News
The volunteers of Assistance League of St. Louis give of their time and talents each year to benefit the Steps to Success program, providing students new shoes and socks, as well as a sense of pride. Our volunteers’ organized, energetic, patient and good-humored spirit provided a solid foundation for yet another successful school year!
On April 12, Assistance League of St. Louis was recognized for the immeasurable contributions it has made over the past 30 years to benefit needy individuals in the St. Louis Community. This significant honor, the 2018 Community Service Award, was bestowed upon them in the form of a special grant by Commerce Bank President and CEO, Robert S. Holmes.
Imagine…..you come home one late afternoon and find three young children sitting on the front stoop of your home. You don’t know them. What would you do? What would you think? As reported by the St. Louis REVIEW (1-11-18), this did happen to Kim Davis (pictured left with Barb Doering) in the Ville neighborhood of North St. Louis. A bit startled in finding the three of them firmly planted on her front step, Kim asked if she could help.
In fall of 2017, the Assistance League Outreach Committee received a unique request from social workers at Forest Park Community College. They were in need of non-perishable foods to help stock a new food pantry on campus called the Brown Bag Café. Outreach committee members got busy, went shopping and were able to fill the shelves of the Brown Bag Café before Thanksgiving!
At a recent Operation School Bell® uniform fitting, students received more than new school clothes! The Assistance League of St. Louis paid for Happy Meals for the students, with dessert and a Ronald McDonald magic show provided by Banducci Enterprises Inc., which owns the Ellisville McDonald’s. Click HERE to view an article in West Newsmagazine with photos of the event.
Assistance League of St. Louis and Barnes & Noble Booksellers held a Book Fair at the West County Mall Barnes & Noble Store on Saturday, Nov. 11. Continuing through Nov. 16, Assistance League will receive a percentage of ONLINE sales of books, games, CDs, DVDs, food and toys, which will benefit Books from Friends, our philanthropic literacy program. For a copy of the flyer which contains the code needed to receive credit for online purchases, click HERE.
Many thanks to Barnes & Noble for their generosity in sponsoring the Book Fair and also a Book Drive in which customers may purchase a children’s book to be donated to Assistance League through December 31. In 2016, we received over 2,000 books from the Book Drive.
Meet the newest addition to Assistance League of St. Louis. It is the “Giving Garden” created this year under the loving hands of our members as a pollinator garden. Inspired and motivated by an essentially unused and unappealing plot of soil on the Headquarters site, chairman Bev Pettit foresaw an opportunity! Why not beautify the area and enrich the ‘giving’ agenda of Assistance League?
Assistance League of St. Louis held its second annual Discovery Day at The Magic House on September 25 as part of its Steps to Success Program. On this exciting day, 151 children from Hazelwood School District’s Larimore Elementary School received new socks and athletic shoes, enjoyed a variety of fun learning activities and went home with a brand new book.
Operation School Bell had another great year of bringing smiles and a sense of pride to nearly 3,500 St. Louis area students at 29 schools who received crisp new uniforms during our 59 dressing days. In addition to the traditional uniform shirts, pants, fleece, socks, underwear, toothbrush and toothpaste--and the ever popular book of their choice--each child this year received a warm hat, gloves and a belt! Also new this year, Operation School Bell is providing the schools with extra clothing and hygiene kits to be available as needs arise.
Assistance League® of St Louis has approved their Scholarship project as a new philanthropic program for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Having been tested as a pilot project under the auspices of Project ROSE since 2014, Assistance League Scholarship is designed to finance and implement scholarships for women in transition, women who want to improve their lives but are unable to do so on their own.
The impetus for the program was borne when Research & Development of Assistance League identified a need for helping women in the shelters that the organization serves. To address these needs Assistance League created the Scholarship Pilot Project. After it became clear that Assistance League needed help in formulating an effective program, they teamed up with members of the St Louis Community College Foundation. This non-profit Foundation selects students who are qualified and then guides them through the educational process. Assistance League funds the scholarships.
