Assistance League of Santa Monica member volunteers gathered on Wednesday at the Chapter House to fill 420 backpacks with age appropriate school supplies, which includes notebooks, writing utensils, and other materials, as well as a hygiene kit including deodorant and toothbrushes. These will be distributed to local students in the fall before classes resume.
As of the 2014-15 school year, the League has supplied non-profit organization Schools on Wheels with 935 backpacks. They then distributed these materials to 16 schools in the Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District and five schools in other surrounding areas in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The purpose of giving children necessary materials for school is simple: it is to make sure students are given equal opportunity to succeed with resources that otherwise would not have been given to them.
The League also provides eyeglasses and vision screening, emergency clothing with specific items usually by request, camp experiences (both day and sleepaway) for youth, dental work, and school scholarships for high school and for certain colleges for locals in need around the Santa Monica Bay area. Assistance League of Santa Monica has done so for more than 70 years.
The League hopes that by providing free vision screening for children at a young age, which can result in youth receiving free eyeglasses and checkups, eye-related problems may be prevented in the future.
Emergency clothing includes sweatpants and underwear, as it is necessary to always be prepared. The Children’s Dental Center of Greater Los Angeles is the area in which students who need dental work are referred to via referral forms by teachers. Finally, the backpacks filled with school supplies give students a better chance to thrive academically.
The League hopes that by providing assistance they are gearing youth with a better chance for success.
The funds for the League’s philanthropic endeavors come from sales at its Thrift Shop, which is open daily 11 am to 3 pm (except Wednesdays and Sundays). It is located at 1453 Fifteenth St., Santa Monica. The Thrift Shop is run by energetic, vibrant volunteers who desire to help their community in a positive way. The community is encouraged to stop by and shop and/or donate gently used items.
For more information, visit santamonica.assistanceleague.org.
