Late this past summer, Salvation Army advisory organizations from the Intermountain Division gathered at the Army’s National Headquarters in Alexandria, VA, to be recognized for exemplary work under the National Standards of Excellence (NSOE). The groups were recognized with either gold-or-silver-level certifications. In a remarkable feat, 13 of the 31 advisory organizations (AO) from the Intermountain Division (IMD), which encompasses Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Southeast Montana, were certified by National Commander Commissioner Kenneth Hodder at this event. Two representatives from all but one of those organizations were present for the ceremony alongside divisional leaders Majors Nesan and Cheryl Kistan.

“It’s a validation of things that, together as a board and as a team, we are already doing correctly” said Olga Duvall, representing the Loveland, CO Service Extension Center Advisory Board.

Aiming to meet these standards, AO can send positive messages to the communities they serve. “When you’re subscribed to national standards, it just speaks volumes to people in the community that, ‘Hey, we’re serious about this, we’re going to run a tight ship, and we’re going to get a lot done for our community,’” said John Covert, who is on the Centennial, CO Corps Advisory Board. “These national standards provided an excellent opportunity to step up our game. A lot of what the standards are, we were already doing, but we weren’t documenting it. And the other things that we weren’t doing were great things for us to implement.”

“The recognition is, I hope, encouraging to our board and auxiliary,” said Major Nancy Ball, who was just recently appointed to Colorado Springs and went to Washington, D.C. representing the Women’s Auxiliary Board. “It’s very exciting for us to come into this appointment and know that we have people who know what they’re doing, know why they’re doing it, and are committed to growth. When you set a standard and work to achieve it, you don’t want to just put it in the closet and be done. You want to say, ‘What’s next? Let’s do some more of that good work.’ It’s a great initiative to be involved in, and it’s great to be so well supported by our divisional commander here in the IMD.”

Much of the IMD’s advisory organizational success is due to support from DHQ and the current DC, Major Nesan Kistan. “He’s kind of the guy that says, ‘Look, if you’ve got a big dream and a big goal, then let’s figure out how do you get there,’” said Covert. “He’s very supportive in dreaming, envisioning how to do something bigger than we do. And he’s been very supportive of our corps officers as well as the advisory council.”

The groups from the IMD were also taken on a tour of the White House and the Capitol, where they were able to meet and speak with representatives of their communities, as well as enjoy a tour of the Museum of the Bible. “What excited us was a chance to meet with the National Commander and be able to provide some feedback to him as far as what the needs that we’re seeing in our community, and how The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned to meet some of those needs,” said Covert. “It’s not every day that we get an opportunity to share with the National Commander directly from the field to his ears. And the fact that he was a very receptive listener of all that information was great. I saw it as an honor to be able to make the trip to D.C. for that purpose.”

“It was such a treat,” Duvall said of the trip to NHQ and Washington, D.C. “There were so many aspects of the trip that I loved. Meeting the other board representatives from the division, talking with them, learning how they operate. That was very important. Every day was filled with so many new discoveries.” 

“Seeing how engaged and committed an employee and the Advisory Board chairpersons are to their service area was inspiring and also gave a different kind of perspective to the larger group,” said Major Ball. “It sort of expands the vision of the work of the Army in all different formats, which is always encouraging and motivating.”

“I don’t think there is anything special in the way that the IMD operates its advisory organizations,” Duvall said, noting that all Salvation Army advisory organizations are capable of meeting the National Standards of Excellence and getting certified. “I believe that every division in the territory and every territory in the nation is equally successful. The reason we were able to certify so many is because the good work is already happening, it just takes a little extra effort to put it in writing. So, it’s just taking that step and giving a little bit of focus on what already has been done. I believe very strongly that every division is already doing this good work. It just needs to be documented.”   

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