Kids In Need (KIN)
Did You Know? Your donation of $70 will purchase a uniform for one child.
In 2023-24 Assistance League of the Chesapeake provided over 3,100 new school uniforms to students in six Title I elementary schools and one middle school in Anne Arundel County. We are on target to provide to exceed that number in 2024-25. Since 2003, we have provided close to 30,000 uniforms to in-need students in our county.
The uniform package consists of a navy blue shirt, khaki pants, navy blue crew neck sweatshirt, socks and underwear. Most students receive one uniform set and some receive two, depending on their need.
Project Literacy
Our volunteers help students learn language arts by reading to them weekly in the schools’ libraries. They also work in classrooms, sponsor literacy-based enrichment programs, donate books to students, and organize several enrichment activities that promote positive behaviors for an effective learning environment.
In 2023-2024, the program reached close to 4,000 students.
Assistance League makes sure every child in the schools we serve receives a book of their own to take home and share with their families.
Did You Know? Your donation of $80 can provide books for an entire classroom.
Members take inventory of the items that make up the uniform package at the end of a successful school year.
“Early in the Kids In Need program, we would hand the children each packaged item and ask them to open it. This one little guy tightly wrapped his tiny arms in an “X” around his shirt that was still in the plastic bag and kept saying ‘I can’t open this now, I have to show my mom this! I have to show my Mom this. This is something new, just for me and nobody has ever worn this before.’ I suddenly realized, that he had never had new clothing before. I turned to our chapter president and whispered, ‘We are putting this unopened shirt in his book bag. He can wear a second one home.’ ”
— M. Kelly, AL Chesapeake member since 2005
Kids On The Block Educational Puppet Troupe
Our volunteers and their life-size puppets visit elementary school classrooms throughout the county to talk with students about cultural differences, bullying, and learning differences. The targeted scripts help children accept individual differences and learn valuable social skills. We start by sharing our video of the KOTB performance. Then our puppets visit with the students, who come to identify with the puppets and open up to them as if they were trusted friends.
Our puppet troupe will visit 33 schools each year, from October through April.
Kids On The Block puppets teach children:
- What constitutes bullying
- Problem-solving techniques
- How to get help from adults
- How to accept differences and similarities among their peers
- How to reject unacceptable bullying behavior
Students are encouraged to accept physical, social, medical, and cultural differences, and are empowered to tell an adult about any perceived bullying.
At a show in November, a teacher remarked, “The kids were so excited about the puppets coming today.” KOTB chairs Ann Carroll and Jodee Hechler remarked that “It’s amazing how much the students ‘get’ the message portrayed in the KOTB video and our classroom interactions. They understand why kids might bully, what to do to stop it, and also the differences between bullying and fooling around.”
“Dear Puppeteers,
Thank you for the puppet show. It made me feel that being different is good. Now I am so so grateful by how I look. And what my language is.” — Student at Piney Orchard
Meet our Puppets
Eddie is being bullied by a nasty boy in school, but learns to deal with the boy in a positive way, thanks to his friend Claire.
Claire is smart, kind, and wise beyond her years. She counsels Eddie to do positive things when being bullied: tell a teacher, stand by a friend who is being bullied, and work together to raise awareness of the problem.
Jennifer is a rough and ready little girl with a learning difference. She can sing, dance, and play soccer. She gets straight A’s in math, but has an issue with reading and writing.
Brenda is a little overweight but very sensitive to being bullied about how she looks. Jennifer helps her learn to ignore the bad remarks and like how she is.
Melody is a smart and sassy girl who does well in school and offers to help Jennifer with her school work.
For the last 18 years, Assistance League of the Chesapeake has been helping under-served new and expecting young mothers get off to a good start. Over those years, our members have donated diapers, strollers, car seats, clothing, formula, bottles and other essentials to local nonprofits that help these young women. Our program, which began as the Stork’s Nest Baby Shower, is now called Showers of Love, and this year our donations benefited the Family Support Center in Annapolis, Md.
The Family Support Center empowers families to become self-sufficient through personal achievement, education and positive parenting. They serve expectant parents and legal guardians of children ages 0 to 3. The center provides infant care classes, baby items, support groups and home visits.
Rhonda Wilson, in-home services and family advocate at the center spoke at our baby shower, explaining the mission of her nonprofit and sharing their success stories.
Our members donated over $5,000 in much-needed baby supplies. The items will be used to stock the Baby Boutique at the center, where women are rewarded with items of their choice upon completing prenatal classes. Additionally, the donated items will help sustain the In-Home Program, which delivers essential baby supplies to families facing challenges.
ALC member Mary Jane Samwell led this year’s effort. She researched local nonprofits whose mission fit within our Showers of Love program. Our Assistance League chapter will continue to support area young women and their babies, filling an important need in our community.
Sing-Alongs and Greeting Cards
Our interactive Sing-Along program allows senior citizens in assisted living and nursing home residences to enjoy the songs they remember from their youth. Assistance League members provide the music, song sheets, encouragement and companionship.
We also provide hundreds of greeting cards at major holidays to residents at local assisted living and nursing home residences. These cards reach seniors who don’t often get visitors or mail.
