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Assistance League Santa Clarita
A Chapter of National Assistance League®
Annual Report to the Community
August
2013
Thank you to our current partners:
Woodward, Inc.
*
SGL Technic, Inc. *
Vance Wealth Group
Teague Communications *
Paul A. Levine, M.D.
Message from the President
Assistance League Santa Clarita
continues to inspire, excite and make
me proud! At almost every monthly
meeting, I have met one or two
guests who soon become members.
I am sure they see what I see, a
group of friendly, energetic and
determined women doing what they
love, volunteering to improve their
community.
Our members give countless
volunteer hours to make sure that all
our fundraisers and programs are
well supported.
Our main fundraiser, Assistance
League Resale, set a challenging
goal for the fiscal year ending May
31, 2013. Not only was it met, but it
was surpassed with net sales of over
$200,000!
The number of students receiving
new school clothes from our
signature program, Operation School
Bell®, continually increases each
year. We strive to give back as much
as we can to the community.
A new committee was formed this
year to better acknowledge our
community donors and keep them
informed about our activities, our
successes and our growth. This
committee will actively seek vital
partnerships with businesses and
individuals who share the goals and
values of Assistance League: to
make a difference in the lives of
families in our community.
Providing Hands-on Philanthropic Programs to Santa Clarita Residents
Thanks to the fundraising efforts
of Assistance League Santa Clarita,
philanthropic programs continue to
thrive and assist many people in the
community.
During the 2012-13
fiscal year, over $175,000 was spent
on philanthropic programs, which
directly impacted the lives of 3,163
members of the community.
Our signature program, Operation
School Bell, provided clothes and
shoes to 2,050 students with a 50%
increase in the number of junior high
students served.
Our newest program, Board
Buddies, served 90 students at
Newhall Elementary, where member
volunteers spent an hour a month
playing board games with students in
the after-school program.
Teddy Bear Patrol provided
comforting teddy bears to 300
children experiencing a traumatic
event via our local fire departments,
em er gency r oom s, police
departments, and social service
organizations.
Two hundred residents at the
Santa Clarita Convalescent Center
were provided monthly home-cooked
meals in a festive atmosphere, along
with birthday and holiday gifts.
Through our Emergency
Community Assistance Program, 23
people were provided assistance
with clothing, food, and necessities to
help get through challenging
situations.
Lastly, Assistance League Santa
Clarita worked with community junior
high schools to provide muchneeded supplies to students, such as
notebooks, backpacks, pens, and
pencils.
Sheet music for music
programs and supplies for home
economics were also provided to the
schools to help keep these important
programs running smoothly.
Each of these programs is
developed and supported by local
A ssi st a n c e L e a g u e m em b e r
volunteers, who strive to ensure that
fundraising dollars are providing
quality programs to residents in need
of a helping hand in the Santa Clarita
Valley.
Using Health and Happiness to Fund Programs
A s si st a n c e L e a g u e ’ s t w o
fundraising events were a success
again this year.
Sunset in the
Vineyard, which occurs in November,
raised over $25,000 to support
Assistance League’s philanthropic
programs.
This event, held at the lovely Compa
Vineyard in Newhall has a sold out
attendance of about 350 people. It is
a celebration of local wine growers
and makers and includes music, hors
d’oeuvres, wine tasting, picturesque
landscape and more!
Sunset in the Vineyard highlights
about 16 vintners who love to share
their passion for wine. This past fall,
brewmeisters were added along with
a chocolatier and a cheese maker. It
is a truly unique event. Princess
Cruises donated a 7 day cruise which
was won by our local Magazine of
Santa Clarita publisher Moe Hafizi.
Assistance League appreciates all
the support from the community for
this event.
Our 24th annual Operation School
Bell 5K Run/Walk and Kids 1K Fun
Run was held in May and saw 400
runners coming out to support
Operation School Bell.
One of the highlights of the race is
a competition between all the junior
high schools in the William S. Hart
Union School District.
Placerita
Junior High was the winner, with a
whopping 100 runners/walkers.
Despite a few drops of rain, the
event was a success and raised over
$29,000. Because of the success of
the event, over 500 school children in
need will get new clothing to help
them focus on learning.
Save the Date!
Sunset in the Vineyard
Sunday, November 3, 2013 ~ 2pm to 5pm
Enjoy a day of tasting wine from local vintners at the beautiful Compa Vineyard in Newhall
Tickets on sale in September
Assisteens Helping Foster Care Children
The 52 Assisteens concluded their
year in May by installing the new
2013 - 2014 Board and saying
goodbye to the retiring Board
members and the graduating seniors.
For the past several months,
Assisteens were busy collecting and
preparing items for their Foster
Backpack program.
Assisteens
stuffed brand new backpacks with
new items for hygiene: toothbrush,
toothpaste, brush, comb, shampoo,
deodorant, soap, towel and wash
cloth. Also included are handmade
blankets, pajamas, socks, and
underwear. These backpacks have
been given to the Santa Clarita
division of Child & Family services
and will to be supplied to teenagers
in need when they are pulled from
terrible home/living situations. After
hearing the startling statistics for
Santa Clarita, Assisteens more than
tripled the amount of backpacks they
made this year.
Minh Orr from Child & Family
services wrote:
“I still cannot get over the enthusiasm
to help out from each of the
Assisteens and the parents I
met. And the love and care they
each put into the backpacks. I am
sure they will be comforted to know
that despite the violence and the
careless acts they endure from their
family members, there are people out
there who care about their well being
and are willing to help.”
Assisteens provided 1200 hours
of service last year supporting their
programs and the programs of
Assistance League Santa Clarita.
Assistance League,® Assisteens® and Operation School Bell® are registered names of the organization.
Member Volunteers Provide Strength for Assistance League
The membership at Assistance
League Santa Clarita consists of
some of the most vibrant, intelligent
and hard-working women in our
community! One hundred and forty
strong, and growing every month, the
volunteer members of Assistance
League total an average 700 hours of
volunteer work a month during the
summer with an increase to 800 per
month during the school year.
V o l u n t e e r m e m b e r s st a f f
Assistance League Resale six days a
week; we plan and execute all
f undrai si ng and phil ant hropi c
programs and we share an amazing
bond of friendship. There is almost
no challenge that we cannot meet.
As a volunteer member of
Assistance League, you get a large
dose of satisfaction by helping your
community. Current members will
conf irm that the benef its of
volunteering outweigh the time and
energy involved.
Some of the
positives that result from volunteering
include increased motivation, a sense
of achievement, the development of
new skills, the meeting of new
people, and engaging in a variety of
different experiences. Donating time
and talent can cultivate interest in
new hobbies.
Membership is open to anyone
interested in giving back to the
community.
Please go onto the
Assistance League website for more
information on membership. You can
also attend one of our monthly
meetings to see the group in action.
The entire Santa Clarita Valley
benefits tremendously from the
generous hearts of Assistance
League volunteers.
Reuse, Recycle and RESALE!
Assistance League Resale saw a
record year in donations and sales!
The quality of the donations has
increased significantly in the last
several years thanks to some
wonderful donors. There is always
some new treasure waiting to be
found by loyal customers. Many of
those customers come several times
a week to make sure that they are
the first to find the great deals.
With the generous and constant
support of retailers such as
Cobblestone Cottage, J. Serraino
and La Via Bella, Assistance League
Resale kept up our reputation of
hav ing f irst-rat e merchandi se
available at extremely attractive
prices. With the support of Billy
Kornfeld of Camelot Movers, several
pieces of nice furniture made it to the
resale store and went out the door as
quickly as they came in.
Thanks to the support of the Wm.
S. Hart Union School District,
hundreds of prom dresses were
made available to prom attendees for
a nominal charge. Our store was
filled with designer dresses for most
of March, April and May.
The past fiscal year saw gross
sales of almost $300,000!
Your
contributions to the store are taxdeductible and a receipt is provided
upon request.
Our donors and
customers know that Assistance
League philanthropic dollars stay
local and that the 100% member
volunteer staff is friendly, helpful and
dedicated to the programs of
Assistance League.
Review us on YELP
Assistance League,® Assisteens® and Operation School Bell® are registered names of the organization.
Increased Community Support
Leads to Expanded Philanthropic Programs Budget
Last fiscal year, June 2012 - May
2013, Assistance League Santa Clarita
spent over $175,000 on philanthropic
programs benefiting the families of the
Santa Clarita Valley.
Due to the success of fundraising
efforts, Assistance League has budgeted
an increase of almost 30 percent for the
current fiscal year. Operation School Bell
and our other philanthropic programs will
see an increase to $226,000. This will
translate into an estimated 600 additional
children that will receive new school
clothes in the fall of 2013. It may surprise
some to know that there are over 10,000
school children helped by the free and
reduced lunch programs in the Santa
Clarita Valley. With so many families in
need, it is the goal of Assistance League
to be able to offer new school clothes to
as many children as possible.
Assistance League Santa Clarita is
listed on Guidestar and the current Form
990 is on the Assistance League website.
We are a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit
organization. Donations and grants are
welcomed, so that the philanthropic
programs of Assistance League Santa
Clarita can continue to grow. Thank you
to the current Community Partners and
supporters for your generous donations
throughout the year.
See us in action!
We will be holding our Operation School Bell
shopping events from mid-September until mid-November.
Like us on Facebook to keep up
with our current happenings.
www.facebook.com/assistanceleaguesantaclarita
2013-2014 Assistance League Board
President: Gloria Regan
1st VP Membership: Jeannie Carpenter
2nd VP Resource Development: Betty Herme
3rd VP Philanthropic Programs: Dee Pekrul
Secretary: Nancy Turner
Treasurer: Connie Troesch
Strategic Planning Chairman: Carole Tisserat
Education Chairman: Judy Plouff
Public Relations Chairman: Diane Spurney
Finance Chairman: Connie Loerch
Resale Chairman: Pat Sullivan
Assisteens Coordinator: Fran Whitney
Mission Statement
Assistance League Santa Clarita is a
volunteer organization that develops and
implements programs to make a difference in
the lives of families in our community.
Assistance League of Santa Clarita
P. O. Box 220145, Santa Clarita, CA 91322
661.255.1991
www.assistanceleaguesantaclarita.org
[email protected]
Assistance League,® Assisteens® and Operation School Bell® are registered names of the organization.