Assistance League of Ventura County

Assistance League’s goal is to use its programs to transform the lives of those who are marginalized in the community by poverty, a lack of education or developmental delays that impair their ability to learn. Our programs help children overcome obstacles to success and put them on a path toward acquiring the skills that they need to achieve equity in their world. Programs also aid children and adults in crisis who have been victims of domestic violence or affected by violence toward others.

To successfully achieve these goals, we have identified three priorities:
• Membership Growth: Maintain a fully engaged and committed Active chapter membership of 100
• Fund Development: Increase chapter revenue by 10% annually to serve more children in Ventura County
• Philanthropic Programs: Ensure that all programs demonstrate measurable outcomes against objectives

Membership Growth:
1. Develop and implement procedures to provide for satisfaction and retention
2. Utilize members' strength/skills
3. Expand community outreach

Fund Development:
1. Design and implement an internal fund development plan
2. Design and implement an external fund development plan

Philanthropic Programs:
1. Evaluate and measure success annually
2, Develop a plan to increase children served
3. Develop and use philanthropic program outcome data for marketing and resource development.

Overarching Strategies:
1. Increase member participation/involvement
2. Increase community awareness
3. Provide financial and human resources to ensure chapter success.
4. Review and refine the leadership development program.

Membership -
Assistance League of Ventura County has a 13 member Board of Directors and 316 member volunteers which includes the chapter and three auxiliaries. Most of the members are retired professionals who bring a wealth of experience to the organization and are committed to achieving the chapter’s goals and objectives. They accept leadership positions as Board members and committee chairmen, provide needed manpower for the philanthropic programs and participate in fundraising activities. The chapter also has an 8 member Advisory Board that is comprised of professionals from the community.

Fiscal Responsibility -
National Assistance League requires that every chapter have reserves in an amount that’s equal to its annual operating expenses to ensure the viability of the chapter and sustainability of its programs. Revenue comes from tuition received from referring school districts for children attending our Assistance League School, individual and corporate donations, grants, fundraising activities, our Bargain Box resale store and the return on investments.

Philanthropic Programs –
In keeping with its long-standing objectives of reaching out to children in need, Assistance League manages and supports five philanthropic programs. Operation School Bell® provides new school clothes to elementary school children that promote confidence and self-esteem helping young students put their best selves forward in the classroom; Assistance League School provides special instruction and therapies so that preschool children with developmental delays can enter kindergarten with confidence; B.U.F.F.Y. Bear gives children in crisis a special furry “friend” to cling to when they need one the most; Assault Survivor Kits® provide children and adults, who have been abused or sexually assaulted, with new appropriate clothing offered by caring professionals when theirs has been kept for forensic evidence; Teens Helping Teens offers a helping hand to homeless teens and teens in foster care that can ease loneliness and despair.

During our last fiscal year, more than 1,800 children were served by our philanthropic programs. Some of them have stories to tell.

Assistance League School - 48 children were served.
Assistance League School – An Assistance League member was making the daily deposit from the chapter’s Bargain Box resale store when the teller mentioned that her daughter had attended the school. Asked if it had been a good experience for her daughter, the teller sighed and said, “life changing.”

B.U.F.F.Y. Bear - 261 bears were distributed.
A member’s friend told her that her husband had committed suicide when her son was five. When the firemen arrived, she asked one of them to take her son outside to show him the fire truck. While there, the fireman gave him a B.U.F.F.Y. Bear to comfort him. She said, ”Do you know that he slept with that bear for years?” B.U.F.F.Y. was instrumental in both of their recoveries.

Operation School Bell - 1,249 children were served.
A letter written by a Migrant Instructional Support Teacher told the story of “Ricardo” who sat in the back of the classroom alone, isolated, distanced. He did not interact with the other children or respond to the teacher. “Ricardo” was selected for a visit to Operation School Bell. On the next day, he arrived at his classroom in his new clothes with his shoulders back and a smile on his face. He began talking to his classmates. He responded to his teacher and even volunteered to go to the front of the class. He now felt part of the group, part of the education system. His visit to Operation School Bell was the beginning of a wider world for “Ricardo.”

Assault Survivor Kits® - 26 children and 73 adults were served.

Teens Helping Teens - 160 homeless teens and teens in foster care received Christmas stockings. 43 graduating 8th graders and 30 graduating 12th graders received gift cards to celebrate their achievement.

What’s next?
Needs in the community change over time. Priorities shift just as its residents, the economy and societal values do. In addition to the chapter’s strategic plan, a committee was formed to go out into the community to inquire about present day needs to see if the chapter’s programs are still relevant. The information gathering has been completed, reports with the committee’s findings and recommendations are forthcoming.