National Assistance League® 
Operation School Bell® Award

Accepting the award from Karin Janik, OSB Co-Chair, is Ursula Heenan, the Managing Broker of Windermere Real Estate East, on behalf of the Windermere Foundation

Accepting the award from Karin Janik, OSB Co-Chair, is Jaimie Holland, Development Director of the Lake Washington Schools Foundation, on behalf of their Executive Director, Katy Phillips.

Susie, Mike and Katie Beck – The Beck Real Estate Group

The National Assistance League Operation School Bell Award is given to honor those in the community who, through significant financial, in-kind, or service support, have had a direct, powerful, and positive effect on Operation School Bell, warranting recognition from National Assistance League.

2023-2024

2022-2023

The Lake Washington Schools Foundation donated two significant amounts so that more students could be served by Operation School Bell. In the spring. The Foundation received a $10,000 parent donation to help more students from low-income families in the LWSD.  Rather than create another program, they reached out to us and became our partner to serve additional students by donating this $10,000 so more students could be served by Operation School Bell.

A few months later, the district found they had more students with significant need on the OSB program waitlist than we could serve. In response.  LWSF donated $4,500 for these 30 students to receive an OSB voucher.  This is our first year of partnership with the Foundation, and we look forward to many years of supporting and helping each other for the direct benefit of the students in the Lake Washington School District.  We appreciate their donations totaling $14,500 this year which provided for 97 additional students with vouchers to shop for clothing, food, school supplies or medicine at their local Fred Meyer store. We share in the fundamental belief that when basic needs are met, students flourish.

2018-2019 – The Beck Real Estate Group

Susie, Mike, and Katie Beck and The Beck Real Estate Group are donors who exemplify the award criteria. Each has been a longtime supporter of Assistance League of the Eastside and Operation School Bell. By contributing their time, talent, and treasure, they have enabled so many children to wake up eager to put on their new school clothes and feel ready and perhaps even eager to go to school.

Susie Beck has worked tirelessly with Assistance League of the Eastside for twenty years, serving as president (2001-2002 & 2020-2021), chair of our Operation School Bell committee, and chair of the first fundraising auction, as well as volunteering her time with all four of our organization’s philanthropic programs and at fundraising events.

Mike Beck has been a community volunteer with Assistance League of the Eastside for more than fifteen years, helping at many Operation School Bell nights and serving as emcee at fundraising events. Before joining the Beck Real Estate Group, Katie Beck was a schoolteacher who saw firsthand families in crisis and the effect it can have on a child’s self-esteem and school experience. Katie has volunteered at Operation School Bell nights and at Assistance League of the Eastside events.

The Beck Real Estate Group is also a longtime supporter of the Assistance League of the Eastside. Since 1999, the group’s financial donations and event sponsorships have totaled more than $40,000.

“I put my time, energy, and financial resources into Assistance League of the Eastside because they are at work in my community,” said Susie Beck. “Partnering with ALE allows me to extend my reach. It is an all-volunteer organization that dispenses hope to thousands every year. They are excellent stewards of the money they raise and return a stellar percentage of every dollar to the people they serve.”

Assistance League of the Eastside is very grateful for the generous support of the Beck family and The Beck Real Estate Group.

The Caring and Commitment Award is presented to an individual, group, or business that has provided outstanding service or financial support to Operation School Bell in our community.

For many years Fred Meyer/Kroger Corporation has partnered with Assistance League of the Eastside to provide new school clothes to students in need attending schools in the Bellevue, Lake Washington, and Northshore school districts. Mr. Roy Villalon, the apparel manager at the Redmond Fred Meyer store, has worked enthusiastically alongside us and our community volunteers so that our Operation School Bell shopping nights run smoothly. Roy offers us the support of his staff, helps train our shopping assistants, troubleshoots when necessary, and warmly welcomes our members, community volunteers and, especially, the students and families that we serve. And he is always eager to improve the shopping event, asking, “What could we have done better? How can I improve this experience?”

Thank you, Roy Villalon, for your caring and commitment to Operation School Bell and to children in need in our community.

Caring and Commitment Award

Roy Villalon, Apparel Manager at Fred Meyer Redmond with his wife.

Past Award Recipients