The California Brewers Festival benefits Assistance League® of Sacramento’s Operation School Bell®:
"With the help of Point West Rotary, Assistance League of Sacramento is able to fulfill its vital mission of providing school clothing and uniforms to children in need. Annually, the lives of over 3,000 children in the Greater Sacramento area are are made better because they have proper clothing, shoes, and backpacks to attend school. Assistance League values the opportunity to partner with Point West Rotary on this fun-filled event that touches so many lives."
Imagine what it would feel like to go to school on a cold winter morning in a tattered tee shirt and shoes that you outgrew a year ago. The cold numbs the brain and, coupled with the embarrassment, you are unable to function. Other students tease you and make disparaging remarks.
Operation School Bell, a project of Assistance League of Sacramento, which is a chapter of National Assistance League®, addresses this pressing need for new school clothing. This project was initiated in Sacramento in 1995. Almost 4,000 children have been clothed this past school year by this program, and the demand outpaces the ability to fill the requests. School personnel indicate that the children who have received this school clothing have improved attendance, fewer discipline problems, a greater feeling of self worth, and a better chance for a successful educational experience. As one principal in the Folsom-Cordova school says, " For many of the children, the only clothes they own are the uniforms provided. Each time we put a student into a new uniform, the smile and the proud prance as they leave the office tell me it is a very valuable service that you allow us to provide."
Currently, the Operation School Bell program serves 34 schools in four school districts: San Juan, Sacramento City, Folsom-Cordova and Washington Unified School District in West Sacramento. The schools selected have at least 50% of their families at or below the poverty level. The schools identify the students and refer their needs to the Assistance League. Most are schools requiring uniforms. Uniforms are packaged and delivered to the school for distribution. Operation School Bell provides new pants, two shirts, a shoe voucher, a backpack, a hygiene kit and a sweatshirt when requested. If the school does not require uniforms, an Assistance League member meets the child and parent to shop for the essential clothing. The average cost of outfitting a student is $85-100 per child.
In addition to the clothing, in 2004 a school literacy program was developed as part of Operation School Bell to help promote literacy. In response to schools’ requests, books and book bags are provided which the children may take home to share with their families. The newest commitment is to regular classroom reading events. 33 schools were provided with 6,000 books in the last school year.
Operation School Bell is one of nine programs that Assistance League volunteers administer and staff, meeting a variety of community needs in the greater Sacramento area. Some of the current projects, in addition to Operation School Bell, are Kids on the Block™, a puppet show that deals with current social issues like bullying and autism; History in a Trunk, a program detailing life in the 1880’s and early 1990s coordinating with the 4th grade study of California history; Senior Friendship, giving seniors an opportunity to make items for others in need; Clothes for Careers, outfitting disadvantaged women for interviews in the work place; Bears, cuddly bears given to children who have experienced trauma; Eyes Right Vision Screening, preschool vision screening for Amblyopia; and the Governor's Mansion Docent Program, tours and activities in the Governor’s Mansion.
In the last fiscal year, 200+ dedicated member volunteers, in addition to over 150 community volunteers, generously served over 57,000 hours and touched the lives of more than 18,000 through the Assistance League's philanthropic programs.
The majority of funding for these programs comes from the Assistance League Thrift Shop, Second Season, located just west of the corner of El Camino Avenue and Watt Avenue at 2528 Yorktown Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95821. This clean, attractive shop makes shopping and working positive experiences. This shop, as well as all Assistance League programs, is 100% staffed and managed by volunteers. Donations of gently used items are welcomed.
For more information, check out our website at http://sacramento.assistanceleague.org.
