Colleene Fesko, appraising a painting at a Whatz It Worth? event, will be one of several nationally and internationally known appraisers available to value heirlooms, collectibles, art, jewelry and other items at the annual fundraiser and pre-event dinner staged by The Assistance League of Tucson this weekend. All proceeds will be funneled directly back into the community through Assistance League programs.
For $35, you can get an appraisal of a family heirloom or garage-sale treasure at The Assistance League of Tucson’s Whatz It Worth? fundraiser. For those in need, your purchase will buy something invaluable: Hope.
“At one Assistance League meeting we tried to describe what we do in just a few words and the words we came up with are ‘giving hope’ — giving hope that someone cares and giving hope that tomorrow may be a better day. We hear it over and over again from the kids at Operation School Bell® and from the people who receive our Starting Over Supplies,” said Johnny Williams, league president.
Williams, who joined the service organization with his wife, Georgia, four years ago, is also the first male president out of 122 Assistance League chapters nationwide.
“I went to the last two conventions and it was me and 970 women, but in my career I had the experience of working with really great, smart leaders who happened to be women and being amongst a lot of smart women just seems natural,” said Williams, part of a growing contingent of male members for the nonprofit that has been serving Tucsonans since 1959.
“We are going co-ed. It is wonderful to be part of an organization that can grow and change with the times,” said Whatz It Worth? Chair Kim Sparling.
In addition to the opportunity to volunteer together, Williams said he and Georgia were drawn to the transparency of the all-volunteer organization.
“We did some research and found that they have no paid staff and they give back most of what they make to the community,” Williams said.
He and Georgia have particularly enjoyed hands-on work through the Assistance League Thrift Shop, which supports more than 50 percent of funding for the league’s philanthropic programs, and through Operation School Bell, which dressed almost 4,000 children last year and seeks to increase that number to 4,500 this year.
The program works with more than 30 elementary schools in which at least 92 percent of students receive free or reduced lunch. Participating students each receive a shopping trip at the Assistance League Philanthropic Center. Each student gets free clothing, a pair of shoes, a backpack, school supplies, a book and toiletries. A partnership with JC Penney also provides several in-store opportunities allowing children to get new clothing with their families.
“These kids are so grateful. Last week there was one girl in who was 10 years old and she wrote us a note that said, ‘When I put my new shoes on I got this smile on my face and it won’t go away.’
“I worked with a little boy, and when I took off his shoe, I could see five spots where the shoe was worn completely through to the ground. … There are some real tough times out there,” Williams said.
Those who are struggling can also benefit from Starting Over Supplies, a program that provides basic housekeeping supplies, hygiene items and other household items for people who are starting anew after homelessness or leaving an abusive situation.
Last year it served about 1,800 clients through 14 local social-service agencies.
Other programs include Assault Survivor Kits, which provide clothing and toiletries to victims of sexual assault through hospitals, and Share A Bear, which provides teddy bears to hospitals and first responders for children in traumatic situations.
“Some say it takes five years for an event to enter the consciousness of the community, and I think we have. It is a different kind of fundraiser that has brought us lots of new volunteers and is helping us reach out to the community, so it has brought in huge rewards,” Sparling said.
Sparling emphasized that items brought in for appraisal range from simple to extravagant.
“Many people just want to learn more about an item that has been passed down in their family. Maybe it came with some stories, but they really don’t know what they have,” Sparling said.
Ultimately, Williams said that everyone benefits.
“There are so many folks in need. We may not be able to reach them all, but at least we will reach a few,” he said.
