Salvation Army looks out for mystery gold coin donor
- The first coin appeared in a kettle 2005.
- The Liberty Eagle gold coin donated is typically worth more than %241%2C000.
- Leaders at The Salvation Army say they don't know the donor's identity
Merrill Conrad spied a glint of plastic in a sea of coins. He unearthed a small plastic bag.
What's this?
Inside he found a $20 gold Liberty Eagle coin dated 1925. He pulled out the note tucked in the bag.
In loving memory of Mimi.
Conrad, a retiree in his 70s, had read about the Mimi coin tradition in the newspaper. A mysterious donor had been giving the valuable coin to the local Salvation Army for years. He knew this was a treasure amidst the odd Chuck E. Cheese token, bullet or gold tooth volunteers find in red kettles.
"Hey, fellows, look what I found!" Conrad called to the other volunteers sorting donations in a locked room at The Salvation Army in Fort Myers. It was late November of last year. The group erupted in applause. The coin was worth $1,300.
If the mystery giver repeats the tradition this season, it will be the 10th year the "Mimi" coin has appeared during The Salvation Army's red kettle campaign. The campaign officially kicks off today and the Fort Myers area aims to raise $650,000 to help needy local families. The Mimi coin typically brings in more than $1,000 for the organization depending on the price of gold. It often inspires coin-giving copycats who attach notes saying they've been inspired by the Mimi donor.
It has landed in kettles from North Fort Myers to Lehigh Acres. Once, it arrived via mail.
About three years ago, Gail Fleeman, an executive secretary at The Salvation Army in Fort Myers, found it wrapped in a Post-it in an envelope.
"I don't have a single thought as to who it is. That's part of the fun of it," Fleeman said. "I'm sure somebody knows who it is."
If they do, they're not dropping clues. Leaders at The Salvation Army of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties avow ignorance of the donor's identity and aren't looking to unmask the lover of Mimi either. Tim Gilliam, the new area commander, first heard about the coin when he was working for The Salvation Army in St. Petersburg. A few years ago, the Mimi coin tradition made national news.
"The story of the coin goes well beyond the borders of Southwest Florida," Gilliam said. "It's never expected, but always a blessing."
In 2011, a bell ringer described the Mimi donor as a tall man, which narrows the scope to the 324,000 men in Lee County, minus short guys. The description is just as scant for Mimi. Was she someone's wife, daughter or Shih Tzu?
"She's probably someone's loved one named Mimi who has always had the Army in her heart and she's not alive anymore," said Bill Blevins, the local Salvation Army board chairman.
Conrad is sorting red kettle donations again this year. He and other volunteers have made odd finds. A coin from Liberia. Nuts and screws. An engagement ring with a tiny heart-shaped diamond, which may have been fake or a good deed to end a promise gone bad.
But no Mimi…yet.
"It could be anybody. It could be the person sitting alongside me," he said. "It's not me."
Connect with this reporter: @Janinezeitlin (Twitter).
Red Kettle Campaign
The Salvation Army of Lee, Hendry and Glades counties aims to raise $650,000 through its red kettle campaign. The campaign officially kicks off Friday at Gulf Coast Town Center's market plaza at 10 a.m. The campaign runs through Christmas Eve at grocery and retail stores. The money helps cover food and toys for needy families during the holidays and operational costs. Donors are invited to share why they give to The Salvation Army on Twitter as #RedKettleReason. Photos of local donors will be added to the national Salvation Army #RedKettleReason campaign.
Volunteers are also needed to ring the bells. For Collier County, call 775-9447. For Lee, Hendry & Glades counties, call 278-1551
Weird things found in red kettles
■Chuck E. Cheese tokens
■Gold teeth
■Acorns
■Guitar picks
■Bullets (Never a favorite)
Source: The Salvation Army of Lee,