News
EDWARD JONES VOLUNTEERS AND ALSL MEMBERS LABEL AND SORT HUNDREDS OF BOOKS FOR ASPIRING READERS
Assistance League President Jane Harbron (left), and leader of Edward Jones book drive Margie Bittner were among the many Edward Jones’ Region 71 employees and Assistance League members to label, count and sort books at Assistance League of St. Louis’ Ellisville headquarters on August 3. From July 1-31, West County area Edward Jones employees collected 18 boxes of books donated by community members and clients at 70 Edward Jones branches. These Edward Jones employees delivered the books to Assistance League’s Books from Friends program. Assistance League has provided 15,000 books to aspiring readers and has established Little Community Libraries in Ritenour School District’s six elementary schools.
St. Louis Magazine has announced its annual A-List. This is the magazine’s tribute to the region’s finest as determined by readers who weigh in by nominating their favorites and then voting on the nominees. The magazine tallied the votes, and ALSL’s lovely, upscale resale shop Fantastic Finds has been awarded the St. Louis Magazine Reader's Choice Finalist for the A-List for furniture/home accessories resale store! Thanks to all the hard work of members who support the shop and the nine philanthropic programs the shop’s revenues help fund.
Assistance League of St. Louis has named Jane Harbron its president for the 2019-2020 term. In 2009, after a 35-year career at IBM as Consulting Partner and Sales Executive, Jane joined Assistance League of St. Louis—an organization that for more than 30 years has responded to the unmet needs of tens of thousands of St. Louisans.
In the past decade, Jane has assumed several leadership positions, including Vice Chair and Chair of one of two major fundraisers for the organization, Vice President Fund Development (and Grant Writer), Chairman of Information Technology, President-elect and President in 2015-2016. As president then, she championed the organization’s first Discovery Day at the Saint Louis Zoo—now an annual tradition when 60 Assistance League volunteers bring more than 120 deserving children to a local venue for new athletic shoes and socks, new books, activities and healthy lunches.
Art McCoy, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools, and Gwendolyn Diggs, Assistant Superintendent, Jennings School District, joined students at Northview Elementary School for a recent Assistance League of St. Louis book fair.
Assistance League volunteers, including President-Elect Jane Harbron, pictured below, read to students and helped them select books to take home. They also staged a puppet show for preschoolers.
Assistant League volunteers have conducted school book fairs across St. Louis, providing free books, reading sessions and literacy activities to hundreds of students. Assistance League is on its way to meeting its goal of providing 12,000 books to aspiring readers as part of its Books from Friends program.
Assistance League of St. Louis Steps to Success recently wrapped up their spring session at Marvin Elementary in the Ritenour School District, where volunteers provided new athletic shoes and three pair of socks to deserving children. Fittings happen annually in the fall and spring. During the 2018-2019 season, Assistance League volunteers visited 37 schools in 8 school districts—providing approximately 3,700 St. Louis area school children with new athletic shoes and socks.
In the photo above, Assistance League volunteers Chris Zang and Dawn Thomas help fit children with new shoes at Larimore Elementary School in Hazelwood.
On March 1, Ritenour School District’s Iveland Elementary School conducted a ribbon-cutting for one of six new Little Libraries being installed by Assistance League of St. Louis in the district. Sue Long (top left), Chairman of Assistance League’s program Books from Friends, and Eagle Scout Elijah Edwards, the Parkway South High School senior who had the idea to build the first little library as part of his Eagle Scout requirements, were there to celebrate with students and other Assistance League leaders.
Following the ribbon-cutting, KSDK Anchorwoman Kay Quinn (far left) conducted a studio interview about the project with Assistance League leaders and Elijah. Next to Kay Quinn (from left) are Assistance League President Roxie Randolph, Elijah, and Chair and Vice Chair of the Assistance League’s Books from Friends program, Sue Long and Ruth Ellen Barr.
Assistance League of St. Louis on January 29 brought new school uniforms and personal care items to 45 Gateway Michael School kindergarten through 8th grade students. This Saint Louis Public School serves students with serious health problems and multiple disabilities. Here (left) Instructional Care Assistant Rosalind Farrell and Assistance League volunteer Bette Goette check out sizing of a pair of uniform pants---part of the package of 22 clothing, books and personal items the children took home. See the photo and caption on page A11 in the March 7 edition of the St. Louis American.
Assistance League of St. Louis President Roxie Randolph, surrounded by Woerner Elementary School children getting new school uniforms, starred in a feature story and video filmed by the St. Louis Business Journal. Both appeared on the Business Journal’s website on January 24, with the print edition on newsstands January 25. St. Louis Business Journal subscribers can find the video and feature article on their website.
On November 27, Assistance League of St. Louis held the official Grand Opening of Al's Closets at Adams Elementary School. Assistance League has set up these unique, fully-equipped closets in 17 Saint Louis Public Schools to more quickly respond to needs and provide basic clothing to deserving schoolchildren. View the Fox 2 News Coverage.
Adams School Principal Felicia Miller and Roxie Randolph, President of Assistance League of St. Louis, were on hand to celebrate this milestone event and respond to questions from the media.
In addition to Adams, Al's Closets are available in 18 more Saint Louis Public Elementary Schools: Ames, George Washington Carver, Dunbar, Ford, Froebel, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lexington, Meramec, Monroe, Oak Hill, Gilkey Pamoja at Cole, Shaw, Shenandoah, Woerner and Woodward.
This year, the new delivery model will enable Assistance League to serve more than 4,800 elementary school students with a more immediate, more responsive approach. Annually, Assistance League touches the lives of more than 44,000 St. Louisans. And for more than 30 years, this all-volunteer organization has listened to the needs of our community and developed new, better, and more efficient ways to help.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recognized 53 community volunteers nominated in their annual "Thanks for Giving" campaign, and two of those volunteers are long-time, valued members of Assistance League. Congratulations, Sandy and Elaine! Read the full story in the Nov. 22, 2018 St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Photo by Laurie Skrivan,
Photo by Robert Cohen, 
