MILWAUKEE — Christmas bells will be ringing next Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Milwaukee Public Market in Milwaukee.
A host of local celebrities, from TV, sports, social media and more, will ring bells to support The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County’s 2024 Red Kettle Campaign. The annual campaign helps raise money for dozens of programs and services in Milwaukee County and also serves as friendly competition.
Spectrum News 1 meteorologist Brooke Brighton and morning news anchor Megan Carpenter will make an appearance as celebrities again this year. It’s the duo’s fourth year participating in the event.
As part of the event, Brighton and Carpenter will be outside the public market on Thursday, Dec. 12, taking donations in person for one hour, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
If you can’t make it to the in-person event, you can also donate to the pair’s “celebrity kettle” any time by visiting the Salvation Army website and selecting “Brooke Brighton and Megan Carpenter (Spectrum News 1).”
You can also text “Celebrity” to 24365 to bring up the online donation page.
.@MegCarpenterTV and I will once again be participating in @SAmilwaukee's #CelebrityBellRingingDay on Dec. 12 from 6-7PM outside of the @MKEPublicMarket. 🔔
— Brooke Brighton (@BrookeBrighton) December 4, 2024
Want to donate to this wonderful cause? You can donate online through this link: https://t.co/l2uHPOaMMB pic.twitter.com/GQVv4lNKfJ
Money raised through the event will go toward supporting local programs. Officials said they hope to raise $3.5 million this holiday season through the Red Kettle Campaign. Last year, Wisconsin celebrities raised $6,859.48 to go toward the grand total through the bell ringing event.
Other celebrities participating in this year’s event include the Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Aaron Lipski, Greg Borowski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bernie Brewer and the Racing Sausages, a digital creator from Discover Milwaukee, the digital creator of @MKEeeeEats on Instagram. and many more from local TV stations.
Celebrity bell ringing first started 2013. The Salvation Army added the friendly competition component in 2014. Celebrities who raise the most money receive a traveling trophy and recognition at the Salvation Army’s volunteer luncheon.
In 2022, Brighton and Carpenter placed third in the competition. In 2021, they placed in second.
“Let’s change it to first this year,” Brighton said in an Instagram post ahead of the event.
The Milwaukee Public Market Celebrity Bell Ringing Day will kickoff at 11 a.m. and run until 7 p.m. on Dec. 12, 2024.