Assistance League of Reno-Sparks

Greatest thrift shop in the Reno-Sparks area and the volunteers deserve a GREAT THANK YOU for all they do the keep the shop, organized, fair prices and are friendly to see smiles on their faces. This is hard work and look forward to shopping in my favorite shop; even though it is a distance from my home, it is worth the drive to shop. Looking forward to the addition to my shopping experience.
Happy New Year and Bless you for all you do for the community.

An amazing group of people that give many hours a month, in many different capacities, back to our community.

Assistance League Reno Spark’s Thrift Shop is the cleanest, most organized, with the friendliest staff shop in Reno-Sparks and funds over 11charitable projects giving over 1million $$’s back to the community every year

This all-volunteer (no paid staff!) organization plows almost everything it makes through its thrift shop and grants right back into the community. Every year it clothes over 3,000 elementary students so they are proud to to to school. It also clothes all the refugee children that come to our community. It provides scholarships, has a huge program to support veterans, and supports homeless high school students to help them get their degrees. It provides two big bags of groceries to over 300 seniors each month, including home deliveries for those who can't come to the Reno Senior Center.

A GREAT non-profit! All of their funds go to assist locals. They help to clothe kids for school, take food to seniors, blankets and clothing to homeless and much more. Quite extraordinary work that these volunteers do. Thanks

Assistance League of Reno-Sparks gives elementary and middle school students, selected by their school counselors, the opportunity to choose new school clothing, including shoes, warm coats, and other needed items. Every school has the opportunity to send children to a retail store to shop -- Assistance League volunteers are there to help and to pay the bill. For some, these items will be the only new clothing that they'll receive. They're so proud to go back to school the next morning!

This is the best organization in Reno-Sparks for helping so many people across all age groups. Children are read to and given books. Children are clothed at local stores. Veterans are supported in many ways. Seniors are provided food monthly through the league's Food Pantry. Teachers are given awards for special classroom projects and science kits. This is a hard working group of volunteers who give countless hours of time to support the community.

Their volunteerism with clothing children in Washoe Country School is remarkable. They will clothe 3500 children this school year. They also feed over 300 seniors. But my favorite is their work with homeless teenagers, both clothing them and helping them with school expenses.

I became a volunteer at Assistance League of Reno-Sparks in October, 2019, after hearing a presentation about it in our Clubhouse. I was so impressed by not only programs they run to help the local community, but by the facts that ALL proceeds raised go entirely back into the programs AND that all of those programs are staffed by volunteers; not one penny goes to salaries, bonuses, or other financial benefit to the individuals running the show! One of those philanthropic programs is the Senior Sampler - where the entire inventory is provided by local senior crafters who set their prices and receive 100% of the purchase price; helping others to help themselves. I highly endorse and support this organization and hope to remain involved as a volunteer for many years to come.

I've been a member for 9 years. I've tried other things to occupy my time that are worthwhile and make me feel good. This definitely has been my most interesting and rewarding experience! The other volunteers who work there are truly committed to working our various departments and projects. We work hard towards these goals to serve our Reno-Sparks various projects who really need improving and help and support. We're really proud of what we do and are very dedicated to these projects. We definitely are making a difference in our community, and that makes us feel proud and good!

I have been an Assistance League volunteer since 2011. Our members are very dedicated and work many long hours to make sure our most needy citizens are serviced from our Food Pantry, our Operation School Bell, Links to Learning, Senior citizens, Eddy House, Veterans and many more. We're totally volunteer and everything we gather that we can't use goes to other non-profit organizations in our area.

I have been a member of Assistance League Reno-Sparks since 2012 and it never ceases to amaze me with the dedication and expertise of our volunteers. COVID-19 and wildfires only enabled our volunteers to call on their professionalism and talent to meet the challenges.

As daunting and challenging COVID-19 was, it didn't stop this organization to find ways to serve children, seniors, veterans and victims of abuse. We looked for and found alternative ways to meet, communicate and continue our programs. Although Operation School Bell could not hold its usual shopping events that served over 3400 students in 2019, we were able to touch the lives of over 7000 students in need of Washoe County School District during the 2020-21 school year through alternative methods. This was only one of the twelve programs serving our community.

This all volunteer organization continues to find innovative ways to serve the Reno-Sparks community and I couldn't be prouder to be a part of it.

Fran Fricke

Three years ago I had never heard of Assistance League of Reno-Sparks. A friend recommended I try to sell my hand-crocheted afghans in their Senior Sampler Gift Shop (the oldest continually running philanthropy) and I made an appointment. During my interview, a member told me more about ALRS. I was blown away by the extent of their dedication to the community with programs for children, adults and seniors. I no longer cared about selling my afghans; I wanted to be a member. Learning it is 100% volunteer operated, I joined and feel my membership is the best gift I've given myself in a long time! I am now on the Board and still love every day of my involvement.

Retired, new to Reno and wanted to 'work' and volunteer at an organization that donated back to the local community. The Assistance League - Reno/Sparks (ALRS) has over 12 programs to be involved in. Enjoy working with kids? Participate in 5 different Programs like Read To Me. How about Seniors? There's 3 different areas to work, the Food Pantry to name one. Veterans touch your heart - work with our Outreach. Always room for more volunteers to share your energy and talents.
ALRS is an ALL Volunteer Women's Organization, yes it's true! Over 80% of our donations go back to the Community. The balance is to cover the overhead but no wages. Help us continue to help those that need a helping hand to help themselves.
Thank you, Darlene F. Kellett x

WE SUPPORT PEOPLE OF ALL AGES in our community. From pre-school children (with our Read To Me program), to school-aged children & teachers (with Clothes for Kids & Links to Learning) to seniors (with food bags at the 9th Street Senior Center as well as home delivery PLUS the Senior Sampler where senior crafters place handmade items to sell with seniors receiving 100% of the sales price ) to Veterans (Veterans' Outreach) to assault victims (Assault Survivors' Kits) and more, (12 essential programs) our ALL VOLUNTEER Assistance League Reno/Sparks is there to help. We are funded through individual donations, grants, and most importantly from sales in our Thrift Store - we LOVE our customers and the folks who donate items for us to sell.

Stop by 1701 VASSAR STREET in Reno to visit, shop, donate or join!. YOU will be a welcome part of the community support we deliver every day!

I love the Assistance League of Reno Sparks! It is a beautiful facility that is an amazing gift to our community & so many organizations especially our Vetrans and seniors! When I retired from my own business I wanted to volunteer somewhere that was very professional & well run, that I could get behind 100% & this is the group I wanted to work with. I am so impressed with this organization & all our philanthropic programs. Unlike others I looked into the Assistance League is 100% volunteer & ALL the money raised goes to the philanthropic groups! It is an amazing & rare group to be a part of, I am so proud to be a member!!!

I love the thrift store. They have quality items for a reasonable price. The Senior Sampler can't be be beat for excellent hand crafted items by our Senior crafters and the money is returned 100% to them when the item sells. What's not to love?

I have been an active member of the Assistance League and its auxiliary since 2008. I am so proud of our ladies and their devotion to our community. We are 300 strong and have no paid employees. We deliver groceries to seniors, clothe approximately 3,000 students a year, support the children at Kids Kottage, give monetary awards to teachers to buy classroom items, clothe homeless students and offer scholarships for low income students, support Veterans with bus passes, a baby shower, and coats and rolling bags for homeless vets, and work in our Thrift Shop to help raise funds to finance out 11 programs that directly benefit the Reno-Sparks community.

I moved to Reno 3 years ago to be near family; soon after I arrived my daughter brought me into Assistance League thrift store - I signed up to become a volunteer right then. There are so many ways within their community outreach network to help our community. I started with helping in the thrift shop, then added in the programs to clothe school age kids. My favorite has become all the ways we help our local VA hospital and their assistance with community Veterans. We are all volunteers so all income after building and such costs goes to the needy in this county.

Even through Covid, this thrift store has been extremely faithful to its customers. It is the most beautiful and clean thrift store, with color coordination, easy pricing and very friendly volunteers.

Inside the thrift store is the “Senior Sampler”. This is such a wonderful place that seniors can sell their arts and crafts and get 100% of the profits. I do all my Christmas and holiday shopping there.

I have been associated with the Assistance League since 2017, I love that it is a group of volunteers who are always there to help out the community at every chance we are given.

During the 2020 pandemic, from the start, our league has been active making sure that seniors and veterans continued to receive food and supplies, hygiene kits for students, assault survivors and seniors were distributed throughout the community. Programs have expanded to allow us to give to WCSD over 400 laptops for distance learning as well as working with other nonprofits like STEP2, Education Alliance and Communities in Schools to get additional clothing, supplies and food to other areas in our community. Our members are constantly thinking outside the box to provide services, an example is our Read to Me program, which reads one on one to preschoolers, this year the volunteers have produced videos that the preschools and parents can access to continue the inaction with the children. This is just a few examples of what has been happening during the pandemic, there is so much more.

Again this is a caring group of all volunteers who are not afraid to reinvent themselves to get the needed services out to the community. That is why I am such a huge supporter of the Assistance League Reno-Sparks, a nonprofit that is 100% volunteer with no paid staff.

Have been in business for a number of years and upon retirement went full bore into the Assistance League to further my quest for activity, and did I ever find it! Enjoy working in all of the programs, and can't say enough about the remarkable women who dedicate their hours to this amazing organization.
Our Thrift shop is immaculate, and we lovingly call it "The Nordstrom's of Thrift Shops". Can't think of another organization with the dedication of these ladies. As the saying goes, "Try it, you'll like it!".

Doxyfan

Why do I volunteer at the Assistance League of Reno-Sparks? Because I believe in what they do! The League has more than 12 different programs that: help feed the seniors, clothe the low income back to school children, help the veterans, help with assault victims, help to supply needed supplies to teachers in the local school district, sell hand crafted merchandise to customers that the local seniors have made and this helps to supplement their income, plus many more programs that the League does. Through the League I can help to make a difference in our town. I always feel this enormous pride when I see the difference that it makes to those who receive these benefits. I know that I am volunteering in the right place. Jessie Scott

I joined the Assistance League of Reno-Sparks almost five years ago, and I have been amazed by this energetic and organized group of wemen ever since. I am always struck by what is happening in the Assistance League building at any given time: women are working in the Thrift Shop, the Senior Sampler, the food pantry, the office, and in meetings, organizing our many programs. The fact the Assistance League is run totally by volunteers makes this organization even more impressive, especially considering the impact we make on children, the elderly, victims of abuse, and Veterans. Every program is well organized and carefully evaluated. I have been most closely associated with Links to Learning, a program that awards teachers (208 this year) money to bring books, math manipulatives, technology, etc., to their students. On a personal note, a friend whose 15-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted began to cry when I asked her if her daughter had received one of our sexual abuse survivor kits. She told me her daughter had slept with the teddy bear in the kit every night, and she felt that teddy bear had saved her daughter's life. Indeed, we do make a difference.

I was introduced to the Assistance League of Reno-Sparks shortly after I moved here in 2000. Since I did not know anyone in the area, the members and voluteers became my family. But it was through the Operation School Bell program that I realized what a wonderful and worthy organization this was. Seeing the looks on the childrens' faces as they receive new clothes - many for the first time in their lives, and the looks of appreciation on parents' faces, is so rewarding. I have continued working with this program as well as taking part in many of the other programs that serve this community so well. This organization is made up totally of hard working volunteers, and it is truly doing such good work for so many!!

This organization is a big part of my life. When I retired I needed a activity to keep up my energy level. This organization not only gave me a new set of friends but a vehicle to help my community. Working with the students during Operations School Bell is very rewarding. The organization has also given me an opportunity to keep my computer skills updated and exercise my mind. This worthwhile group is a real asset to the Reno and Sparks communities.

This past year, I received an award from the Links to Learning program. I was able to help many of my students who were behind in their math skills because of the award which allowed me to purchase math skills workbooks that could be used for extra practice at home. Thank you, Assistance League for providing the funds to help my third graders.

Four years ago I was introduced to the Assistance League of Reno-Sparks at Women's Expo. Little did I realize I had stepped on a gold mine. This non profit is an all volunteer organization. We have 12 wonderful programs that provide services to benefit individuals in need in our community with empasis on children, seniors, veterans and victims of abuse.Our programs are funded by grants, fundraisers and other donations as well as proceeds from our Thrift Shop located on Vassar Street. I believe strongly in giving back to the community in which you live and that is exactly what Assistance League of Reno-Sparks does. All services stay in Washoe County.

Visitors to Assistance League of Reno-Sparks' building on Vassar Street in Reno are amazed at the flurry of activity that goes on there: Six days a week volunteers man the Thrift Store and Senior Sampler consignment shop; the Food Pantry buzzes with members filling bags of food supplies, getting them ready for distribution to local low income seniors; Operation School Bell® committee members organizing the next shopping event to clothe low income elementary and middle school students; puppeteers rehearsing their next The Kids on the Block presentation to local school children on topics such as bullying and physical disabilities; Links to Learning members completing their selection process to award grant money to teachers for school projects for which funding is not available; volunteers receiving and sorting donations for sale, with unusable items going to other area nonprofits; and meetings and administration involving all 12 philanthropic programs. These amazing women give so much to the success of our chapter. If you get a chance, drop by and check out the action.

I joined Assistance League a year ago this past September. They take the time to inform you of all their charitable endeavors before you even join. Because I serve as the PR photographer I go to most events to document it with photographs. I have never been involved with a group of women where so many show up to help whether its to man the Thrift shop, help bag food for the food pantry or read to preschool children. The camaraderie and friendships that develop from this 100% volunteer group is nothing less then inspiring. This is by far the best volunteer group I have ever encountered or been involved with in my life.

As a new member, upon entering ALRS I was enthusiastically welcomed, trained, and mentored into the most exciting professional experience of my lifetime thus far. ALRS' sophisticated organization is a 100% volunteer membership, governed by its formal By-Laws, Policies, Standing Rules and 12 diverse and impressively managed philanthropic programs...ALL run like clockwork. The Board is nurturing and communicative, open to new ideas from the membership, even new members who want to see an idea developed, vetted and worked through to completion. ALRS' motto is 'Caring and commitment in action' which perfectly describes our membership's united dedicated actions.

I am extremely impressed with the work done by the members of Assistance League of Reno-Sparks. These hard-working volunteers put tremendous hours into a program which dressed needy school children in our community. Even though I am not familiar with all of the programs, their Thrift Shop also provides a great shopping experience in the community.

I walked through the front door of the Thrift Shop on Vassar Street in Reno and was struck by the friendliness of the people, the cleanliness of the Thrift Shop and the energy of the dedicated group of woman. Next thing I new, I was joining the organization as a volunteer. Then I started to learn about all the philanthropic programs. I was particularly struck by how well things were organized. I am so happy working with this wonderful group of women who all have busy families but they all want to give something back to their community. I am proud to say that I am part of the Assistance League of Reno-Sparks where I get a chance to make a contribution to the work being done by them.

I'm astonished at the number of committed women in Assistance League who work together to better the people in our community, and I'm proud to be one of them. The initial draw for me to join this organization was one program called Operation Schoolbell. As a former teacher, I loved the fact that community folks were willing to dress many of our children living in poverty. Today, I continue to work with children, but now through a program I helped start called Read to ME---a preschool literacy program whereby Assistance League volunteers read one-on-one to children ages 2-5 three times a week in the Boys & Girls Club preschool in Reno. Recently, Assistance League joined forces with the Associated General Contractors and the Washoe County School District to raise 3000 books to start a lending library in that preschool. The beauty of our organization is that women from every walk of life can find a niche where their energies, passions, and efforts provide needed and necessary aid to folks in our community.

As President of this outstanding organization, I take pride in leading this all-volunteer group of 350 women who provided more than 57,000 volunteer hours last year. Our 12 philanthropic programs serve children, seniors, veterans, and victims of abuse. What an accomplishment!