Miller Elementary School students were in for a big surprise last Wednesday when Operation School Bell paid them a visit.
Operation School Bell is an event hosted by the Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan. In existence since 1995, and having served more than 20,000 local children so far, Operation School Bell sets up racks and tables in school buildings and allows each student to shop.
The league came in and transformed the school’s gymnasium into a shopping center with racks of clothing.
With the help of a volunteer personal shopper, every student in the third grade and above was able to choose a coat, mittens, two shirts, a package of underwear, a package of socks, a bag of toiletry items and a duffle bag to put everything in. All of the items are newly purchased by the league shoppers. Total price for all the goods? Free.
Among the event’s “celebrity” shoppers were Supt. Glenn Maleyko of Dearborn Public Schools and Dearborn City Councilman David Bazzy.
“We start shopping after Christmas,” said Carol Murphy, philanthropic vice president of the Southeastern Michigan Assistance League. “We get all the sales and super sale racks. We stock up on everything and some stores give us discounts.
“We have about 300 members and we’re masters at deals.”
The students beamed with smiles as they tried on clothes and made their choices. Volunteers held up mirrors to help them decide. Students walked hand-in-hand with their personal shopper.
Miller Elementary was chosen because about 95 percent of the students receive free or reduced lunches.
“The principal told us that a lot of the children are refugees with no household income,” Murphy said.
The Assistance League purchases the items with funds they raise in a variety of ways.
“We have a resale shop in downtown Rochester,” she said. “We apply for grants, people donate, and we have our Mistletoe Marketplace fundraiser.
“The coats we order in January and they come in August from overseas.”
The volunteer personal shoppers included Assistance League members, teachers, husbands of teachers, Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority, Yellow Pages and GM Accounting workers and more.
“They want to come back every year,” said Murphy of her volunteers.
The Assistance League donates to about 1,000 students in each metropolitan Detroit county.
“We are very fortunate that we were chosen,” Miller Elementary School Principal Radewin Awada said. “The Assistance League really makes a difference in the lives of children.”
Marjorie DiLiddo, president of the ALSM, said back-to-school clothing can be unaffordable for many families. “We try to ease that burden by meeting some basic needs and providing warm coats before it gets cold,” DiLiddo said.“Children are able to choose new clothing and they are assisted by personal shoppers to help them find the right size and make good selections.”
Violet Cholakian, who has volunteered at many Operation School Bell programs, said the necessities contribute to the overall success and well-being of the children. “It goes way beyond the clothes,” Cholakian said. “We are trying to meet basic needs and boost self-esteem. All children should have their own toothbrush, a warm winter coat, hats and gloves to protect them from the elements, and a book to read at home, for example. These simple things that we often take for granted are very important to a child.”
While elementary children shop at their schools, middle-school children get vouchers and personal shoppers to guide them at local Kohl’s and JC Penney stores. Each student has $100 to spend and they are allowed to choose items for school. More than 400 students in the tri-county area are taking part in these store shopping events.
The Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan, which serves Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization with the purpose of clothing, feeding, educating and comforting children and adults through community-based programs.
To find out more, visit semich.AssistanceLeague.org. To reach the ReSale Connection, call 1-248-656-0414.
