By Helen Barlow, Santa Clarita Contributor
A teacher at a local Santa Clarita Valley high school was walking toward the school office before she went to greet her next class. One of her students hurried to catch up to her. The student appeared to be worried and explained that she had been summoned to the office. This had never happened to her, and she asked for and received reassurance that she was in fact a “good kid, and a good student.”
With that reassurance, the student hurried on to answer the summons. Very soon, she came out of the office door running to meet her teacher wearing a big smile and waving a plain white envelope. She proceeded to happily explain that there was a local organization that was going to provide her the opportunity to go shopping with her mother for new school clothes and shoes. She said that her father had lost his job and had not been successful in finding another one. She had not had any new clothes in a very long time; her excitement was evident.
The teacher told this happy girl that her own mother is a volunteer in that organization called Assistance League Santa Clarita. She explained that each year, new school clothes and shoes are given to over 2500 Santa Clarita Valley students through their program called Operation School Bell.
The student asked her teacher to thank her mom and all the other volunteers who worked to make this shopping trip possible. She wanted to make sure that the volunteers knew how much she appreciated the opportunity.
Led by our chair, Connie Loerch, we are proud to announce that shopping events for Operation School Bell will begin on September 5 and run through October 29. They will take place at Old Navy in Stevenson Ranch. This year we are planning to serve over 2,800 elementary through high school age students.
Personal stories like this one give a real lift to all the volunteers of Assistance League Santa Clarita. We thank the people who bring their donations to our Resale Store located in downtown Newhall at 24364 Main Street. Operation School Bell is funded by the proceeds of our Resale Store and our fundraising events: a Pre-Holiday Craft and Vendor Boutique on Saturday, September 30 at the Valencia Summit HOA Clubhouse and the 10th annual Sunset in the Vineyard on Sunday, November 5 at the Compa Vineyard in Newhall.
For more information on Operation School Bell and Assistance League Santa Clarita, please visit our website www.assistanceleaguesantaclarita.org
