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Assistance League® of Victor Valley member volunteers through their dedication, enthusiasm, flexibility, innovation, and resiliency have excelled at fulfilling our commitment to the Victor Valley community. Thanks to the determined efforts of our members, who logged more than 17,000 hours, and generous community support, we were able to fund all our philanthropic programs. We held a very successful “Sock it to ‘Em” mail campaign, continued to receive grant funds, held a wonderful Spring Fundraiser (Come Fly With Us to the Psychedelic 70’s), and continued to serve our customers in the Thrift Shop three days a week.

During the period June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, the Chapter accomplished the following (see descriptions of each program on our “What We Do” tab):

Operation School Bell®-We spent $173,942 on clothing and grooming kits.  We clothed 1,253 students during shopping events at Target and JCPenney’s.  We also fulfilled dozens of requests from schools for specific items such as coats, underwear, shoes, and sweats.  We clothed students from all eight school districts in the High Desert: Adelanto Unified, Hesperia Unified, Victor Elementary, Victor Union High School, Helendale, Oro Grande, Apple Valley Unified, and Lucerne Valley Unified; all 81 schools participated.  This brings our total since 1986 to over 36,000 students.  In addition, we purchased approximately $15,000 worth of food for the food pantries Apple Valley Unified School District, Victor Elementary School District, and Hesperia Unified School District.  It is estimated that 720 individuals were served based on items and quantities ordered and included breakfast, lunch, and snack items.   The Family Resource directors in each district were incredibly grateful for our assistance in providing for their families.

Literacy Awards-We purchased 4,590 books, valuing $8,856, to distributed to 18 schools in all eight high desert school districts. 1,863 students received two different grade-appropriate books each, and the rest of the books were given to the schools’ libraries and A Better Way.

Young Authors-We paid to bind 295 books for winning students from Snowline, (95) Apple Valley students (89), and Hesperia students (111).

Science, Technology Engineering & Math Awards-$800 awards were given to teachers who applied from Lucerne Valley Elementary, Vanguard Preparatory, Galileo Academy, Sycamore Rocks, Cobalt Institute for Math and Science, and Dr. Ralph H. Baker 21st Century Learning Center to purchase $5,392 worth of teaching materials/ supplies. We estimate that this will affect 3,610 students over the next three years.

Outreach-Spent $2,003, on three specific needs; an Apple Valley couple who lost their home and both cars in a house fire, clothing for a large family who had a house fire, and food was purchased for the Ruth and Naomi Project — a home which houses senior women.

Moving Forward-We partnered with Family Assistance Program. They maintain three houses and a drop-in center in the High Desert that are designed for 18–24-year-olds who are no longer in foster care, state custody, or left due to unsafe home conditions. This past year we provided $344 worth of household items and linens to support their programs.

Operation Hug-The committee continues to deliver large bags of bears to our three local hospitals (Providence St. Mary’s Medical Center, Desert Valley Hospital, and Victor Valley Global Medical Center) to be given to children suffering from physical or emotional trauma.  Approximately 600 bears were delivered this year.

Assault Survivor Kits®– We delivered 26 kits to Partners Against Violence that contained clothing and personal grooming items for victims of sexual assault when their clothing was retained as evidence in potential criminal investigations.

Pass It On!-This program was a tremendous success this year thanks in large part to the new partnerships formed with several non-profits in the Victor Valley.  Members made more than 55 deliveries re-donating $16,488 worth of merchandise that touched the lives of approximately 5,763 people.

Our Assisteens® Auxiliary was comprised of 22 Assisteens from many local schools and home school groups.  They logged a total of 529 hours of volunteer service during which they donated 23 sleeping bags and 25 duffle bags/backpacks filled with personal hygiene items to four different school districts, assembled 13 Easter baskets to donate to A Better Way, a domestic abuse and violence shelter.  In addition, they assembled over 1,000 hygiene kits in support of Operation School Bell, helped transfer all the priced merchandise from our storage container to the meeting room in support of the 2023 Holiday Sale, purchased and wrapped gifts for a local family at Christmas, volunteered at two events for American Medical Response’s Christmas Toy drive, and worked in the Thrift Shop when schedules allowed.

We have touched many lives, and I am grateful to be a part of this exceptional organization. We will strive to continue to make a difference in our community through our signature programs and are always looking for partners with whom we can work on new ones.

If you have a caring heart, time to give, and a desire to serve others, we invite you to join us as we work toward “Transforming Lives • Strengthening Community”.

For further information about joining Assistance League of Victor Valley, please contact Lisa Bentz, our Membership Chairman, at membership@assistanceleaguevv.org.

Sylvia Morrison, President