The participating teens were: Kendall Ross, Griffin Ross, Kate Twombly, Rebecca Twombly, Mariah Cortez, Issi Paul, Harlow Mares, Hayden Lichtman, Gianna Chaput and Emme Martins.

Great job, teens!

https://youtu.be/H0MRIvBQHFg

According to a press release from the organization, Assistance League appreciates the generous support of many benefactors.

“Financial donors, contributors of items to resell at our Assistance League Thrift Shop, and school personnel referring families in need of our services all help us provide for children in need prepare to succeed in school,” Jean Maley, of the Assistance League of Chaves County, said in an email.

“All students referred to us receive all their items just as in the past,” she said. “But due to COVID-19 and the safety of not only our member volunteers but also our children we serve, we approach dressing a little differently this year. Through specially designed Fitter Forms, we attempt to dress children by assembling their items ahead of time and having the families come by the Assistance League chapter house simply to pick up their filled bags at appointed times.”

Operation School Bell Chair Dianna Dosher, pictured, and her committee prepare individual bags of new items for drive-by pick up at the Assistance League of Chaves County chapter house.

Assisteens teen members of Assistance League of Tustin are actively writing letters of encouragement for people at mental health facilities on the Solely Sunshine website (www.solelysunshine.com).  All messages are required to be unique and longer than three sentences. The Assisteens are adding art to the letters as well.

Assistance League of Tustin is honored to have each of our 216 Assisteens members and pleased that the Assisteens Governing Body voted to include this letter writing campaign as one of their philanthropies.  The Assisteens want to support their fellow member and further Natalie’s vision to assist people around the world.

Kristin Berry, Assisteens Adopt a Family Chair, left, Mark Chavez, Director, LBUSD Nutrition Services Branch, center, and Lieling Hwang, Assistant Director, LBUSD Nutrition Services Branch are ready to distribute food.

On May 29, a long-term community effort came to fruition as the Assisteens^® Auxiliary of Assistance League of Long Beach distributed nearly 2,000 meal packets at Washington Middle School. The food was given to LBUSD students who receive to-go meal bags through the district’s free meal service program.

An additional 3,150 meal packets were distributed at all of the other LBUSD meal service program sites on June 10. A total of 5,000 meal packets were given out, each with enough rice and beans to feed two people.

This donation marked the launch of Assisteens’ Adopt a Family Student Food Program. According to Assisteens coordinator Karen Sprague, Assistance League of Long Beach has been exploring opportunities to add a food program to its signature philanthropic program, Operation School Bell^®. Inspired by the ideas of Assisteen Adopt a Family program mentor Shelly Barbre, Assisteens leaders organized a large-scale fund-raising effort to finance the project. Teen Kristin Berry, Chair of the Assisteens Adopt a Family Program, was integral to the entire event cycle.

“Because my role began last spring,” Berry said, “I got to start at the beginning and help plan the project and then see it through to completion, with the assembly and distribution of meal packets.”

Sprague said that between June and November 2019, Assisteens members invited family, friends, Assistance League members, and LBUSD partners to make financial donations. The teens raised a total of $10,000 to support the philanthropic pilot project. With their funding in place, the Assisteens organized a Feb. 8 meal creation event with Generosity Foods.

More than 150 Assistance League and LBUSD volunteers gathered to measure ingredients and assemble packets. Along with 69 Assisteens, the crew of volunteers included Assistance League President Penny Wilds, LBUSD Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser, and LBUSD Deputy Superintendent of Schools (soon to be superintendent) Dr. Jill Baker.

“It was powerful to see so many people come together from all parts of Assistance League and LBUSD and put together meal packets for the greater good of the community,” Mina Matta, chair of the Assisteens Auxiliary, said. “We had representatives from Chapter, Rick Rackers, Las Hermanas, CAMEO, Assisteens and staff, and our Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent were even there.”

Sprague said the program was a successful partnership between Assisteens and LBUSD. She noted that Dr. Baker personally invited Kristin and Mina to join the planning meeting and said Baker “enthusiastically offered them her encouragement and full support of Assisteens’ new food program.”

Mark Chavez, Director Nutrition Services Branch of LBUSD, expressed his gratitude for the donation and showed pride in the fact that it was coordinated by LBUSD teens.

“This project was envisioned by our very own high school students and they developed a plan of action resulting in producing 10,000 meals available for other food insecure youth and their families in Long Beach,” Chavez said. “This is another great example of how the district, students, and volunteers can come together to care for their hometown and exercise positive community service. Families that received these Assisteens’ meals were pleasantly surprised and grateful to receive additional food during a time of great uncertainty.”

Assisteens run their monthly meetings with the guidance of adult coordinators while developing personal responsibility and leadership skills. Some activities this year included making sack lunches for Interfaith and collecting food and socks for their clients; providing a Harvest Festival for Interfaith families; making blankets for seniors at Palomar Health; hygiene kit gift bags for Palomar Behavioral Health patients; and dog toys and blankets for the San Diego Humane Society´s Escondido Campus. 

In addition, students work in the Assistance League Thrift Shop and help students in need getting new clothes and shoes from Operation School Bell^®.

Assistance League of Coppell is starting up Assisteens^®, an auxiliary chapter of the group that will be open to teens in grades 7-12.

Debbie Hinson, vice president of membership, said the philanthropic program is well established in assistance leagues across the country, and Assistance League Coppell felt like it was time to join in.

“Coppell continues to grow, and our student body is getting bigger, and it just seemed like the right time start a new group,” Hinson said. “… It would be a great way to bring our community together.”

Hinson said Assisteens will be led by the teens themselves, and they will be able to make the decision on what volunteer opportunities they would like to take part in such as spending time at the school district or helping keep the city clean.

Assistance League members will be there to mentor and give advice as needed, but the hope is the teens will be able to come up with some ideas that are implementable, she said.

“It’s an opportunity for students to get involved and give back to the community,” Hinson said.

The group hosts an annual Christmas home tour, which is one of its largest fundraisers. Hinson said the young volunteers can be a help to the program by hosting guests and giving tours.

Assistance League will host an information meeting at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Cozby Library and Community Commons for those who want to learn more and sign up to volunteer. Hinson said the goal is for Assisteens to meet every month to determine where they want to volunteer and how many hours they want to spend on the projects.

They have started a program with schools in the Anaheim and Magnolia school districts to offer free tutoring on Saturdays at the Assistance league office and on campuses.  They also have created a library in the office from more than 500 donated books. They have organized social events with at-risk kids and provided help when needed, cooking and providing clothes for the homeless and much more.