Assistance League of Yuma
Transforming Lives, Strengthening Community
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our biggest concern for our organization is the loss of members. We continue to lose more members than we gain due to moving, death, etc. We are adding 10-12 new members per year but we are not catching up. We have held several new events including a Welcome
back breakfast fir teachers , a booth at the Community holiday bazaar, a thrift store fashion show at the Welcome Newcomers group, and membership in the Yuma Visitors Bureau to increase community awareness and find new members.
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 school clothing (2 uniforms & one non uniform, underwear, socks, sweatshirt, 3 new books, hats, and voucher for shoes for underprivileged school children kindergarten through 8th grade throughout Yuma County. We serve 49 schools and in 2015 we clothed 1002 children.
ALBY (Assistance League Bears of Yuma)
ALBY Bears are distributed to area law enforcement officers, fire departments and emergency medical technicians to children in times of crisis.
Assault Survivor Kits
Kits containing personal clothing items, snacks and other items are provided to victims of assault who are housed at Safe House.
Vocational Scholarship Program
This program was implemented in 2005 to provide monies for 2 vocational students attending Arizona Western College in Yuma.
Assistance League of Yuma Thrift Shop
Our thrift store is the principal source of funding for our philanthropic programs. The store provides the main source of income for Operation School Bell. The Thrift Shop , managed and staffed by our volunteer members, sells a wide variety of goods, including clothing, kitchenware, furniture, books, etc. all donated bu members, local merchants and community members.
Scholarship Literacy Program
This program was started by our auxiliary, Las Dedicadas, to assist Yuma high school students. Summer school programs are held to help them with their studies in order tongraduate.
Hygiene and School supply kits
Hygiene and school supply kits are given to school age children. Supplies are purchased and put in kits for the children.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children who have the skills necessary to maintain personal health
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Operation School Bell
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our Operation School Bell provides hygiene kits to all our K-8th grade students. These kits include toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, comb, etc.
Number of children who have the ability to seek help from and respond appropriately to adults
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Operation School Bell
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our Operation School Bell provides the opportunity for our children K-8th grade to interact with our volunteers when trying on and being given new clothing.
Number of children who have a sense of their own feelings and an ability to express empathy for others
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families
Related Program
Assault Survivor Kits
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our Assault Survivor kits provides supplies to adults and children in need of shelter due to assault. these clients express their feelings of gratitude to us and others in the shelter.
Number of students who receive scholarship funds and/or tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Related Program
Vocational Scholarship Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We provide scholarships for vocational education for Arizona Western College students as well as summer program scholarships to help high school students graduate.
Number of children helped in trauma situations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
ALBY (Assistance League Bears of Yuma)
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We provide teddy bears to emergency responders which are given to children during traumatic situations such as car accidents, fires, etc.
Number of children who receive new clothing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Operation School Bell
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our Operation School Bells provides new clothing to children K-8th grade. We have added approximately 250 more students when added 6-8 grade in 2018.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
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 Yuma is dedicated to the community through our philanthropic programs and strives to improve the lives of children in our area by providing basic needs, fostering self esteem and quality of life.
The mission of Operation School Bell, our signature program, is to provide new school clothing, shoes, books, school supplies and hygiene kits to disadvantaged
children throughout Yuma County with the goal of helping children feel better not only about themselves, but about going to and staying in school. Studies show that children who come to school inappropriately dressed are at a disadvantage and that appropriate school clothing can improve school attendance and raise classroom performance.
ALBY Bears are provided to be distributed by local first responders to children experiencing trauma; Assault Survivor Kits provided as a support to victims of assault and abuse. Clients are provided with toiletries, household supplies to set up a new home, and other items as needed for Safe House, a residential victim center; and our final program College scholarships are awarded to Arizona Western College.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Operation School Bell has been our signature program since 1970 when our chapter members sought to assist needy children by providing clothing so they could attend school. The program has grown significantly since those early days and now serves children from 49 Yuma County elementary, junior high and public charter schools. A collaborative effort has long been in effect with signed agreements between the Assistance League of Yuma and the superintendents of the seven Yuma County Elementary School Districts and the six charter school administrators. Our vision is to help the disadvantaged children of Yuma County reach their full potential in School by helping them feel good about themselves. By providing new and appropriate school clothing, shoes and learning materials, Operation School Bell enables children to arrive in the classroom better prepared to learn, bolstered by a foundation of pride and self esteem that carries beyond the classroom while easing the financial burden for their parents. Based upon need, school personnel select, refer the children to be served and transport them to our Operation School Bell facility. A member volunteer guides each child in the selection of new school clothing. Six dressing rooms allow six children at one time to Tyron their new clothes to assure proper fitting.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Assistance League of Yuma is unique in the Yuma community in that we are a volunteer organization with no paid employees. Our member volunteers assume total responsibility for the Operation School Bell planning, preparation and purchasing of clothing and materials to be given to the children. In addition, volunteers are responsible for performing all the duties of managing our Assistance League Thrift Shop which generates the vast majority of the funding for Operation School Bell. Grant funding is continually sought in order to supplement the Operation School Bell operating budget. Having a large storage area allows us to purchase clothing in sizes 4T through adult sizes 3Xand books in large quantities. In order to comply with each school's uniform dress code, we purchase three different colors of pants, shorts, capris, and skorts as well as nine different colors of polo shirts. In addition, we keep a very large inventory of regular school clothing for the children referred from non uniform schools.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We are proud to have extended our services to 7th and 8thgrade students this year. The students are pleased with clothing that they have received and we have been able to accommodate the increased number of students with age appryclothing and shoes. With the drastic cuts in state funding, some schools districts have had restricted funds to transport the children to our Operation School Bell. It is this "shopping experience" that is so special for the children.
Our Operation School Bell facility, completed in 1997, replicates a children's retail store with racks and shelves stocked with appropriate school clothing in sizes 4 through 22 and adult sizes up to 3X. A member volunteer serves as a "personal shopper" for each child to assist their selection of clothing. Dressing rooms are available to enable the children to try on their clothes. The children are served on Tuesday mornings from early August through April.
In 2011 , we purchased the land next to Operation School Bell and built our Chapter House which is used for meetings, events and overflow of children from Operation School Bell.
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 Yuma
Board of directorsas of 11/11/2020
Julie Crede
Assistance League of Yuma
Term: 2020 - 2021
Jo Anne Babiars
Assistance League of Yuma
Cheryl Taylor
Assistance League of Yuma
Sharon Gardner
Assistance League of Yuma
Mary Williams
Assistance League of Yuma
Doris Peeples
Assistance League of Yuma
Sharon McKinley
Assistance League of Yuma
Julie Crede
Assistance League of Yuma
Dawne Lee
Assistance League
Sandy Brown
Assistance League
Karen Griffin
Assistance League
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? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
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? No -
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? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
No data
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
No data
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data