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Transforming Lives • Strengthening Community

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Assistance League in the Community

Sharing Our Community Spirit

Assistance League chapters across the nation love to show their spirit to their community.

One of the key ways is by participating in parades and other community events. Everyone loves a parade and there is nothing greater than a parade to whip up the spirit and love we feel for the children and adults we serve.  With spring and summer being the prime season for parades, here is what a few of our chapters do.

Assistance League of Greater Wilmington participates in the Annual Azalea Festival Parade.  This is a weekend event with garden tours, historic home tours, garden receptions, southern belles, beautiful azaleas, arts and music events and, of course, the two-hour parade with lots of floats and onlookers.  They love it when the children along the mile route scream “Mom look…there are the puppets that performed at our school!”  or “Those are the kind ladies who gave us our new uniforms and books!”  They are getting recognized for their Philanthropic Programs and their Thrift Shop.  They have come a long way in only 10 years since being chartered.

Assistance League of Orange has a 78-year history of service to the City of Orange and recently participated in the City of Orange May Parade. The May Parade was revitalized after a 28-year hiatus. Members of Chapter, Orange Blossoms Auxiliary and Assisteens® Auxiliary worked together to represent the organization, walking and riding in vintage automobiles; the Assisteens wore vintage clothing, circa 1920s to 1960s from their auxiliary trove.

During the ten days of Fiesta in San Antonio, the San Antonio chapter participates in community events such as the Pilgrimage to the Alamo which is organized by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.  They march in silence to the Alamo and provide a floral commemoration in the Battle of Flowers Parade organized by the Battle of Flowers organization.  Participating in the Antique Car category this year, they won 1st place for their tribute to Monarch Butterflies.

According to Assistance League of Huntington Beach, the 4th of July Parade is their favorite of all PR events. The Huntington Beach 4th of July parade is the largest parade west of the Mississippi and is seen by over 500,000 people lined up on Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street. They have participated in the parade since 2013, have been featured on ABC and on the local Huntington Beach station – Channel 3. The feedback from the crowd is amazing as the community shows their thanks for what Assistance League does. There is no greater feeling than being recognized and cheered on by people in the crowd. A fun fact: They originally participated in the parade in the 60’s.

Watch for your local chapter in a parade near you this summer.

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FORM A CHAPTER

1.6

million people served

$57.9

million dollars returned to local communities

3.5

million hours of volunteer service

News from our Chapters

10 Aug

On August 7, Assistance League of Las Vegas was recognized as the Las Vegas City Council’s “Citizen of the Month” for August during a ceremony at City Hall.  Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Councilman Brian Knudsen presented the award to President Liz Gibson and a group of 30 members.  The ceremony included a showing of a short […]

30 Jul

As one of her fellow volunteers said, Judy Ebach is the wheel that makes everything run at the Assistance League of Pueblo. Ebach has been volunteering at Assistance League since 1992, when her youngest daughter was going to be a senior in high school and her two other children had gone off to college. “A […]

10 Jul

After five days of voting and more than 46,000 votes cast statewide, the NV Energy Foundation on July 2 announced the winners of its fourth Power of Good Giveaway. According to a news release from NV Energy, more than 85 nonprofits that help people ages 12 to 24 through diverse and inclusive programs applied for […]

18 Jun

Since 2013, the nonprofit Assistance League of Santa Barbara has given 40 scholarships to Santa Barbara County students representing more than $115,000. Students apply through the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, which selects qualified students based on academic grades and outstanding community service. Each year the scholarship committee honors current recipients with a reception that […]

Assisteens® Spotlight

HISTORY OF ASSISTEENS®

Assisteens is the youth auxiliary of Assistance League chapters.  Assisteens provides volunteer opportunities for young people in grades 7 through 12.  The goals are to develop a sense of community responsibility, self-reliance, personal responsibility, poise, public speaking, leadership skills and to support the chapter.  Assisteens raise money in a variety of ways to fund ongoing Assistance League and Assisteens philanthropic programs that benefit their community.

Assistance League was founded in 1919 by Anne (Mrs. Hancock) Banning and her friends, based on an informal charity in Los Angeles started in about 1894.  In the 1890s, social events raised money for local charitable giving. Assistance League, with Anne Banning and Ada Edwards (Mrs. Homer II) Laughlin and friends, provided money and clothing for the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire victims.  When the war started in Europe in 1914, Anne and her friends worked for the Red Cross and, in 1917, set up the Red Cross Shop that raised $150,000 in one year.  After the war ended in 1918, the ladies wanted to continue working together, helping people in need.

In 1919, Assistance League was formally organized, with Good Samaritan providing aid to returning veterans and their families and the Film Location Bureau raising the needed funds by renting private properties to movie companies.  Founding members were prominent women of Los Angeles of all faiths and political views.  In 1923, Assistance League moved to DeLongpre Avenue in Hollywood where the campus of Founder Chapter (Assistance League of Southern California) remains today. The motto was “All For Service and Service For All.”  Anne Banning felt that women worked best in like-minded groups, so auxiliaries were formed.  Day Nursery was added in 1924, followed by Girls’ Club, Theatre for Children, Toy Loan and Boys’ Club. Junior Auxiliary was formed in 1929 for post-college-aged young women.

Read the full history of Assisteens.

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