Assisting Communities Across the San Fernando Valley
Photos by Sonia Gurrola
A Kindness Extending Past Resources
Myra Fisher, former Assistance League president at the Assistance League thrift shop. (Sonia Gurrola | Scene Magazine)
For the past 33 years, Assistance League of San Fernando Valley has been helping the community as an entirely non-profit organization. Assistance League is a national organization that began in Los Angeles in 1919. In January of 1989, a group of all women volunteers of the San Fernando Valley were invited to start a chapter.
Current president Tina McConnell is able to keep the league going with the help of volunteers from the community. Myra Fisher is one of those volunteers, and a past president who currently takes the role as parliamentarian and bylaws chairman. Assigning roles to each member is crucial because every role is needed to keep the organization going.
At a national level, the Assistance League works with schools in order to provide necessary aid. This program is formally called Operation School Bell. Operation School Bell is a program that is required for every chapter to have. It started off by providing clothing for underserved students, but as the years have gone by and the needs have shifted, it has evolved to accompany the students.
Assistance League of San Fernando Valley personally visits schools across the valley to observe the students (they range from elementary to high school). They take note of everything and anything that they see the students might need. They quickly realized that many of them were not able to bring books home due to a lack of a book bag. Thus, they found their first donation plan for their chapter’s Operation School Bell.
The donation of book bags to these schools had a major impact on the students, but also made the teachers aware of the chapter’s generosity and care for their community. The chapter began to work directly with the teachers and nurses at the schools to provide for the current needs of the students.
This includes school supplies appropriate by grade level - jackets, clothes to be sent home in if they experience an accident and even a hygiene kit brought to the kids by “the tooth fairy.”
“And even though we see everything, you know, looking nice and bright and shiny, and the sun comes up, and the moon comes up, there are a lot of families in this valley that just don’t have it.”
The Assistance League San Fernando Valley teddy bear. (Sonia Gurrola| Scene Magazine)
“We had our eyes opened when one little boy was so excited when he pulled out his toothbrush. And he said, ‘I've never had my own toothbrush.’ Now can you imagine a family using one toothbrush or maybe not even having a toothbrush?” Fisher said.
Tina McConnell, president of the Assistance League, at the Assistance League thrift shop. (Sonia Gurrola | Scene Magazine)
The chapter even took the hands on approach so far as to personally take these underserved students to Payless to get their feet measured and then buy them a new pair of shoes of their choosing. This was of course before Payless’ closing in June 2019. Now they go to the school personally and measure their feet there. After that, they contact their vendor and order the appropriate sizes.
The chapter constantly looks for any way they can help because at the end of the day, there is always someone who is in need of their services.
“And even though we see everything, you know, looking nice and bright and shiny, and the sun comes up, and the moon comes up, there are a lot of families in this valley that just don't have it,” Fisher said. “They just don't have it for their kids. They can't afford to buy them the shoes, the clothes they need. And it's such a very sad situation.”
The Assistance League of San Fernando Valley continues to do honorable work by providing for the underserved communities. Despite these continuous efforts, they still struggle with the one thing nonprofits need - donations, specifically ongoing ones.
“I always say the hardest part is not getting that first donation, but getting the second one afterwards,” said McConnell. “I wish we were millionaires.”
Jessica Brazil shops at the Assistance League thrift shop. (Sonia Gurrola | Scene Magazine)
The chapter raises funds for their programs through fundraisers, silent auctions, bake sales, but their primary source of income is the Assistance League Thrift Store.
With all of the programs that they have instilled, it has become difficult to manage them all from multiple spaces. Currently they occupy two office spaces at the First United Methodist Church as well as working from members’ homes.
“Our prayer right now is that somebody would sponsor us,” said McConnell. “To either buy a building for us, or help us lease it, something, you know, where we can have everything all contained under one roof would be great. In our offices, as well as our meeting place. I mean, that would be a dream come true.”
