Girls Sing and Dance for the Salvation Army

It began as an idea to give back to the less fortunate and it turned into a family party that rocked a parking lot and warmed the hearts of a few hundred people.

Three sisters and their cousin spent more than two hours in freezing temperatures last Saturday morning, entertaining shoppers entering the Wal-Mart on Randall Road by singing, dancing and fundraising for the Salvation Army.

Lauren, Callie and Caroline Rebodos, and their cousin, Jamie Kentgen, never stopped singing and dancing—except to thank donators and say, "Merry Christmas." The girls have acted, danced and sang with each other for so long that when one started a dance movement or began a new song, the others immediately joined in, making it look like it was all planned.

Some customers at the store could hear the children before they could see them. Many sang along with the carols, while donating coins and bills to the Salvation Army. The cold weather didn't seem to bother the girls.

"Kids are more resilient to the cold than we are," said Jean Rebodos, mother of Lauren, Caroline and Callie.

The Rebodos family has done different acts of charity during the holidays, but had never rung bells for the Salvation Army until this year. When the girls were young, they hosted birthday parties for baby Jesus, said Jean Rebodos. Guests were asked to bring a toy to be donated to a local charity. The kids sang "Happy Birthday to Jesus" and ate cake.

Every Christmas season from now on, however, the family will spend a shift ringing the Salvation Army bells. "I regret that I didn't do this earlier in their lives. They enjoy it: the singing, the dancing, the helping."

The girls have more than twenty cousins, and Rebodos thought it would be fun to bring more cousins next year.

"Make it a family affair—expand it every year," she said.

The girls said they enjoyed this act of charity and understand that it's important to help other people. 

"I like singing and everyone is in a good mood and donating," Kentgen said. "It's nice to give back. My family is very fortunate. This was really fun. I definitely want to come back next year."

Jean Rebodos was surprised at how easy it was to sign up. She looked up the Crystal Lake office of the Salvation Army on the Internet, called and asked if they could help.

"So easy to sign up, and the girls are getting so much out of it," she said.

Rebodos said her mom, who is now 85, used to tell her stories of getting a coin from Rebodos' grandmother to put in the red kettle. She hopes her daughters will continue to volunteer as they grow older. "Maybe one day they'll do this with their kids," she said.

Caroline Rebodos said next year will be a better show. "Maybe we'll bring a boom box," she said.