Events
This year's Imagine! A Gift of Love will be brought to you "virtually" from 7-8 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, and the excitement is building! All are welcome to participate in this free, fun event to benefit Assistance League's philanthropic programs!
On November 7 at 7 p.m., you can view the event live on Assistance League of St. Louis' YouTube site or, for Facebook users, our Facebook page (Just click on either of the underlined links to view.)
We will offer Silent Auction baskets, a Live Auction, Ring the Bell, First Choice ticket sales, a Wine Pull, and Buy It Now restaurant gift cards using the GiveSmart application. There will also be an opportunity to make a monetary "gift of love." View a video which describes how the bidding /donation process will work through GiveSmart.
On or after November 2 at 9:30 a.m., you can register your credit card with GiveSmart at imagine20.givesmart.com so that you can immediately begin to view/bid on all the Silent Auction items and purchase First Choice tickets, Wine Pull and Buy It Now Restaurant gift cards! Don't delay...give yourself plenty of time to get set up and start shopping!
Live Auction items will also be shown in advance on GiveSmart so that the First Choice ticket buyers can view them. First Choice tickets will be sold for $100 each and the winner will be able to choose from ANY of the Live Auction prizes. Only 75 tickets will be sold, and the winner will be randomly selected and notified by phone on Saturday, November 7 at 3 p.m. If you purchase a First Choice ticket, please be near your phone at 3 p.m. so you can choose your package. That chosen package will be removed from the Live Auction which begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. The Live Auction and Ring the Bell events will take place between 7 and 8 p.m. on Saturday evening.
Get ready for a wonderful evening to enjoy in the comfort of your home, and watch as we work toward our fundraising goal of $250,000! We can do it with your help!
Assistance League of St. Louis President Dawn Thomas (right) and Debbie McConnell, who chaired Assistance League’s 15th annual, first-ever "virtual" Authors Brunch, show off novels written by the event’s featured author, Melanie Benjamin. The books were on sale at the August 8 event---one of two major fundraisers for Assistance League.
The 2020 Authors Brunch attracted interested readers who heard a lively and informative virtual discussion with the author. Those who joined the event also participated in drawings for beautiful opportunity baskets filled with restaurant gift cards, jewelry, cooking tools, designer accessories, personal pampering goodies and the ever-popular money tree. View a recording of the entire event!
Melanie Benjamin is the author of the New York Times and USAToday bestselling historical novels, the Swans of Fifth Avenue, about Truman Capote and his society swans, and The Aviator’s Wife about Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Her novels have been translated in over 15 languages, featured in national magazines such as Good Housekeeping, People, and Entertainment Weekly, and optioned for film.
View a recording of 2020 Authors Brunch held on Saturday, August 8
Hear Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction
* Here is the link to view the entire hour of discussion and fun! This virtual event was produced by HEC Media.
* Hear who won each of the amazing Opportunity Baskets!
* Melanie Benjamin’s books are still for sale and available with an authentic signature label at Assistance League's office or contact Debbie McConnell,
* Paperbacks (Aviator’s Wife and Swans of Fifth Avenue) are $16 and the hardback (Mistress of the Ritz) is $28.
Virtual Presentation by:
Assistance League of St. Louis volunteers on April 24 packed a truck carrying 1,500 new books for pre-Kindergarten to 8th graders. The books will be distributed by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, when the Urban League hands out more free meals. Urban League has been hosting drive-through giveaways at locations in the city of St. Louis and Metro East since early April, giving out food and cleaning supplies to thousands of families.
Along with the books, Assistance League included in the Urban League toys donated by Barnes and Nobel of West County, 100 hygiene kits and professional clothing for women and men entering the job market. This contribution follows Assistance League’s October 2019 delivery of 42 women’s suits, infant and toddler clothing, 6 bags of canned goods for the Urban League food pantry plus formal wear for proms.
Later this summer, Urban League will be conducting a version of its annual Back to School Expo, where Assistance League will be supplying over 3,000 books for the deserving children who attend.
“Collaborations like these demonstrate the willingness of the strong non-profit community in St. Louis to work together to continue serving our most vulnerable residents during these trying times,” said Assistance League President Jane Harbron.
ALSTL member Mary Reinagel of Ballwin (left) watches as a student learns about playing the trombone from John Malvin (right) of Collinsville, Il., was among 13 St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Volunteer Association Members at Assistance League of St. Louis' third uniform fitting on Thursday, August 29. The SLSO volunteers demonstrated how to play orchestra instruments to 60 Kindergarten through fifth-grade students from Woerner Elementary School in South St. Louis, while the children waited to be fitted for uniforms.
On August 27, Assistance League member volunteers began fitting children from 33 schools. Fittings are scheduled over 60 dressing days and end in late January. School children are coming for fittings from the school districts of Ferguson-Florissant, Hazelwood, Jennings, Normandy and St. Louis City. Each year, through its Operation School Bell® program, Assistance League volunteers contribute 5,700 hours to the program.
More than a dozen Creve Coeur-Olivette Chamber of Commerce members checked out the Assistance League of St. Louis’ upscale resale shop to celebrate the Aug. 9-11 Fifteenth Anniversary of the shop. Pictured here are (left to right): Donna Pundmann, Creve Coeur-Olivette Chamber staff member, and ALSL members Connie Curran and Marilyn Panter.
At Fantastic Finds, shoppers find great bargains on high quality clothing, accessories, furniture, housewares and seasonal items. The anniversary event included a drawing for gift certificates and refreshments—plus great buys. Named a 2019 St. Louis Magazine A-List resale shop, Fantastic Finds supports ALSL’s nine philanthropic programs that provide everything from new school uniforms to shoes and socks to deserving students to personal care items for crisis shelter clients—touching the lives of 50,000 St. Louisans each year.
On Saturday, April 13, Mr. Charles Finch, internationally acclaimed author of 12 murder mystery books set in the Victorian/Edwardian era, captivated a sold-out audience of 400 with his many tales of life in mid-19th century England.
Held at the beautiful Atrium of Edward Jones in Des Peres this 14th annual Authors Brunch event sponsored by Assistance League of St. Louis featured A Magical Mystery Tea that recreated the atmosphere of that timeframe.
Guests were treated to a typical English tea complete with scones, dainty finger sandwiches and fancy pastries in beautiful table settings, which included Victorian teapot-centerpieces. Many guests wore veiled hats and bustled gowns adding to the overall Victorian aura.
