News
A big thank you goes to members of the Vatterott Foundation Youth Board who have “adopted” Assistance League of St. Louis and provided much-appreciated assistance to us over the past four months! The youth board consists of more than 800 cousins ages 13-35 nationwide whose mission is to give back to their communities in the spirit of their ancestors.
Assistance League of St. Louis was recently featured on Channel 4. Click HERE to view the video that was made when KMOV visited our headquarters.
For the past four years, Assistance League chapters across the country have participated in USA WEEKEND Magazine’s national Make a Difference Day by conducting local children’s book drives to spread enthusiasm for reading. This year, ALSL is providing nearly 2,000 books to 12 schools and agencies serving children in the St. Louis community. Recipients include: Ferguson Florissant Parents as Teachers program, The Freedom School, Innovative Concepts Academy, Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation, Jackson Park Elementary, Koch Elementary, St. Louis Catholic Academy, St. Louis the King, and four shelters for women and children in transition.
Operation School Bell’s quarter-century year has a silver lining! The 2015-16 school year dressing days just ended in January, and over 3570 young students received fresh, new uniform pants, shirts, socks, underwear AND a book of their own to keep.
Assistance League volunteers have stepped up again this September to begin another year of providing new athletic shoes to students in need through the Steps to Success program. More than 1,700 deserving students in the Hazelwood, Jennings, Normandy, Ritenour, Riverview Gardens and St. Louis Public school districts were all smiles as they walked away with a brand new pair of colorful, well-fitting athletic shoes and two pairs of new socks.
Over the course of six days, dedicated volunteers logged over 925 hours as they worked hard to make sure each student received just the right shoes!
Click magazine cover to read the article about Assistance League on page 7
The 2014-2015 Assessment results for two ALSL programs, PROJECT ROSE and
STEPS TO SUCCESS are in. And the final ratings give testimony to our Mission:
“…to identify, develop, implement and fund ongoing philanthropic programs to
serve the specific needs of children and adults in the St Louis community.”
It’s official! Representatives of the National Assistance League recently declared the St. Louis chapter to be “one of the brightest stars in the national organization” following an extensive on-site review.
Each chapter is visited every four years to ensure that it is accomplishing its mission and following its strategic plan. During the recent visit, two national representatives interviewed board members and committee chairmen and saw firsthand the Steps to Success program in action. They also toured our newly-expanded Fantastic Finds resale shop.
“To accomplish all you do for others requires a tremendous commitment from your members who step up to the plate at every turn,” said review team leader Judy Parker in her letter to ALSL President Marilyn Panter.
