here are all nice," the father of four and grandfather of 10 said. "Ninety-nine percent of them smile and many stop to put some money in the kettle."I love to watch the kids. They pull on their moms' coats and point at me because they want to put something in the pot."Sperling says his secret to staying toasty is wearing a snowmobile suit. He also wears an animated Santa hat that dances and sings "Santa Claus is Coming to Town.""Everyone loves this hat," he said. "Even the adults want to push the button when they stop by to talk."Retired for more than a decade, Sperling says he picks up small jobs here and there to supplement his income. It was his wife, Rita, who saw an ad last year, asking for Salvation Army bell ringers. The Army pays some of its ringers to make sure it has enough people to collect money throughout the Christmas season."She said to me, 'You aren't doing anything. Why don't you go out and be a bell ringer this Christmas?'"And the local Salvation Army has been thrilled to have him."He is a natural with people," said Captain Sally Davis of the Des Plaines Salvation Army church that runs the bell ringers in the Mount Prospect/Des Plaines area. "He loves to be out there to help other people and to do a little something for himself. So we love to have him there."He's such a hit with Jewel customers and employees, Davis said, the store manager asked her if she could assign Sperling to them again."I have had a heck of a good time, talking to all of the people and letting the children ring the bell for me," Sperling said.Red Kettle factsbull; The Salvation Army Red Kettle dates to 1891 when Capt. Joseph McFee put a pot near the Oakland, Calif., ferry landing to fund a free Christmas dinner for the poor.bull; By 1897, the Red Kettle had spread to the East Coast and today it's used in Europe, Korea, Japan and Chile.bull; Today's needy families are given grocery checks to buy and prepare their own dinners at home.bull; The homeless are invited to share holiday dinners and festivities at hundreds of centers.bull; In the U.S., the Salvation Army helps more than 4.5 million people a year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, providing food, clothing and toys. 439512Salvation Army bell ringer Richard Sperling, 77, who works 40 hours a week outside the Jewel next to Randhurst Shopping Center, hugs regular patron Bonnie Bush of Mount Prospect.Bob Chwedyk | Staff Photographer