Statements

Mission

Assistance League volunteers transforming the lives of children through community programs.

Background

Assistance League got its start in Southern California in 1935. Over the years, it has grown to a national organization of 120 chapters. Its signature program, Operation School Bell, was established in 1958, and since that time, more than 4,000,000 children across the country have been served. The Nashville chapter of Assistance League began in 2005 as a guild and became a chapter in 2007. Our Operation School Bell program began by providing school clothing for 50 children. We now serve over 3,500 students each year. Since 2005, Assistance League of Nashville has served over 59,763 children, donated over 124,768 volunteer hours and returned $1.6 million to the Nashville community through Operation School Bell and Hand in Hand Programs.

Impact

During this past fiscal year (June 1, 2022 - May, 2023), Assistance League of Nashville has had many challenges with the rising costs of inventory for new school uniforms, branding of the organization and establishing community partners to accomplish our strategic plan goals. Our accomplishments include:
1. Our Operation School Bell program provided new standard school attire (2 pairs of khaki pants, 2 polo shirts, 1 long-sleeve T-shirt, 6 pairs of underwear, 7 pairs of socks, a belt and full size hygiene kits) for 3,537 Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) students attending 91 elementary and middle schools including 478 unhoused children through our partnership with the Homeless Education Resource Office.
2. Assistance League of Nashville collaborated with another nonprofit, Soles4Souls, to distribute 300 new coats donated by Macy's to children attending 4 MNPS schools.
3. Our signature "Action!Week" literacy program purchased 7 "little libraries" with books for Cambridge Early Learning Center.
4. Through our Hand-in-Hand program, we continued our annual support of abused children and their families served by Nashville Children's Alliance by providing educational materials and monthly supply of snacks that are given to children after their therapy sessions or forensic interviews. Members also donated a large number of cuddly stuffed animals as a holiday donation drive for the children of Nashville Children's Alliance.
5. As we continue to grow our presence and services in the Nashville Community, Assistance League of Nashville established a formal community partnerships with local nonprofits such as the Homeless Education Resource Office, Community Resource Center, Bombas for a broader community reach and sourcing of hygiene kits and socks in our Operation School
Bell programs. We continue UniCycle, to increase services to families locally and provide additional support for supply chain issues being experienced.

Needs

Revenue Development - Raise funds to support MNPS children. Our average cost to clothe a child is $44 and our goal is to clothe 4000 children annually. To meet this goal, we need to raise $160,000 annually. Our goal is to increase annual revenue to $200,000 by 2024.

Volunteers - Attract, retain, and develop new members who are willing to lead projects, serve on committees, and attend meetings regularly. Currently we have 71 members; our goal is to increase to a minimum of 82 by 2027.

Philanthropic Programs - 3,537 students were served by Operation School Bell last year. MNPS counselors have been surveyed to ensure we understand and meet clothing needs in the 2023-24 school year. With the rising costs of Operation School Bell inventory and our goal of clothing 4,000 children, we have a significant need for funding to accomplish this goal.

Management - Recruit talent to replace board members completing their terms. Our 2022-23 Strategic Plan is in place and our goal is to ensure we're working it and holding the Board and all members accountable for results.

Finances - We continue to be fiscally responsible and manage expenses well returning 85% of expenses to the community.

CEO Statement

Comments by Board President: Assistance League of Nashville is comprised of all volunteers; there is no paid staff. All funds raised are kept in the community and our organization had a 90% return rate to the community last fiscal year. Assistance League of Nashville is the only organization that provides NEW standard school attire on a continuing and system-wide basis to Nashville elementary and middle school children in need. Assistance League's recipe for success, 'Caring and Commitment in Action', was founded on past actions, built on present programs, and striving with momentum to enrich the future. Each of our volunteers is highly motivated to effect change in Nashville.

Board Chair Statement

Tied closely to fundraising, one of our biggest challenges lies in reaching and educating our community about the success of Assistance League of Nashville's Operation School Bell Program and the impact this program has on the children we serve. We try to impress upon our patrons and sponsors that we are the only nonprofit providing new standard school clothing for the Metro Nashville Public School students on a system-wide basis. Our volunteers take any opportunity we have to give hands-on assistance to meet critical needs of children or to promote education and academic success.

We measure our impact every year through teacher and counselor surveys. They consistently report a definitive increase in student self-confidence and participation in class. We are told that the program has a positive impact on academic success, increases overall happiness, and reduces family stress. This message from a school counselor sums up our impact: "Many of our children come to school with sad and tired faces. Giving the children a bag of new clothing puts instant smiles on their faces and brings tears to my eyes. Thank you for taking care of our children."

This year, through our partnership with Soles4Souls, we delivered new winter coats from Macy's in time for cold weather. More children's school uniform needs were met by in the past year as in school learning became more prevalent after the pandemic. When classroom instruction started again, district-wide distribution increased.

Members join Assistance League of Nashville because our organization exemplifies the values of a superior nonprofit: commitment, ethics, leadership, accountability, and respect. Our chapter offers volunteers a means to reach out and make a difference in the lives of children and their families while at the same time giving them the sense that others in the community support, care about, and respect them.

As we continue to grow our community services, we have formed community partnerships with Unicycle and The Community Resource Center to broaden our services in the community homeless population and provide hygiene products along with clothing to children.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Human Services  - Children's and Youth Services
Secondary Category:	Education  - Primary & Elementary Schools
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

We serve the Metro Nashville community.

TN - Davidson