Re: “Home environment often impacts education,” Gloria Padilla, Other Views, Feb. 11:
The topic of this commentary is one that my organization has been addressing for 26 years. Assistance League of San Antonio is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit all-volunteer organization that has impacted the lives of Bexar County residents, mostly children, for more than 30 years. Operation School Bell® is one of our eight philanthropic programs.
The aim of this program is to provide school clothes to children in kindergarten through fifth grade. We have agreements with almost all school districts that allow us to provide clothing for children in Title I schools in these districts. Children are identified by school counselors and brought to our facility, where we have set up a small “store” for the children to “shop.” Aided by volunteers, who help the children on a one-on-one basis, the children select new clothing. They are given two outfits, (tops and bottoms) underwear, socks, a jacket, a personal hygiene kit, school supplies, a shoe voucher redeemable at a local shoe store, two books and a personal safety book. For schools that require uniforms, we provide vouchers that can be redeemed at a local uniform store.
These children return to their schools with huge smiles on their faces. Although the smiles give our volunteers a sense of how much we have impacted these children, we track this impact through surveys given to the school counselors. We have learned that 93 percent of the children exhibit a positive change in classroom behavior. And 100 percent show a positive or a significant change in confidence; and 93.3 percent show a significant improvement when engaging with their peers and/or in school activities.
Ms. Padilla is absolutely correct. Ensuring students’ success is much more than academics. Assistance beyond the classroom can give them the boost they need to learn and be successful in the classroom. Assistance League of San Antonio is proud to say that we understand this concept and are willing to work hard to make a difference in our community.
I am proud to say that Assistance League of San Antonio provided clothing to 7,413 children in the 2015-16 school year. We are on track to do the same in the 2016-17 school year. And, in addition to this program, we have a similar program that addresses the clothing needs of infants through prekindergarten in Bexar County.
Diane Branche is president of the Assistance League of San Antonio.
