Neighbors: Weldon Frost

The residents of less-tropical places may have Jack Frost nipping at their noses, but Longboat Key has it’s own “Frost” — Weldon Frost. He has been ringing the bell for the Salvation Army for 23 years at the most lucrative bucket in all of Sarasota County — the Longboat Key Publix.

“I think it’s a testimony of the generosity of the people of Longboat and the generosity of the tourists,” he says. “It’s heartwarming.”

When he moved in 1989 to Longboat Key from London, attorney Robert Bergs, who handled the closing on Frost’s house, was in charge of the Salvation Army volunteer bell ringers.

“He was a really nice guy,” Frost says.

It’s why Frost couldn’t say no to him. He asked Frost to ring the bell for the next few years, and Frost always obliged. It became routine after that.

The Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key took over organizing the bell ringers on Longboat Key more than 10 years ago. The club invited Frost to join eight years ago, because of his bell-ringing dedication. Now Frost is chairman of the Kiwanis Scholarship Committee, which gave 21 scholarships to 54 applicants this year.And from Thanksgiving until the end of December, one can find him ringing.

“I just ring away; I’m a fast ringer,” Frost says. “I try to smile at people and usually I have a joke or two. Then I tell them to enjoy the nice day.”

Frost loves supporting the Salvation Army.

“The Salvation Army is the most efficient charity in the country,” he says. “Ninety-six percent (of donations) goes toward doing good, and nothing else in the country even comes close to that.”

Not to mention that the stories of people who have been helped by the Salvation Army keep him going.
“I can’t pass the bucket without putting money into it,” he says.

He says that since his 20th year of bell ringing, he has noticed it has become less of a Kiwanis gig and more of a community affair, “which is like it should be,” he says. On his 20th anniversary, Frost published vignettes in the Longboat Observer featuring some of the stories he’s heard while manning the bucket.

One of the stories reads:

“She went toward the bucket and put some bills in it. Then she turned to me and said, ‘The Salvation Army saved my son’s life!’ ... ‘He was up in Ohio, 35 years old, heavily into drugs and alcohol and going nowhere fast. Somehow, the Salvation Army got a hold of him and turned his life around. Then he started to work for the Salvation Army.’ Then she paused, and broke out into a big smile. ‘He just graduated from college, cum lade, at the age of 53.’”

“Some of these things get to you. In particular, the way people express their stories,” Frost says.

It seems “frost” will be in the forecast for years to come.

By the numbers:
Salvation Army Ringers
50+ ringers at the Longboat Key Publix
279 hours total accomplished by ringers
32 days spent ringing
6 average number of ringers in a day
11 most slots filled by particular people, Fred and Jane Wittlinger
$12,491.37 money raised in 2010 (past year)