School Supplies Program – Assistance League

Northern Virginia – Hygiene Lessons

Veronika — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 22:08:39 +0000

Assistance League of Northern Virginia has provided toiletry items to students at selected elementary schools for many years. Since the pandemic, we have expanded that effort and provide toiletry kits to older students at several schools. The kits contain a hairbrush and comb, soap, shampoo, toothbrush & toothpaste, and deodorant. In January, our members packed about 300 toiletry kits that were delivered to 3 schools to be used as part of their Hygiene Curriculum. Two schools had instructors who could teach the needed lessons about the importance of good hygiene particularly during puberty. The third school needed an instructor. Luckily, one of our own marvelous members, Debbie D., a registered nurse, was willing and able to provide the instruction. She kept 170 fifth and sixth grade students interested and engaged in discussions about ‘good hygiene from head to toe,’ and used the items in the kit to illustrate her lessons. She presented various scenarios and asked the students which showed good or poor hygiene. Students also asked questions of their own. As the students returned to their classrooms, they were given their own hygiene kits to take home. We are incredibly grateful to Debbie for preparing such wonderful lessons for these students.

We know that both students and teachers appreciated the kits and the hygiene lessons. An instructor at a school that received toiletry kits last fall provided feedback recently on how important they were. She noted that the school offers hygiene instruction in connection with its Family Life Curriculum, which covers a range of topics including changes during puberty. She reported that having the toiletry kits to give to students was a double blessing. The kits helped relieve some of the students’ anxiety and also relieved parents of having to purchase those essential items. The teacher stated that Assistance League “has supported our students and families in so many amazing ways over the years and providing the hygiene packs is just one more generous donation that helps to support our students, so they are able to come to school every day feeling good and ready to learn.” Receiving such terrific feedback reinforces our members’ commitment to continue serving the most vulnerable in our community.

Boise – Operation School Supplies

Veronika — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 21:46:48 +0000

Operation School Supplies provides supplies to about 12,000 elementary and middle school children to help them with the start of the school year. Click here to watch the coverage of Operation School Supplies on Boise’s local KTVB Channel 7.

Metro Columbus – Assistance League Provides School Supplies to Children

tech11 — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 19:33:30 +0000

Assistance League of Metro Columbus chose to provide 60 school aged children from the Riverview International Center with kits of school supplies, health and hygiene items, an energy bar, two oranges and a little candy.

Eight members gathered at the office on Feb. 22 to pack the items and one member delivered them, along with 60 children’s books. Due to the Pandemic health restrictions, members were unable to view the excitement and smiles the children exhibited.

Riverview International Center empowers our New American neighbors by supporting individuals, strengthening families, and nurturing community. At the Riverview International Center, individuals receive assistance with the basic needs of new Americans in the Riverview Drive neighborhood. Their office is a place where people can walk in and get help with any question they may have about navigating life in America. The goal is to be a flexible and community oriented resource for whoever comes through our door. Some of the services the Center provides are English Classes, Employment Services, Computer Literacy, Citizenship Assistance, Legal Clinic, Sewing Class, Homework & Reading Help.

The Worthington and Clintonville Spotlight weekly papers did an interview and article for their next week paper.

Fullerton – Assistance League Of Fullerton Receives 350 Headsets For Local School Children To Complete Part Ii Of A $7,700 Grant Received From Ocean Subaru Of Fullerton And Women’s Club Of Fullerton

tech11 — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 20:08:42 +0000

Assistance League of Fullerton is the grateful recipient of Part II of a $7,700 grant from the Women’s Club of Fullerton (WCOF) courtesy of Ocean Subaru of Fullerton. An earlier contribution of $3,000 (Part I) supported Assistance League’s Operation New Start program for adults and children leaving abusive environments or who are homeless. Part II of the grant, valued at $3,700, funded the purchase of 350 headsets for children at Commonwealth Elementary School in Fullerton as part of Assistance League’s Operation School Bell® program. Operation School Bell funds school clothing and supplies for children and high school youth in need at 5 local school districts. In 2019-20 school year, Assistance League disbursed $150,566 worth of school clothing and school supplies to 1583 children and young adults in the neighboring school districts of Buena Park, Fullerton Elementary, Fullerton Joint Union High School, La Habra, and Placentia/Yorba Linda.
>
> Following receipt of the headsets, Assistance League officers Susan Schilling, Helen Cohen, and Ellie Westenhaver joined Mary Torres WCOF President and Michelle Valenzuela from Ocean Subaru of Fullerton to deliver the headsets. Principal Anita Lomeli and Social Service Assistant Lizbeth Trujillo were very appreciative and excited to receive the headsets for the students’ distance learning and in class learning, particularly during this difficult time.
>
> Assistance League has looked to new, inventive ways to assist school children in need through its trademark program Operation School Bell. During these COVID times, when learning online is the new normal, this is one example. Assistance League of Fullerton® is an 80-year old non-profit organization staffed entirely by volunteers and serving the communities of Fullerton, Brea, Buena Park, La Habra, Placentia and Yorba Linda. The mission of Assistance League® is to transform the lives of children and adults in need through community programs.

Los Gatos – Prepares Distance Learning Materials

tempadmin — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 04:13:24 +0000

Lynette Key, a volunteer from Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga, assembles STEM kits for students in the Campbell Union School District to use with their distance learning curriculum. While the chapter’s projects have traditionally supported classroom learning, the district asked the organization to pivot to help support online instruction.

Students in the Campbell Union School District were gifted this month with STEM kits for them to use in their distance learning this fall.

Volunteers from Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga took two months to assemble 34,000 STEM kits for K-5 students in the district to perform five science experiments at home in conjunction with the district’s Mystery Science curriculum. Topics range from how leaves change color to differences in bird beaks, and from the friction and pattern of motion to the structure and function of the human eye.

The chpater also assembled 1,500 art and writing kits for kindergarteners through second-graders. These kits include a journal for students to write about their shelter-in-place experiences, a book about “Why We Stay Home during COVID-19” and art supplies.

Assembling these kits represents a major shift in program presentation for Assistance League, whose projects have traditionally supported classroom learning. At the request of Campbell Union School District, the chapter mobilized volunteers to support online instruction.

Carlsbad – Adjusts School Supply Delivery for COVID

tempadmin — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 05:33:59 +0000

Volunteers deliver the prepackaged school clothes outside Assistance League in Carlsbad. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic Assistance League has switched to a pickup service rather than allowing students to pick and choose what they need for school this year.

Jocelyn Agagee takes out a prepackaged set of school clothes at the Assistance League in Carlsbad.

Boise – Operation School Supplies

tempadmin — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 05:27:18 +0000

Assistance League of Boise is one step closer to donating much-needed school supplies to almost 100 Ada County Schools. On Thursday, the organization received truckloads of school supplies from Fred Meyer in Garden City. Around 15,000 students in need will benefit from the supply drive.

“If you think when you were a child, you always went to school and you had new stuff, and it always made you feel like you belonged and you were ready to learn,” said Susan Oliver from the Assistance League of Boise. “And so the schools have asked us over the years to have children, or help us have children, ready for school and there’s a lot of people who can’t afford that.”

Since 1989, the Assistance League of Boise’s Operation School Supplies has worked every year with school districts to provide hundreds of thousands of students with supplies.

The donated supplies will be picked up by school coordinators starting on August 11, so everything is in place for the first day of school. Supplies will be taken directly to campuses and distributed to students throughout the year by teachers and counselors. Funding for Operation School Supplies comes from community donations, private contributions, grants and proceeds from the Assistance League Thrift Shop in Garden City.

Assistance League of Boise’s 2020 School Supply Donations, By the Numbers
** Figures Approximate **

105,000 crayons
77,000 colored pencils
26,000 pencils
24,000 binders and notebooks
23,000 markers
14,000 glue bottles and glue sticks
13,500 folders and dividers
10,000 pens
7,000 pencil boxes and zipper bags
5,000 earbuds
5,000 pairs of scissors
5,000 erasers
3,000 reams of paper
2,600 protractors, compasses and rulers
2,300 sets of watercolor paints

View the video.

Southeastern Michigan – Provides Backpacks with School Supplies

tempadmin — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 05:08:50 +0000

Assistance League partners with Neighborhood House and Ascension Providence Rochester to provide new backpacks full of school supplies for area children. Last year, the nonprofits distributed supplies to 488 students in the Rochester area.

“We recognize that many people feel safer at home, so donors can now place an order on Amazon and have the school supplies delivered directly to us,” Kathy Losinski, executive director of Neighborhood House, said. “The pandemic has added many challenges to our neighbors in need. We have been focusing on supplying food in the last five months, but with school starting there will be new challenges, and new school supplies are one of things we can provide.”

Assistance League also holds its own school supply distribution each year called Operation School Bell^®. Kids receive socks, a new uniform shirt and hoodie, underwear, a book and a hygiene kit at the event. Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital is providing free physicals for students.

Los Altos – Gives Back to Sunnyvale District Schools

tempadmin — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 12:52:35 +0000

This school year, Assistance League of Los Altos provided over $33,000 worth of goods and services to five schools in the Sunnyvale School District. The nonprofit worked with the schools to find out what they needed and provided a variety of school supplies including 350 Spanish books for the San Miguel School library; 1,400 classroom theme books for Bishop, Columbia Middle and Lakewood schools; upgraded the PE Equipment for the PE Programs at Bishop, Columbia Middle and San Miguel; new uniforms for Vargas students and established a Food Pantry in the social worker’s office, providing healthy snacks twice a month for San Miguel students.

Assistance League of Los Altos is an all-volunteer, nonprofit, nonsectarian service organization that puts caring and commitment into action through programs in Santa Clara County. The Los Altos chapter is one of 120 chapters in the nation. Its philosophy is to help people directly by providing goods and services to people in need. Assistance League’s signature program is called Operation School Bell^®.

This program provides services such as clothing, hygiene supplies, literacy, school supplies and hunger relief to school-age children. Assistance League’s two other major programs are under two umbrellas called Community Needs and Scholarships. This year, Los Altos began its Scholarship Program at Bishop and San Miguel, allocating $5,000 scholarships to each school for the 5th grade Science Camp Program.

“We believe every student should have the opportunity to experience firsthand a weeklong camp with their fellow students away from home in a safe outdoor setting,” said Grace Pedersen, Vice President of Programs of Assistance League of Los Altos.

Last school year was Assistance League of Los Altos first year working with the Sunnyvale School District, with Lakewood and Vargas Elementary Schools being the first two schools the nonprofit connected with. Under the Operation School Bell program, Assistance League of Los Altos donated 10 iPads to Lakewood and 840 classroom books focusing on the school’s Culturally Relevant theme. Uniforms were donated to the Vargas Uniform Closet for a total amount of $16,120 in supplies for both schools.

“Our members are excited to order goods, sort supplies and deliver goods to the students,” Pedersen added. “We receive overwhelming support from all school staff and students when we deliver the school supplies. Everyone at the District makes us feel at home. We look forward to working together with all of you for many years to come.”

Riverside – Offers Programs to Children in Need

tempadmin — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 22:45:02 +0000

Assistance League of Riverside members pack bags for the nonprofit’s Snack Attack program. (Photo courtesy of the Assistance League of Riverside)

Local children get a little help when Assistance League of Riverside is involved.

The Riverside nonprofit encourages the community to help children by shopping for their holiday decorations and gifts at the Holiday Magic Boutique.

Assistance League of Riverside is an all-volunteer organization of 250 members who help feed, clothe and educate local children at risk. The organization offers programs that help with many needs.

The organization’s Snack Attack program delivers 1,000 bags of healthy snacks weekly to elementary school students who are homeless, from low-income homes and who experience hunger over the weekend. Children in need are identified by their teachers. Volunteers then pack and deliver bags of nutritious snacks to 14 elementary schools on Fridays.

“We’re told there are children who rush to the office because they know what they are getting,” Gayle McThomas, the organization’s board president said. “It’s a little different from how many of us are used to being called to the office.”

Last year, the organization served over 31,500 snack bags.

Another of the organization’s programs, Operation School Bell^®, provides school supplies, a backpack, shoes and clothing for children who are in need and have been referred by the school district. From the middle of September into November, elementary students are invited to shop for clothing at the Assistance League Chapter House. There they are able choose clothes that fit and that suit their tastes.

“We ask that the parents are available in the waiting room, but we want the children to have the experience of picking their own clothes,” McThomas said. “In that short time, you can see such a difference in the kids. They leave with their backpack and a smile.”

There is also a program for teens. Youth shop at JC Penney and select approximately $150 of clothing and shoes.

Throughout the year, the organization’s main source of income is their thrift shop at 3707 Sunnyside Drive in Riverside, which was recently remodeled. Assistance League of Riverside prides itself on the quality of items in their shop.

Recently, the shop opened its Holiday Magic Boutique, where customers can find holiday themed items and decorations. Items in the shop are constantly changing, so shoppers are encouraged to return.

“The Boutique is a lot of fun. People arrive in good spirits and leave happy because they have found something for themselves and things they can give as gifts,” McThomas said. “Some items are brand new and still in the packages.”

The shop is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and from from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Proceeds from the Thrift Shop support Assistance League of Riverside programs and the organization also depends on donations and grants. Recently, the organization received a grant from the Irene S. Rockwell Fund through The Community Foundation. They are currently running an annual giving campaign and welcome support from the community.

Assistance League of Riverside invites local residents to consider joining and helping with the work they do in the community. There are no requirements outside of dues and members are welcome to volunteer at the Thrift Shop or for programs as much or as little as they would like.

“A lot of our folks are retired and may have been in education and I think a lot of them have seen what we have done over the years and want to help,” said McThomas. “And volunteering keeps people young. We’ve got a fountain of youth here!”

More information: http://www.assistanceleagueriverside.org/ or 951-682-3445