The year was 1909.
The place was America, the land of freedom and opportunity.
And the man was August (Aw-goost) Giesen, determined to begin a new life in the New World.
Never one to shy away from adventure, August believed New York was the ultimate land of opportunity and a place where, surely, the streets would be paved with gold.
After arriving by ship, the German-born August spent some time working in Pennsylvania’s booming textile industry. But a career in cloth and cutting soon proved incompatible with his love of a good time. Before long, he left to take up work as a sommelier at a German Club.
The role paid well, but rather than saving for a rainy day, August embraced the high life. During one long weekend spent indulging in the finest food and drink, the young August encountered love, or something like it, when he met a dazzling Russian prima ballerina.
That weekend of excess, however, did not end happily ever after. Instead, August found himself alone and penniless, without the ballet-dancing love of his life and with no idea what had happened.
Fortunately, the kindness of the Salvation Army saw August showered, dressed in fresh clothes, fed, and back on his feet once more. Ready to work again as a sommelier, he began earning his boat fare home to Germany.
As a result, August always told his family to give generously to the Salvation Army, a tradition the Giesen brothers, Theo, Alex, and Marcel, proudly continue to this day.
