Assistance League of Amador Valley changed its back-to-school giving this year, buying headphones for students instead of clothes.
Each year the group supports Operation School Bell®, spending up to $150 per child to make sure they have new clothes to go back to school. Volunteers traditionally have met children at Kohl’s, one on one, to take them shopping and let them select their own clothes.
“The program has been incredibly satisfying for the children, their parents and the volunteers,” said Roz Wright, board member for strategic planning.
In March the board recognized the “new normal,” and surveyed the schools to find out how they could best spend their dedicated Operation School Bell funds. They discovered that this year students needed headsets with microphones for online distance learning.
“These headsets are comfortable and have good sound quality,” Wright explained. “Using them, children are able to focus — without distraction — upon their learning and school work.”
Assistance League of Amador Valley was able to supply 400 headsets with the money it had raised with fundraisers and from donations in the Amador Valley.
“We want our children to get the best education possible, and we thank our supporters for enabling us to make a significant contribution to our schools and children,” Wright said.
“We are meeting the challenge of assisting others in the community even though we have had to modify our programs due to the coronavirus,” public relations chairwoman Barbara Campos noted.
