Women’s History Month is celebrated annually in March to honor the contributions of women in history and contemporary society.

Anne Banning was a prominent member of a group of ladies in Los Angeles who did local charitable work in the 1890s. In 1906, Mrs. Banning organized a relief unit called Assistance League^® in response to the San Francisco earthquake and fire. She also organized the Los Angeles Red Cross unit in 1917 and served as its director during World War I.

In 1919, Anne Banning formed the Assistance League^® of Southern California with twelve friends, including Ada Edwards Laughlin, to provide food and clothing to local families affected by the war. In 1935, she and Ada Edwards Laughlin organized the National Assistance League^® to promote effective volunteerism through leadership, training, and education.

Anne Banning believed in serving youth and encouraging them to serve others. In the 1930s, informal girl groups formed and were consolidated in 1944. One of the groups, the Beverly Thrifties, had Shirley Temple as a member. In 1959, guidelines were prepared for auxiliaries of members under twenty-one, and in 1961, Assisteens^® was adopted as the name for these groups. The first Assisteens Assembly was held in 1964 with 18 auxiliaries represented.

Assisteens^® of the Bay Area were the first auxiliary to request that young men be eligible to join their female counterparts in service, and they are proud of this achievement.