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New Grant Received from The Daniel V. and Ida J. McEachern Charitable Trust
We are fortunate to have received a grant from The Daniel V. and Ida J. McEachern Charitable Trust in the amount of $10,000 to be used for Operation School Bell. Thank you grant writer Stephanie Reimer!
-Submitted by Kathy Friedrich, Grant Writing Chair 2020-21
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Byron and Alice Lockwood Foundation Grant Received for OSB
Our Operation School Bell Program benefits from another grant! We received a grant from the Byron and Alice Lockwood Foundation for $12,000.00. Congratulations to Grant Writer Nancy Hambacher and the Grant Writing Team for securing this funding for ALE’s flagship program.
-Submitted by Kathy Friedrich, Grant Writing Chair 2020-21
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New Grant Received from The Anderson Foundation for OSB
We received a $10,000.00 grant from the Anderson Foundation for the Operation School Bell program. Congratulations to Grant Writer Kathleen McConaha and the Grant Writing Team for making this happen!
-Submitted by Kathy Friedrich, Grant Writing Chair 2020-21
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Grant Received from Windermere Foundation
New grant was received from Windermere Foundation in the amount of $18,000 for the Operation School Bell Program. Grant Writer was Debbie Palmer.
-submitted by Kathy Friedrich, Grant Writing Chair 2020-21
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An OSB surprise encounter
As Julie and I were ending our OSB shift at Inglewood Middle School one day last week, we were approached by a man on his evening neighborhood walk. He stopped when he saw our OSB sign to ask what we were doing. We explained ALE and OSB, and his mouth dropped. He said he had just donated. He described that an association (I thought he said Lake Washington SD, but I’m not sure) he is involved with has a donation board with six or so organizations to choose from to donate to, and he picked ALE! He said he works for Salesforce and has put in for matching funds.
He was so taken aback and excited to run into us. He also said he was a child of school lunch programs and sure could have used some new clothes at that time. We explained how we are so grateful for his donation since we cannot fundraise as we have in the past and are dipping into our reserves to be sure to serve our community at this time of great need. He immediately recognized the problem. He asked to take pictures of us to post to encourage others to donate, too.
-submitted by Vanessa Stothers, ALE member 2020-21 (also appeared in the MEU 11/2)
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OSB Memories
As a member, one of the events I enjoy most is Operation School Bell. I enjoy seeing the happiness on the children’s faces when they pick out their new school clothing and leave the store with even more than that. As they check out, we members put a dental kit in their bag and they get to pick out a hand knitted hat or scarf made with love from one of our many knitting volunteers.
-submitted by Debbie Palmer, ALE Member 2020-21
I was told about ALE by a friend, but it wasn’t until I was doing my routine shopping at Fred Meyer in Redmond about 5 years ago, I saw a bunch of people with smiles and aprons and a big line that I decided to become a member. I asked one of the volunteers about what was going on, was told about the OSB program, and I was amazed that ALE was doing so much to help all the families lined up and ready to shop. I attended a New Members Coffee and the rest is history.
The following year when I worked OSB for myself, I was able to be a shopping assistant, a bagger, and hand out hats and scarves. I enjoyed helping little ones with their clothing choices, but I really loved handing out hats and scarves! I witnessed a little girl of about six years old literally jumping for joy after she came over to the hat cart and said incredulously, “These are for us? We…
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OSB Presentation to Knit One Pray Too at the Redmond Presbyterian Church
One of the many children that our community knitters have helped to stay warm over the years. We appreciate all of the time and effort that our knitters put into every hat and scarf.
On Saturday the 10th of October, the OSB chairs, Rosella Butler and Julie Sanders gave a presentation to the Redmond Presbyterian knitting group called Knit One Pray Too. They spoke about the Assistance League and how the Operation School Bell program works. We played the Daniel’s Story video for them and showed them photos of children wearing knit items and explained how the children love to pick out a scarf or a hat. The knitters were excited to learn about us because they have been knitting for us for several years but did not know how much their items were impacting recipients of OSB.
We received a genuinely nice thank you note from the group after the presentation. It is posted below.
“Thanks so much for attending our Knit One Pray Too meeting this morning. Your presentation was amazing and inspiring for all of us. We are pleased that our group can contribute to your program. Rest assured; we will continue making hats for you. And as we chatted after you left the meeting, we all resolved to make some scarves too.
Each of us was touched by the stories of the children you serve and the work that you do. And that is the inspiration that will keep us knitting for Operation… -
Operational School Bell Drive Through Service
The Operational School Bell committee is busy working with Northshore School District right now. Due to COVID-19 we had to regroup and are now handing out envelopes at schools directly to parents of students in need. Each envelope contains a $100 Fred Meyer store gift card. NEW STARTING THIS YEAR: This money can be used in any of the following areas: clothing, hunger, supplies, health, and/or literacy. Families are being asked to fill out a demographic form and send back the form and store receipt in an enclosed self-addressed envelope. These pictures are of Julie Sanders, Marlene Vacknitz, and the counselor at Frank Love Elementary in Bothell on September 30, 2020.
–submitted by Marlene Vacknitz, OSB Committee member 10/2/20
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OSB Changes Things Up for 2020
As we all know, Covid-19 has significantly changed the way we do business. As members, we will miss our traditional October OSB shifts at Fred Meyer, helping children choose new clothing that helps them feel confident and warm as they go off to school. Although school has started virtually at home, the need to replace outgrown clothing is as urgent as ever. Family budgets are tight with many parents laid-off, and struggling to adapt to the “new normal”.
For the first time, we have elected to provide $100 Fred Meyer gift cards to children who would normally be lined-up in close quarters among their peers for an in-store shopping night. By providing cash directly to children’s families, we are being Covid-safe, and are getting financial assistance to people in a timely manner. Families will be able to choose the best way to spend the funds to address their children’s most urgent needs, whether it be clothing, school supplies, food or medicine.
As always, the ability of our members to be flexible and creative helps us with our valuable work. Good job ladies!
Paper paper everywhere.
Rosella, Julie and Ginger kept everyone organized during our first OSB work party putting packets together. 450 down, only a couple thousand to go!
Packets will be distributed by ALE/OSB volunteers at Northshore Middle Schools during the pilot of our distribution program. We are starting with Northshore first, as they have the least amount of students served by the OSB program….
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Flexibility within OSB
At the last shopping event in October we received a call from a parent who said she would be able to drop her 12-year-old daughter off to shop, but she had to go to work directly after. She wanted to know if there would be any ALE members who could shop with her daughter until her husband, who would be getting off work within the hour, would be able to pick her up.
Since I didn’t have a position that evening at the shopping event, I decided to shop with her and help her pick out some clothing. She was shy at first but within a few minutes we were going through clothing and picking out really cool clothing for school! I have two sons so this was a new experience for me – shopping with a girl! We were having fun and she told me how much she really appreciated ALE and the ability she was having picking out new clothing for school. She even told me what she’d be wearing to school the next day and how excited she was to be going to school with new clothing.
The experience was amazing for me because I was able to help this little girl and make a direct impact.
-submitted by Julie Sanders, OSB Co-Chair 2020-21
