With 26,000 member volunteers giving over 3.2 million service hours annually, Assistance League exemplifies what National Volunteer Week is all about–namely, “inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities.”
National Volunteer Week, April 12-18 this year, was established by Points of Light in 1974 to demonstrate the power of people working together to meet local challenges. It has grown exponentially each year, with thousands of special events and projects.
Assistance League is remarkable in that, unlike most national charities, the focus is on the local community. With support and guidance from the national organization, the 120 chapters of Assistance League design and implement programs to address otherwise unmet local needs. All funds they raise stay in those individual communities, helping people in need achieve a better quality of life.
The programs rely on hands-on involvement by volunteers. Each innovative program is designed to meet specific needs. Every chapter helps children through the national signature program, Operation School Bell®, but there are as many variations on the program as there are communities served. Some arrange for children to shop in a local store for back-to-school clothes. Others provide school uniforms or see that teens suddenly entering foster care have something to wear to their new school. Others offer whatever is needed, ranging from tutoring to toiletries, for children to succeed in school. Together, chapters addressed the needs of 350,000 children last year through Operation School Bell.
When you add up the value of volunteer hours given–estimated at over $72 million last year–and funds raised of about $38 million, you get a picture of an organization actively demonstrating its collective power to make a difference every week of the year.
