February is the month we associate with valentines and love.
Assistance League of St. Louis also celebrates LITERACY in February.
Literacy and the love of reading have a year-round priority in all our programs.
The rose symbolizes love, and the ROSE (Raise Our Self-Esteem) program puts great love in all they do. ROSE assists women and children in secure shelters and women in transition to find respect in a safe, loving refuge. This holiday season, ROSE member volunteers partnered with local businesses, friends, and groups to provide toys, personal items and handmade stockings filled with surprises for the children. Eighty-seven pairs of warm pajamas and age-appropriate books were included as a special holiday gift for mothers and children to read together. These generous donations were also shared with Outreach to help families in need. Additionally, ROSE partners with St. Louis Community College to provide scholarships to women aspiring to improve their lives. Love and Literacy go hand and hand in ROSE.
Books from Friends, our literacy program, partnered with Barnes & Noble for its sixth and most successful Holiday Book Fair to date. Each year, a Book Fair starts the holiday season for ALSTL, and the two-month-long book drive continues to give customers a chance to provide books for our program. This year, 1020 books were donated, and a $3000 gift card was presented to ALSTL by Barnes & Noble, as a percentage of Book Fair sales. This will be used to provide and distribute books during the February and March ALSTL Book Festivals held in several school districts, and at the Urban League Head Start Festival. Books from Friends puts Love and Literacy into Action!
