By Kathy Gaillard
From the age of 13, Sheree Dallas knew that she wanted to become a journalist partly because she enjoyed storytelling. Now, as Assistant Divisional Director of Development at the Salvation Army, she has plenty of opportunities to tell the stories of an organization whose name is internationally and nationally recognized.
During middle school Dallas began researching career opportunities in journalism. Determined to pursue her dream, she attended John Marshall High School when it was a journalism specialty school. After earning a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, Dallas landed her first television job as an associate producer with WTMJ-TV4. She then freelanced with Public Broadcasting System (PBS) television for seven years.
“Life happened, so I had to get a ‘real’ job with real benefits and regular working hours. I was recently separated and had two small children, so I began working for a nonprofit organizations and then corporations. At the time, I didn’t know community relations was a ‘thing,’ but it had all the components that I liked—giving back, engaging with the community, and telling stories. My communications background was an asset,” said Dallas.
For the past four years Dallas has led a team of employees in the areas of development (which raises money) and community relations, which includes social media, public relations, communications, volunteers and the Salvation Army’s RED Kettle Program.
“Throughout my career, I have been blessed to work with incredible brands, including the Salvation Army. It is easy to represent this organization because so many people are already familiar with the amazing work we do locally, nationally and internationally.
“The Salvation Army helps people on a daily basis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to redefine and restructure the way we offered services, but our doors never closed,” said Dallas.
Dallas also enjoys interacting with the public and nurturing and expanding community partnerships.
“I am proud of the work we have accomplished in terms of educating our various public relations and development professionals about the importance of images, particularly related to successfully communicating the diversity of our partners, employees, and volunteers. That’s real; especially because of the diverse communities we serve,” said Dallas.
One of the more notable events hosted by the Salvation Army is its Annual Christmas Family Feast, which has been held for the past 34 years.
“Even during COVID-19 we held Family Feast; we just did it differently. It would have been easy not to do it during the pandemic, but we were committed to keeping that legacy alive,” said Dallas.
As with most nonprofit organizations, securing resources to meet the growing needs of communities is always challenging, and Dallas believes that the Salvation Army’s name recognition sometimes hinders its efforts.
“The Salvation Army is well known. That’s sometimes a downfall because the public may think we don’t have needs. We continue to fight for dollars and donors, so telling our stories and building awareness about our programs throughout the year is important.
“My mother always told me that where there is life, there is hope. The Salvation Army’s motto is “doing the most good.” When I get tired, I remind myself that we are doing the most good. That encourages me. During our Family Feast, I still get choked up from the hundreds of smiles and thank you’s we receive from people. We have generations of volunteers that have made serving during Family Feast a tradition. It is about community.
“Every city has challenges. Milwaukee is no different, but if we keep emphasizing the positives, we will get there. Milwaukee has a lot to offer and by the grace of God, we will continue to make this a better city for everyone,” said Dallas.
We thank Sheree Dallas and the Salvation Army for their commitment to caring, sharing and serving our community.
For more information about the Salvation Army and its programs, visit www.centralusa.salvationarmy.org/milwaukee/