Assistance League of Hawaii
Transforming Lives - Strengthening Communitiy
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Operation School Bell
This program provides new school clothing and shoes to Title I school children. Sometimes logo shirts and backpacks are provided. Assistance League members meet students and their parents at a retail store where the students select their own new school clothing and shoes and Assistance League pays for the purchases.
Operation Wildlife
Operation Wildlife is a traveling educational program that is offered to fourth-grade students and their teachers on Oahu and the neighbor islands, raising awareness about endangered species and that extinction is forever. Children get to see and touch over 100 animal artifacts from Hawaii and around the world.
We Care
We Care provides layettes to new mothers in need in hospitals. Cuddly teddy bears are given to hospital pediatric wards, emergency rooms, shelters, hospice centers and the Honolulu Fire Department. Support is given to Youth Outreach and other shelters.
Share
Share is a program to redistribute unsalable thrift shop donations to other nonprofit agencies. Goods passed along are eye glasses, household items, toiletries, clothing and shoes.
Outreach
To provide items as needed on an emergency, one-time basis to children and/or adults in the community.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Better Business Bureau 2014
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Assistance League of Hawaii believes that the standard and primary measure of this organization is to provide compassionate and caring services to individuals in the communities on these islands. Assistance League exists for the sole purpose of providing services to meet the compelling individual and community needs in Hawaii.
Supplying appropriate new school clothing to students has impacted the lives of more than 45,000 school children in the 47 years of this chapter working in Hawaii.
Assistance League serves many other unmet needs in our community through our five philanthropic programs. It is projected that this outreach will continue to grow in the years ahead.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Assistance League of Hawaii provides new school clothing to economically disadvantaged children. The goal of the program is to help raise the student's self-esteem and confidence to better focus on their purpose in the classroom. Studies show that appropriate school clothing can improve school attendance and increase classroom performance.
This is the only nonprofit clothing program to work directly with the schools to help meet the needs of students. Assistance League collaborates with local school personnel who determine which children in their school are most in need of our support, and we act upon their recommendations. We believe that success in education is vital to each child and to the future of Hawaii. More than three thousand children received new school clothing in Hawaii last school year alone, through this program.
Assistance League of Hawaii also provides tutors for children in our schools who need help with learning to read. Volunteer librarians enabled students at Pu'uhale School to check out books weekly. Age-appropriate books are donated to schools and to homeless shelters for families to encourage literacy.
Assistance League volunteers present an endangered species and wildlife program to Grade 4 students in our schools to raise awareness that "extinction is forever". Over six thousand, five hundred children and adults saw this program in the past year.
Assistance League also operates a flexible program that identifies children at risk or in trauma, women in distress, and new mothers in need. Each year the lives of nearly three thousand recipients in Hawaii are touched by this humanitarian outreach program.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Assistance League's diverse team of members is composed of retired school principals, business women, accounting professionals, classroom teachers, retail businesses owners, local service providers, police and fire departments, hospital emergency and maternity ward staff, elementary school counselors, healthcare professionals, investment bankers, and a wide range of professionals who bring many years of experience from a wide variety of roles to this organization. Assistance League members are all volunteers: there is no paid staff. A common vision is shared; to assist children and families with unmet needs in Hawaii.
The most pressing challenge is acquiring adequate funds to meet the demand. By raising awareness of the pressing needs, and of our volunteers willingness to work towards meeting them, we are striving for increasing financial support from the community.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Assistance League has been able to service over six thousand of the many more thousands of children who live below the poverty level and whose schooling is negatively affected by their family being unable to buy books for them, or clothe them appropriately for school.
Assistance League is excited about the increasing support from the community, through donations and grants. Members continue to work hard in our little Thrift Shop to raise as much money as possible to support our programs.
Assistance League has not been able to help many of the children and families in need, so we are searching for more grants and donors to help reach more of the impoverished on our islands.
Here are the words of one school counselor after the children in her care were provided with new shoes and clothing for school:
"When children don't have to worry about the clothes they are wearing, or what their peers are thinking about them, they can focus on the main reason why they are in school. These students have beautiful hearts and they have a desire to do well.
You have truly blessed them all with this fantastic opportunity.
Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!"
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Assistance League of Hawaii
Board of directorsas of 09/18/2021
Mrs. Mary Monohon
Assistance League of Hawaii
Term: 2019 - 2022
Mary Monohon
Assistance League of Hawaii
Sheri Sunabe
Assistance League of Hawaii
Margie Van Swearingen
Assistance League of Hawaii
Nancy Sparacino
Assistance League of Hawaii
Linda Tsark
Assistance League of Hawaii
Paula Allen
Assistance League of Hawaii
Miho Teipel
Assistance League of Hawaii
Linda McColgan
Assistance League of Hawaii
Sharon Ehrhorn
Assistance League of Hawaii
Gloria McGehee-Kohl
Cathy Kissel
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes