I had just joined Assistance League of Pueblo and participated in Operation School Bell for the first time. I also was working as an adjunct Professor at Pueblo Community Center. I saw so many happy faces as kids and their parents/ guardians left with full bags of new clothes, books, and health kits. I knew that we had made a lot of kids happy and excited to go to school wearing their new clothes. But the most heartwarming moment occurred the next day when a student of mine came up to me and hugged me , saying that she had never seen her daughter, a first grader, so happy. Her new clothes from OSB were so special. “She loved her new coat so much, she didn’t want to take it off.” ❤️
We are two sisters who have been members of Assistance League Pueblo since 2007.
We value the friendships we have developed over the years and believe in all the phianthropic programs we have worked on since joining ALP.
We are proud to work in the Bargain Box thrift store and hear all of the positive feed back we recieve from Customers on how clean and well organized our store is kept, and they tell friends they only wear what the purchase at the Bargain Box.
Assistance League of Pueblo provides PAL Bears to Pueblo City schools, District 70 Schools, and the Emergency Room at a local hospital. The cuddly bears are given to children in crisis.
School and hospital personnel determine when children would benefit from receiving a cuddly bear and give them to the children accordingly.
Each year the PAL Bear program brings comfort and security to a child in need by giving them a faithful friend to love and hold.
I'm proud to be a member of Assistance League Pueblo. We are a group of hard working, dedicated women, who serve and provide Pueblo County with much needed essentials and opportunities. My passion is grounded in the generous scholarships we award deserving sophomore students attending Pueblo Community College and CSU Pueblo.
As a former Elementary Principal, I am grateful for Pueblo Assistance League and the yearly Operation School Bell project that clothes hundreds of students each year! This yearly event makes a huge difference for so many families in our community. I loved seeing my student recipients with their big smiles ….so proud to show me their new back to school clothes!
Organization is all volunteer-no paid members. It serves local children and local needs. This organization earns its income by operating a thrift store and having other fundraisers instead of relying on donations. Most importantly, the members support each other for the common good and actually become good friends. I have been a volunteer member for almost 20 years and am still amazed by these hardworking ladies!
As a member of Assistance League of Pueblo I have helped children select new school clothes for the past 15 years. One of my earliest memories from this experience was after I helped a girl of 6 or 7 pick out new shoes, socks, underwear, pants and a coat I gave her the health kit that we provide to each child. I pointed out that her toothbrush was red and her brother's was blue so they could tell them apart - she looked up at me with these huge brown eyes and said "You mean I get my very own toothbrush??" This was an A HA moment for me - sometimes the smallest things that we do have an enormous impact that we can't predict. There are so many instances like this during Operation School Bell that make me so very proud of Assistance League of Pueblo.
Each year we award three scholarships, 1 to Colorado State University-Pueblo and 2 to Pueblo Community College. The Scholarship Philanthropic Program has been assisting students for over 25 years.
Assistance League Pueblo is a totally VOLUNTEER organization. We run the Bargain Box Thrift Store, we do major fundraising events, grant writing, we organize and implement our philanthropic programs, and we make a true difference in the lives of families in need within the Pueblo city and county area. We do this all with about 4 dozen sets of helping hands putting in approximately 2,000 hours a month in volunteer time and we have a great time doing it all. We share many bouts of laugher, we have made some wonderful memories and we maintain some very special friendships.
Our major philanthropic program is Operation School Bell (OSB), which was implemented in 1973. This year we will have helped more than 40,000 elementary and middle school students in need with new school clothes, hygiene kits and age appropriate books. In addition to assisting 40,000 students, we have awarded tens of thousands of dollars in local college scholarships, YMCA camperships and too many to count Pal Bears given to children in traumatic situations and many, many baby book bags to at-risk expectant mothers. WE want the Pueblo Community to know that by supporting Assistance League Pueblo through donating dollars and gently used clothing and household items and shopping in our Bargain Box that their dollars and donations are going in support of our Vision “Striving to meet the essential needs in our community so that families may flourish” and ALL of our proceeds stay within the Pueblo Community.
Operation School Bell is their major philanthropy. During "normal" years this organization helps more than 1150 school children in great need with new school clothes, health care kits, age appropriate books. All children live within Pueblo County and are recommended through their school counselors. There are lots of heart stings pulled during Operation School Bell by parents, students and volunteers. This is an amazing program and gives the children confidence in themselves to be better students who achieve higher grades and accomplishments.