Operation School Bell®
– Clothing the Children
Elementary students, grades TK – 5, visit our store and, with the help of their “personal shopper”, select new clothing, including jacket, socks and underwear. They also receive a shoe voucher and at least one new book. Their smiles as they leave are as big as the bags they are carrying!
Birthday Bags
How can you make a child feel very special on their birthday when they are in a shelter? With a Party in a Bag! Our members create a Birthday Bag that has all the essentials for a party for children celebrating a birthday while they are living at Tri-Valley Haven, a local shelter.
Books of My Own
We encourages literacy by partnering with elementary school classroom teachers in the Tri-Valley . We purchase books that teachers choose to use in their classroom. Afterwards, each child gets to bring home and keep a copy of the book and thus a “book of my own.”
Caring for the Retired and Elderly
Our members can be found at the Pleasanton Nursing & Rehabilitation Center or Pleasanton Senior Center, organizing and leading social activities, serving lunch, or managing the magazine library. In addition, we participate in Book Buddies where members and seniors are paired up with second graders from local elementary school children for reading sessions.
Food for Families
We partner with the Tri-Valley Food Pantry by making bi-weekly food contributions. The Pantry distributes free groceries to more than 2,000 low-income Tri-Valley residents each month.
Foster Kids
Our chapter supplies reading books for foster children to select, read aloud with their birth parents and take home to keep.
Screening Eyes Early
According to the National Eye Institute, approximately 2 to 3 out of every 100 children have “lazy eye” (or other visual acuity deficiencies). Our trained members screen approximately 600 Tri-Valley preschools for vision acuity. Between 5-15 children are referred for further testing by a professional.