By Ray Paulick

I always subscribed to the theory that you can’t tell a book by its cover. For that reason, I was always impressed but never really that surprised when one of the grumpiest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with also turned out to be one of the most charitably minded.

Today, on this day of giving thanks, instead of focusing on an equine charity, the Paulick Report is writing about someone in the equine industry who has been a tireless champion for a charity that anyone who’s ever heard ringing bells outside of a grocery store is familiar with: the Salvation Army. 

I first met Ron Mitchell when we were colleagues at the Thoroughbred Times in 1988. Ron was all business, someone who learned the ins and outs of the horse world working at a bloodstock agency before entering the journalism profession. Like many journalists working at trade publications, Ron always seemed to know more about a story than he could write. Maybe that’s why he always seemed so grumpy!

I left the Times in 1991 to work for the startup daily paper, The Racing Times, and Ron shifted his notebook to the Bloodhorse magazine shortly thereafter. We were reunited in 1992 when I was named chief editor of the latter publication.

During my 15 years there, Ron had his responsibilities shifted at various times. He always accepted each new challenge with the same stern face and gruff attitude, then dove into his position with great dedication and a sense of pride and ownership for what he was doing.

It’s that same sense of pride, combined with a belief in social responsibility toward his community, that has driven Ron (pictured, Vickie Mitchell photo) to stand outside a Lexington, Ky., grocery store hours at a time several days a week during the holiday season over the last 15 years, ringing a bell and encouraging people to donate to the Salvation Army kettle. He says he does it because it’s always been a great source of news tips from people in the Thoroughbred industry who shop at the Kroger grocery store in his Chevy Chase neighborhood. But I’ve never believed that.

Just as his career in journalism has been transformed from manual typewriters to laptops and a black and white newsweekly tabloid to a 24/7 Internet site, Ron’s methodology for raising money for the Salvation Army has gone digital.

You’ll still find him at the Kroger on Euclid Avenue, where he’s been the “Curlin” of bell ringers – earning more money for the Salvation Army than anyone else in Central Kentucky. But Ron’s going the social networking route with his efforts to help those less fortunate, and has established a fund-raising page online. Donors can designate where their funds go: to the Salvation Army in Lexington, or to one in a city or neighborhood of your choice. 

Be assured that your generous donations will be put to good use. As Ron said of the Salvation Army: “I did extensive research on charities and concluded that the SA does the most with the least. They do not fritter away their money on high-paid executives and they have a program that emphasizes assisting their clients with personal self-improvement and trying to get them back on their feet. The SA is not a ‘handout’ organization. Although they are not considered an ‘equine charity,’ many current and former workers within the Bluegrass horse industry utilize the many services offered by the SA."

If you can’t make it to Ron’s Kroger in Lexington, consider a donation to your local Salvation Army bell ringer. Better yet, go online to Ron Mitchell’s personal Salvation Army fundraising page and click on Ron’s "Donate to My Kettle" button to make a donation there.

You might even coax a rare smile out of him!

The Paulick Report will spotlight a different charity each day of Thanksgiving week, when we traditionally take time to reflect and give thanks to the blessings we have and to help those less fortunate. This is a difficult time for many Americans, and charitable organizations are feeling the effects of the global economic crisis. We hope you’ll spend a few minutes to learn about some of the charities that make us a better industry, and consider giving to these or to others that we won’t have the opportunity to publicize. Remember that no gift is too small.

Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report

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