Assistance League of Greater Collin County
Transforming Lives Strengthening Community
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We address 5 areas of need in the communities that we serve: Clothing, Hunger, Literacy, Supplies, Health.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Operation School Bell
Operation School Bell® provides new clothing and dental hygiene kits to elementary school students K-6 grade that have been referred by school counselors and teachers in the school districts of Collin County, Texas. We clothe almost 800 children in a school year.
We implemented a pilot program named Listen and Learn in February 2022 to improve reading levels to designated 2nd and 3rd graders at Jackson Elementary; 17 members and 1 community volunteer deliver the services.
Our Hi and Dry Program delivered 273 packages (six pair/package) of different size underwear to 38 Title I schools in 4 school districts.
Our Warm Feelings Program works with 5 Middle Schools to provide items identified as needs by the schools administrative liaisons
Finally, our Dr. Seuss Program enlists the efforts of 12 members to read a Dr Seuss book to 61 first graders who then receive a copy of the book to keep.
Pass the Word
Pass the Word program distributes reading materials to 16,000 patients in participating hospitals. We offer a variety of 17 popular magazines, crossword, word-finder, Sudoku puzzles and Mandala art books to adult patients and coloring books to children of patients. These were distributed by members to almost 400 patients at least once a week every month when services were resumed after COVID restrictions were lifted by the participating hospital.
Outreach
Members engage in activities that are specifically one-time responses to community needs such as donating 95 pairs of socks to the homeless in Greater Collin County.
Wee Memories
Members prepare bereavement memory boxes for grieving parents whose babies have died at or shortly after birth. ALGCC delivered a total of 60 bereavement boxes for parents
Caring in Action
Members engage in short term activities based upon community needs. The activities may address the areas of literacy, supplies, health and hunger. The following sub-programs provided:
Krafts for Kids delivered items (pillowcases, loveys, blankets, caps, quilts) sewn by members and community volunteers to Children's Medical Center of Plano. In addition, the group assembled and delivered 120 activity kits for children at Children's Medical Center of Plano.
Safe Haven volunteers knitted or crocheted 16 water resistant mats to Streetside Showers for the homeless.
Senior Care sub-program filled and delivered 50 Christmas stockings to residents of a local nursing home, sang Christmas carols with them in December 2021, reorganized the activity closet at the facility, delivered 20 fidget blankets to the residents and played bingo with the residents twice a month with donated prizes.
Where we work
External reviews

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?
To be a recognized leader empowering volunteers to meet essential needs to see families flourish in Greater Collin County.
To empower young students through addressing needs in the areas of clothing, health, hunger, literacy and supplies.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We continue to enhance and improve our programs within the community.
Operation School Bell® provides a shopping experience for elementary school children (K-6th grade) in need of new clothes and shoes.
Wee Memories provides bereavement boxes to grieving parents who have lost an infant at birth.
Pass the Word provides new magazines to hospitalized patients and waiting areas. This program pivoted during 2020 to suppling activity books, crayons, and puzzles to bedridden expected mothers.
Caring in Action includes several projects such as decorated baseball caps and loveys are provided to a local children's hospital, emergency children's underwear kits are provided for Title 1 schools, Reading program with Dr. Seuss books given to 1st grade children in Title 1 schools, supply closets are maintained with needed items for homeless teens in a middle school and a baby supply closet for a battered women's shelter.
We focus on 5 areas: Clothing Hunger Literacy Supplies Health
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The chapter has an active education committee which orients new members on an ongoing basis throughout the year. The chapter enjoys a well rounded membership with professional and technical skills. Many are retired from long careers from a variety of industries. Assistance League has earned a reputation for consistent quality programs that provides assistance to many persons from many walks of life in Greater Collin County. A strong public relations effort contributes to a favorable public perception of Assistance League through making new contacts through various media outlets. Our organization has no paid volunteers.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Our 60 members volunteered their time and talents to meet the needs of the community around them. We served 750 children through our Operation School Bell® program in 2020-2021 school year. Pass The Word provided magazines, books, crayon to over 16,000 patients and families in Texas Health System hospital. Wee Memories provided 45 bereavement boxes to grieving families who have lost a baby at birth. Caring in Action provided: 134 caps, loveys, afghans and pillowcases to local children's hospital; read Dr. Seuss books to 9 first grade classes in 3 different schools and gave each child a book to take home; provided blankets and school supplies for homeless middle school students; delivered 3,102 pairs of underwear to school nurses; and initiated a new project to provide Christmas Stockings for Seniors delivered on Christmas Eve. Crafts for a Cause produced the handcrafted items to support the projects listed above. Through these various programs, we returned over 85.1% of the revenue back to our community.
Our goals include serving additional children through our Operation School Bell® program. We provide new school clothes to children in need. For some children, this will be the first time they have ever had new shoes, a coat or clothes. New clothing has the power to elevate self-esteem, encourage school attendance, and improve academic performance. We provide more than a new wardrobe-we are empowering young students to reach their full potential.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We directly serve children and their parents, senior citizens and individuals without residences. We indirectly serve schools, teachers and other community outreach programs.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Based on feedback from teachers and other school personnel, we expanded our Listen and Learn sub-program to include more students in two different grade levels and we modified the time of our offerings to create less disruption in the school day.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our board, Our community partners,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
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
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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 Greater Collin County
Board of directorsas of 09/18/2022
Beth Smith
Assistance League of Greater Collin County
Term: 2022 - 2023
Beth Smith
no affiliation
Rita Hanna
Michele Miller
Charlotte Grimm
Linda Watson
Mary Stanton
Kathi Bingham
Nancy Steffel
Jane Doyle
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 -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? 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
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data