Community Newsletter - Assistance League of Austin

Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Austin, Texas
Permit No. 871
We gratefully acknowledge our 2015-2016
Supporters and Community Partners
10,000 Villages
Abercrombie Gems & Precious Metals
Above All Moving
ACC Foundation
AGE H.E.L.P
AISD Refugee Services
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Amy’s Ice Cream
Xavier Anaya
Angelheart Children’s Shelter
Any Baby Can
Applied Materials
Attal Galleries
Austin American-Statesman
Austin Duck Adventures
Austin Independent School District**
Austin Shelter for Women and Children
Austin’s Inn at Pearl Street
Avant Garde Jewelers
Barnes & Noble
Barton Wilder Custom Images
Bellezza Salon and Boutique
Noreen and Steve Bello*
Cynthia Bloom
Boutique Chic Auctions
Sandra Bowles*
Breed & Company
Kathy & Phillip Brader*
Brook Ann & Jerry Broesche*
Pam Bunte
Camp 4 Paws
Caring Transitions of Austin
Penny Cedel
Center for Survivors of Torture**
Chicago Title Austin
Children’s Blood & Cancer Center
Children’s Dialysis Clinic of Central Texas
Children’s Medical Center Foundation of
Central TX
Clark Travel
Crestview United Methodist Church
Criquet Shirts
Deep Eddy Rug Cleaners
Del Valle Independent School District**
Dell Children’s Medical Center of
Central Texas**
Design with Consignment
Jan & Paul Diehl*
Dillard’s
Dorothy & John Docherty*
Donald D. Hammill Foundation
Emerson Charitable Trust
Eye Physicians of Austin
First Unitarian Universalist
Church of Austin
Friedel Family Foundation
Garbo A Salon & Spa
Global Printing Solutions
Goodwill Industries of Central Texas**
Patricia Green
Gusto Italian Kitchen + Wine Bar
H.E.B.
Half Price Books
Joanne & Doug Heitmiller*
Angela & Richard Helmer*
Jo Anne & Will Hendrix*
Home Consignment Center
Hospice Austin
Nancy Housel & Mike Braun*
IBM Employee Services Center
InKind, Inc.**
Ipic Theaters
It’s New to Me
JoAnn Jentz*
Karavel Shoes
Keller Custom Signs & Designs
Koenig Lane Christian Church
Lake Austin Riverboats
Le Garage Sale
Let’s Organize Your Life
Little Helping Hands
Lone Star Riverboat
Sharon Lusher
Main Street Hub
Manor ISD**
Media Exponentially
Mike’s Print Shop
Catherine Nairn
Linda & J. Edd New*
Northwest Hills Pharmacy
Toni-Lynn & William O’Brien*
On the Record Advance Planning
Planned Giving New This Year
P. Terry’s
Partnerships for Children**
Payless Shoesource
Nancy Payne*
Pinthouse Pizza
Judi & David Proctor*
Project Transitions
Roberta & Larry Rosen*
Russell Korman Company, Inc.
SafePlace**
Safeway (Randalls)
Salvation Army**
Savers
Carolyn Schilthuis
Marina Sifuentes
Smart-Mail of Austin
Sola
Sooch Foundation
St. Louise House**
St. Theresa Catholic Church
Steve Armstrong Photography
Talbots
Target Corporation
Texas Department of Family &
Protective Services**
The Embellished Cottage.com
The Oasis
The Omelettry
The Treehouse Gift Shop at Dell
Children’s Medical Center
Topfer Family Foundation
Sue & Terry Tottenham*
Transitions Estates Sales
Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum
University Federal Credit Union
West Austin News
Anne Whidden
Ann & Jack Wilhelm*
World of Tennis
Young Men’s Service League
Zeta Eta Chapter of Delta Gamma
*Member
**Community Partner
4901 Burnet Road
Austin, Texas 78756-2609
(512) 458-3716 • www.alaustin.org
TELL YOUR
FRIENDS
DON
VOLUNTEER
ATE
THRIFT HOUSE
is open for business
Wednesday through Saturday,
10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Shoppers say,
“Best thrift store
in Austin”
Donations accepted Monday
through Saturday
Our upscale resale shop brings in loyal customers every
week who love to shop with us because it’s friendly, it’s
affordable, it’s helpful, it’s organized, but primarily because
all money left behind is going directly into our programs.
2015-2016 Board of Directors
President, Kathy Hurwitz
VP Philanthropic Programs, Carol Smith
VP Resource Development, Marsha Adams
VP Membership, Nancy Molbert
VP Public Relations, Judy Kennedy
VP Strategic Planning, Jane Michael
VP Education, Jaime Garanflo
VP Finance, Dorothy Cleaves
Recording Secretary, Renna Darby
Treasurer, Gail Ross
Parliamentarian, Sharon Vars
Advisory Council
Penny Cedel, Chair
Kim Barnes
Alison Cannon
Cathy Coneway
Dr. Kaye R Forgione
Michael T. Guthrie
Alana S. Mallard
Ed McHorse
Rose Betty Williams
Assistance League of Austin is pleased to accept pledges of gifts in our newly formed Planned Giving initiative.
The 2014-15 Board approved our Gift Acceptance policy. With the help and advice of our professional planned giving
consultant this year, we now have on file, a Planned Giving Policy and Procedure document.
If you would like to learn more about planned giving, contact our Planned Giving
committee chairman at: resource_development@alaustin.org.
ALA_2016_newsletter.indd 1-3
2015-2016 Community Newsletter
Visit www.alaustin.org for more information.
I www.facebook.com/pages/assistance-league-of-austin
Caring & Committment in Action
A chapter of National Assistance League
MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of Assistance League® of Austin is to
enable children and adults in the Greater Austin community to achieve
a higher quality of life by providing for specific identifiable needs.
6/19/16 2:23 PM
2015-2016 IS A YEAR OF
S PA R K L I N G A C H I E V E M E N T S
F O R A S S I S TA N C E L E A G U E
OF AUSTIN.
This year we clothed our
80,000th child through
Operation School Bell. Our
THRIFT HOUSE earned
record revenues. Our
Scholarship Program
supported more students
than in any other year.
Craft Committee knits
minion caps for Toy Cart
We revel in these highlights but we recognize that what
we do everyday, day in and day out, is what makes us
a vital part of the Austin community.
All year long, four days a week, patients in Dell Children’s
Hospital are cheered when our volunteers bring them toys
and books. A thousand seniors every year enjoy fun filled
excursions. Foster children aging out of the system are
outfitted for their next stage of life. A specially chosen
Austin ISD school is provided instructional items that they
select from their Wish List. At Dell Children’s Hospital,
when the very young victims of assault are treated, they
receive clothing and supplies that offer physical and
emotional support. All of this service is Assistance League
of Austin putting caring and commitment in to action.
What we do requires a community effort. Our THRIFT
HOUSE donors and shoppers make the store thrive.
Our grantors and contributors are the backbone of
funding for several programs. Those who know and love
the work of our chapter spread the word and increase
our presence in Austin. And making it all work, are our
members who contribute thousands and thousands of
hours giving back to their community. With no paid
employees, every child dressed, every toy presented,
every senior helped on to a bus happens because our
volunteer members are there. We thank every person
who donated, shopped, and spread the word so that
we can do what we love.
DOESN’T THIS SOUND LIKE
S O M E T H I N G Y O U WA N T TO B E
PA RT O F TO O ? C O M E J O I N U S !
ALA_2016_newsletter.indd 4-6
Assault Survivor Kits ® new partner –
Dell Children’s Medical Center.
Our Assault Survivor Kits program provides physical and
emotional services to survivors of sexual assault in the
Austin/Travis County area.
Assistance League entered into a new contract this year and
has moved the examination table and extra clothing provided
by Assistance League from St. David’s Medical Center to Dell
Children’s Medical Center. As of February 1, Assistance League
began serving child and adolescent assault survivors seen by
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners at Dell Children’s
Medical Center. This relocated program
at Dell has served 18 assault
survivors and will continue to
meet the increasing needs.
As the program advances, our
chapter will be increasingly active
in this new partnership.
Foster Youth getting a Fresh Start!
Fresh Start is somewhat new to Assistance League of Austin,
having just started the program in 2012. The primary function of
Fresh Start is to provide Life Kits to foster youth graduating from
high school and exiting the foster care system. The individualized
Life Kits provide items necessary to set up dorm or apartment living,
and help with the transition into independent living. Life Kit items
include dishes, microwaves, linens, pots and pans, kitchen supplies,
as well as other necessary items chosen by the individual youth.
This year, Fresh Start provided 40 Life Kits to the Department
of Family and Protective Services youth and helped sponsor a party
for the graduating seniors.
Packing Life Kits
Outreach helps during disasters.
Outreach, begun in 2008, reaches out to those in need to the
community. When there is a disaster, Assistance League wants to
help. In this past year during the October floods, Palm Elementary
was heavily damaged and many of the teachers lost their personal
supplies for their classrooms. Members of Assistance League
generously donated to the program and raised funds to supply the
teachers each a $50 gift card to Teacher Heaven. The teachers
were grateful to Assistance League for helping them reequip their
classrooms and replace some of their losses.
The Christmas holidays are an important time of year when
Outreach committee members volunteer to wrap Christmas gifts
at the Partnerships for Children. Bringing joy to others is another
example of caring and commitment in action.
When the Palomita Head Start Early Childhood Development
Center was vandalized, our ladies loaded up their cars with
donations and replaced the damaged items with an assortment
of fun toys and games.
56 Scholarships awarded to Austin
Community College students.
The Scholarship Program was established in 1998 to help
students who really need assistance with school tuition and support.
This is just one of the stories of success.
“When I was 16, my life started. My aunt adopted my twin
sister and me and that changed our lives completely. When we were
12, our mom left us. When we were 16, our dad stopped taking care
of us. My aunt, uncle, and meme (grandma) are the strongest driving
forces in our lives and they have guided us on the path that we now
embrace today.
My twin sister and I are on our way to becoming paramedics because we want to change the world. Assistance League has the
same mission and I can’t thank them enough for being so supportive
and for very generous donations to every student they help. My
mentor is a lovely lady by the name of Janey M. When someone is
lucky enough to get a mentor from Assistance League that is helping
pay for school, one won’t expect how much that mentor is going to
care for them. My mentor keeps up with me and, even though she’s
got a life of her own, she’s always there when I need her, and makes
sure I’m taken care of. This entire program does that! Margaret Kahn
has a large role in this and does the very best job; she’s like the glue
that holds this whole thing together. Thank you Margaret Kahn and
the ladies at THRIFT HOUSE who help fund this program. None of
this would be conceivable without y’all’.” Elizabeth Garner, 2016
Scholar’s Aunt –
Sherri Sheffield,
Scholar Elizabeth
Garner, Committee
Chair Margaret Kahn,
Mentor Dorothy Cleaves
What program can reach 20,000 children and
brighten their day?
Toy Cart was the first program established by Assistance League of
Austin 43 years ago. Today, volunteers reach thousands of children
four days a week, year round, bringing new books, craft projects,
games, magazines, Barbie dolls, cuddly stuffed animals and our
famous hanging monkeys to hospitalized children at Dell Children’s
Medical Center. All of these newly purchased gifts are given to the
patients on the regular hospital rounds.
Our craft committee volunteers spread extra love and comfort
by sewing receiving blankets and burp cloths, knitting booties and
crocheting baby caps. Cheerful new pillow cases and tote bags were
made by our hand-crafters after a
large fabric donation inspired a
new project!
Toy Cart continues to attract
the new members to join the group
as they serve the patients at Dell
Children’s Medical Center. It is a
proud tradition of service to
Central Texas!
the little ones select new clothes to take home, along with books, a
hygiene kit and a shoe gift card. The older students in middle and
high schools are invited to Target where they do their shopping.
Middle and high schools that require students to wear uniforms are
supplied clothing through the third section of our Operation School
Bell program, Uniform Closets. Articles of clothing are given to the
schools, stored and distributed to the students as needed.
We’ve developed these three ways of serving our students to
allow us to grow our program and to reach an ever-increasing
number of children in need.
Del Valle
employees bring
students to
School Bell
Ella, the service dog, gets a new
coat from the Toy Cart Crafters.
Bus With Us serving Austin’s seniors.
Allison Elementary and Pecan Springs
benefit from Operation Wish List.
Member volunteers of Operation Wish List, the OWL
program, were pleased to supply over $30,000 worth of
educational materials and equipment to the faculty at
Allison Elementary School.
Whether the items given are classroom aids and materials or a
new toy for the youngest grade level students, all items purchased
and delivered to the school are greatly needed and appreciated.
Pecan Springs Elementary was chosen as the recipient of a new
expansion of the program by providing books, both Spanish and
English, to the PreK students. The younger siblings at home were
also included. They too were given a new book, some
having their own book for the
very first time.
This program
will also supply
summer reading
programs and
school libraries
with lots and lots
of brand new
books this year.
Toy Cart ladies
ready to visit
Dell’s patients.
The toy caravan loads up for
Head Start delivery.
Waste Not partners with nonprofits
to waste nothing!
In keeping with our tremendous will to give back to the Austin
Community, Waste Not was created in 2009 to further serve
those in need. We are committed to pass along to other 501(c )(3)
agencies, items donated to Assistance League that cannot be sold
in THRIFT HOUSE. Those items find homes through our
donations to In Kind, Bookspring, Center for Survivors
of Torture, A.G.E., Travis County Department of Health and
Human Services, Any Baby Can, and Goodwill.
Operation School Bell ® has served
over 80,000 students!.
Operation School Bell volunteers celebrated early in the school
year when we clothed our 75,000th child, then continued throughout the year to clothe another 6,000 students! By year end, we had
exceeded our expectations having clothed over the last 32 years
more than 80,000 students in the Austin area!
Once school begins and the schedules are set, school buses
begin arriving at our facility with excited elementary students ready
to shop for their new school clothing. Our dedicated volunteers help
Our Bus With Us program continues to serve Austin’s
senior citizen community by offering them the opportunity
to participate in a fun-filled day trip that includes lunch and an
excursion at practically no cost.
This program, begun in 1978, serves City of Austin Recreation
Centers, City of Austin Housing Authority, various nursing homes,
assisted living centers, senior apartments and rehabilitation centers.
The Bus With Us volunteers provide a rare opportunity for many of
the seniors to participate with others and have a day out! Excursions
this year have included trips to Alamo Drafthouse, where the seniors
were treated to a movie and lunch in the fall, or a boat ride and lunch
on the Lake Austin Riverboat Commodore in the spring. The motto
of the Bus With Us group continues to be “Let’s put a smile on the
face of a senior”.
Every kid wishes
for a new toy!
President, Kathy Hurwitz
6/19/16 2:23 PM