History of Atlanta Chapter

On September 29, 1982, a small group of women took time out from jobs and families to attend a meeting at the Atlanta Historical Society. They went to learn more about a national organization called Assistance League, a non-profit dedicated to helping people in need in their communities. Thirty-four women formed a guild with Prime Time Treasures chosen as the first project. They sold arts and crafts to raise money, sometimes out of the trunks of cars. A few years later,  a small building in Chamblee, fondly known as “The Mouse House,” was leased as the first shop. In 1987, we were chartered as the 74^th chapter of National Assistance League and only the second chapter  formed east of the Mississippi River.

By the early 90’s, our chapter actively supported philanthropic programs. We raised money from galas, fashion shows, antique seminars, and the sale of cookbooks. But as the metro Atlanta area grew, so did poverty, homelessness, and abuse. We realized we needed to expand our programs to help more people, so to increase funding, a decision was made to experiment with the sale of gently used clothing.  Attic Treasures was born! Ten years after we were chartered, we bought property in Chamblee and conducted a capital campaign to expand our space. Within three years, our chapter was housed in its own 13,000 sq. ft. building designed for and by our members. In addition, due to the success of the campaign, the mortgage was paid in full.

Our chapter continued to expand programs to meet the growing needs of our community and we eventually outgrew the space in our Chamblee building. In December 2016, we purchased a second building in Peachtree Corners to serve as our Philanthropic Center to house administrative offices, meeting rooms, and training facilities as well as provide much needed space for programs. In addition, with a presence in what for us was a new community, it enabled us to reach and help more people in Gwinnett County, thus expanding our mission of helping children and adults in need.