“It’s getting cold out here.”

Kelsey Cottle uttered this while ringing The Salvation Army bell outside Macy’s at Sunrise Mall.  Yet her fellow bell ringers did not care--they were having the time of their lives.

“Yeah, they’re having fun,” Cottle said.

Meet Carl Virgin and Eulogio Lizarraga--the jubilant bell ringers. Both have cerebral palsy and are confined to wheelchairs, but they do not let it deter their efforts to give back.

“It just a good time for them to get out and people to see them,” said Cottle, who is Carl’s personal attendant through S.T.E.P. (Strategy To Empower People) services. “It’s great that they get to see them so happy and that they can do this (volunteer) like everybody else.”

Cottle recruited Carl for the bell ringing opportunity last year.

“My church talked about a need to volunteer in your community,” she recalled. “So I thought of him (Carl). I came to him and his roommate at that time about ringing the bell, and they were very receptive to that idea. I talked to their families and the people from S.T.E.P., and they all agreed that this would be a good thing for them to do.”

This year, Carl recruited his current roomate, Eulogio, to ring bells for a two-hour shift, all the time smiling and spreading some holiday cheer to all of those who walked by their red kettle.

“You can tell when they’re happy,” Cottle said. “Even though they can’t use words as much, they can get their feelings across.”

And the donors appreciated their hard work.

“I wanted to come by and say hello to them,” said Theresa, who came with her daughter to donate to the kettle. “It means more to me to see them, with their challenges, volunteering their time. It was great to see (them).”

Cottle said Carl and Eulogio may ring the bell again before the end of this Christmas season. But, without a doubt, they will be back ringing next year.

“We’ve talked about it,” Cottle said. Then turning to Carl and Eulogio, she asked, “Are we coming back again?”

“Sure,” Eulogio said … with a smile.