Community Outreach - Philanthropic Programs
Operation School Bell®
 Operation School Bell is the flagship Philanthropic Program of National Assistance League®. Children in need are identified by their counselors and are provided new clothing. Assistance League of San Antonio started dressing children, grades Kindergarten through 5th, in 1991. Over 80 volunteers sign up to work in this program each year. We "dress" three to four days a week with a maximum of 30 children per day.
During the 2009-2010 school year, 2,877 children through Operation School Bell were dressed in 111 elementary Title 1 schools. Included in that number are 300 students dressed through emergency need. Uniform vouchers were issued to 1,158 students.There were 200 holiday Payless shoes vouchers given to students. Through our Teacher's Grants program, 249 children were touched by our grants. A total of 4,484 children were served by  Operation School Bell in Title 1 schools in 9 San Antonio area school districts. Our Operation School Bell "store" is located at 2611 West Avenue adjacent to our Thrift House. Children are transported by school district buses.
 Upon arriving at Operation School Bell, the children are greeted by our volunteers. While waiting their turn,the children will be shown a safety film, "RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT" which includes "stranger danger" information. Each child will receive two new outfits, a new coat, hygiene kit, socks, underwear, school box, and a $15 Payless shoe voucher. Grades K-2 receive coloring books and crayons; grades3-5 receive a dictionary.
The Assistance League of San Antonio is proud of this opportunity to enhance the students' self-esteem and improve their school attendance by providing clothing to school children in the San Antonio area.
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Assistance League of San Antonio: Quick Facts |
- Largest active membership of Assistance League Chapters in the country
- Current membership - 491
- Located at 2611 West Avenue
- Touched the lives of over 65,000 members of the San Antonio community last year
- 100% of philanthropic work done by volunteers
- Last year’s volunteer hours - 66,000
- Major source of funds for philanthropic work - Thrift House at 2611 West Avenue
- Projects serviced through agencies, schools and organizations that verify needs of individuals
- Sponsors seven Philanthropic Programs:
- Adopt A Resident - gift of time and friendship to Chandler Nursing Home residents
- C.A.P.S. - donation of 950 caps last year to acutely ill children and teens in local hospitals
- College Scholarships - Twelve $2000 scholarships to qualifying juniors and seniors
- I'm In Charge - reaches over 6,000 elementary students with a program about personal safety
- Operation School Bell - provides school clothes for over 4,000 elementary children in need of clothing in order to attend school
- Togs for Tots - provides clothing for more than 5,600 children from birth to age five at the request of 27 community agencies
- Watch Me Grow - distributes over 20,000 booklets as a guide for parents about the developmental stages of their children
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