Change of the guard at Salvation Army
By CARRIE FRILLMAN cfrillman@daily-chronicle.com
DeKALB – With July will come new faces at the helm of the DeKalb County chapter of The Salvation Army.
Starting July 1, Chicago residents Michael and Alisha Cho will replace captains Alex and Aimee Norton as heads of the chapter. The Nortons, who have served the area for four years, are being transferred to Lansing, Mich., Capt. Alex Norton said.
"The Army traditionally moves officers around," Norton said. He and his wife were born and raised in Michigan. "But we know we are leaving the DeKalb chapter in good hands."
The Chos are currently corps officers at Mayfair Community Church in Chicago, where they have been for five years, said Michael Cho, who is 37.
"We will first have to take a look around and test the water, so to speak," he said. "The first thing on the agenda will be to strengthen the ministry. Days like this are kind of hard and tough on everybody, so maintaining the spiritual health ... will be really important to people."
Among the Chos' first priorities will be to hire a replacement for food pantry coordinator. Jennifer Warren, who has been the coordinator, has been promoted to the caseworker position at The Salvation Army.
They will also work to create new programs and strengthen partnerships with Northern Illinois University, Cho said.
A lot of responsibility lies in helping manage The Salvation Army food pantry in DeKalb, Norton said. It serves more than 800 people each month with a food shipment of about 13,000 pounds.
"We created what we call a 'free choice pantry,'" Norton said, comparing the area's setup to a grocery store. "It's got a lot of community support and we know the Chos will have the same."
If You Go
A final service for the Nortons will be held at 11 a.m. on June 28, at 830 Grove St., in DeKalb. For more information, call 815-756-4308.
