Assistance League® of San Antonio

Community Outreach - Philanthropic Programs

Operation School Bell®

Operation School Bell is the flagship Philanthropic Program of National Assistance League®. Through this program, at-risk children who have been identified by their school counselors as being in need of clothing in order to attend school, are provided new school clothes. Assistance League of San Antonio started dressing children, grades Kindergarten through 5th, in 1991. Over 100 volunteers sign up to work in this program. We "dress" three to four days a week with a maximum of 30 children per day.

Operation School Bell in San Antonio dresses school students each school year, starting in late August and ending May 1. Twelve hundred fifty uniform vouchers are also distributed to the San Antonio Independent School District. In the year 2007, 3,989 children from nine school districts of the San Antonio area, had the fun of selecting new clothing at the Operation School Bell "store" which is located at 2611 West Avenue adjacent to our Thrift House. They are transported by school district buses.

When the children arrive at Operation School Bell, they are greeted by our volunteers. The Day Chairman explains to them what they will be shopping for that day. The children each receive two new outfits, a new coat, hygiene kit, six pair of underwear, six pair of socks, a $15 Payless shoe voucher, and a book selected specifically for each child at his or her reading level. All fifth graders receive a dictionary. The Assistance League of San Antonio is very 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 community.

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:
  1. Adopt A Resident - gift of time and friendship to Chandler Nursing Home residents
  2. C.A.P.S. - donation of 950 caps last year to acutely ill children and teens in local hospitals
  3. College Scholarships - Twelve $2000 scholarships to qualifying juniors and seniors
  4. I'm In Charge - reaches over 6,000 elementary students with a program about personal safety
  5. Operation School Bell - provides school clothes for over 4,000 elementary children in need of clothing in order to attend school
  6. Togs for Tots - provides clothing for more than 5,600 children from birth to age five at the request of 27 community agencies
  7. Watch Me Grow - distributes over 20,000 booklets as a guide for parents about the developmental stages of their children