PLATINUM2024

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Transforming Lives - Strengthening Community

aka Assistance League   |   Apple Valley, CA   |  www.victorvalley.assistanceleague.org

Mission

Mission Statement: Assistance League volunteers transforming lives through Philanthropic programs. Vision: To help meet the needs within our community. Values: Assistance League of Victor Valley has a rich history of supporting the vision and talents of dedicated volunteers engaged in personal service to our community and embraces the follow: - Commitment - Leadership - Ethics - Accountability - Respect

Notes from the nonprofit

Our all-volunteer organization’s mission is to transform the lives of children and their families in our local community. We identify needs, develop, and implement philanthropic programs to support them. Operation School Bell® is our signature program and has provided new school clothing to over 35,000 children. Properly clothed students demonstrate a significant/positive change in classroom behavior, confidence, and level of engagement with peers/school activities. We also have an Assisteens Auxiliary made up of local students in grades 7-12. These young people are learning what it means to give back and developing their leadership skills. They support the chapter with various fundraisers and philanthropic programs, such as ‘Teens Helping Teens’. We have four main sources of funding: Assistance League Thrift Shop, mail campaign, spring social event, and grants. We have an excellent reputation for putting our funding to good use and accomplishing great things in the community.

Ruling year info

1980

President

Sylvia Morrison

Treasurer

Patricia Fox

Main address

PO Box 39

Apple Valley, CA 92307 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

95-3417060

NTEE code info

Philanthropy / Charity / Voluntarism Promotion (General) (T50)

Children's and Youth Services (P30)

Thrift Shops (P29)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Assistance League of Victor Valley members identify, develop, implement, and fund ongoing philanthropic programs for specific needs of the community which includes the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Apple Valley, Victorville, Hesperia, Adelanto, Oro Grande, Helendale, and Lucerne Valley. Each year, the number of economically disadvantaged families in the Victor Valley increases! Over 60% of the students in the seven school districts we serve are on the free-lunch program and majority are Low/Moderate Income Families. These families often have to choose between paying bills, buying food, or getting new school clothing for their children. Our goal is to find ways to help them! We aim to secure funds to continue and expand our philanthropic programs touching the lives of thousands each year in our community. We work to meet these needs for all of the families in the Victor Valley community.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Operation School Bell

Operation School Bell is the signature program for Assistance League. Since 1987, our Victor Valley Chapter dedicated volunteers have proudly provided new school clothes to over 37,000 local students. We conduct an "outcome" survey at the end of each year. The survey is completed by the school coordinators/teachers. The results of the survey have shown that 85% of participating students demonstrated a significant and/or positive change in classroom behavior, confidence, and level of engagement with peers and/or school activities.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Operation HUG provides cuddly bears to children suffering from physical and emotional trauma while being treated in local hospitals. These bears provide comfort to these children in crisis. Members deliver bears to our three local hospital emergency rooms for distribution.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

This program provides clothing and grooming items to victims of violence. When a victim's clothing is retained as evidence in a criminal investigation, they are given a kit that contains a shirt, pants, underwear, socks, and hygiene items. Kits are distributed, as needed by counselors from the Partners Against Violence high desert location.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Read, Enjoy, And Develop was adopted by Assistance League of Victor Valley in response to the identified needs of local school children. Our chapter provides funding offered to all nine High Desert School Districts that is used to bind selected children's stories for the Young Author's Program, as well as STEM and Literacy Awards.

STEM Awards are made available on request for special projects that enhance student involvement and experimentation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Literacy Awards provide chapter books for children and classroom sets for new teachers.


Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Adults

A program to donate excess items from our Thrift Shop to help other 501(c)(3) organizations. This allow us to partner with them to improve the lives of families in our local communities It also helps our environment by ensuring that everything that comes into our thrift Shop is 're-used/re-cycled'.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people

A program that provides a flexible, rapid-response strategy by which Assistance League of Victor Valley can respond to specific community needs that do not fit within currently existing programs and that can be addressed on a one-time-only basis.

Population(s) Served
Families

Moving Forward is a program to help young adults who have aged out of the foster system. We help by providing practical needs of household goods so they can begin to set up their own household. Our volunteer members purchase essential items and present to them as they prepare to live on their own. Budget to cover $250 per youth - 20 this year

Population(s) Served
Young adults

A program to provide blankets, socks, full-size grooming, and personal items to teens in need. Distributed through the local high schools.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

All members of Assistance League of Victor Valley are volunteers donating their time and talents raising funds that support local community philanthropic programs. Decreased hours due to COVID.

Number of children who receive new school clothing through Operation School Bell

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people

Related Program

Operation School Bell

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Operation School Bell is our signature program that provides a shopping experience for children to purchase new school clothing, uniforms and shoes

Number of bears donated to local hospitals for children in trauma situation

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

Operation Hug

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Each year we deliver bears to 3 local hospital emergency departments. Numbers were low in 2020 due to the Corona virus. Hospitals can once again accept bears and we provided as needed.

Percentage of Annual return to the community for Philanthropic Programs

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Philanthropic Programs of Assistance League of Victor Valley: Assault Survivor Kits, Operation Hug, Operation School Bell, Project R.E.A.D, Outreach, and Moving Forward

Number of Dr. Seuss books and DVDs distributed to Kindergarten students and teachers during Action Week

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Project R.E.A.D.

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Participation in National Assistance League's Action Week - Books, bookmarks and DVDs went to Kindergarten students in several elementary schools

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Assistance League of Victor Valley aspires to identify and meet the needs of our local community through teamwork, resourcefulness, and reliability.
GOAL #1: Provide philanthropic Programs and Services that meet the needs of the High Desert Community
GOAL #2: Recruit and retain members to properly support ongoing Philanthropic Programs and staff the thrift shop
GOAL #3: Maintain sufficient funds to ensure ongoing operations, long-term financial stability, and continuous growth
GOAL #4: Investigate and implement modern digital technology and systems to update and enhance the Chapter's management and
communication methods

In following our Strategic Plan, we are:
(1) actively working to expand current philanthropic programs and develop new quality programs where our volunteer members can have a positive impact where it is most needed;
(2) identifying new ways to recruit volunteer members and promote member satisfaction and retention through mentoring and training.
(3) striving to maintain sufficient funds to ensure ongoing operation, long-term financial stability, and continuous growth through efficient thrift shop management. Increase Assistance League of Victor Valley's visibility to enlarge donor, supporters, and shoppers.
(4) Developing a technology team. Investigate and develop a centralized database for membership, fundraising, and program outcomes. Assist chapter members to learn and use digital tools and social media.

With over 130 volunteer members all dedicated to fulfilling the needs of the Victor Valley, we manage and maintain a balance between income and expenses. We work tirelessly and successfully to participate in and support the fundraising and philanthropic programs and projects of the chapter. We have successfully implemented the use of constant contacts, Facebook, and our website to keep our thrift shop customers informed of upcoming sales and events. We send out a community newsletter twice a year to keep our donors informed of the impact of our programs and how their donations benefit the community. As an all-volunteer organization, we can keep our expenses low and return more than 75% each year to the community through our philanthropic programs.

We have clothed over 37,000 students through our Operation School Bell program since 1987; provided thousands of cuddly bears to children in trauma situations through three local hospitals; provided emergency clothing and hygiene items to assault victims through the county's rape crisis center; and published and bound books for students who have written short stories through the Young Authors program. We have provided household items for young adults transitioning out of foster care and have provided food and essential items to families during emergency situations. We have participated in the "USA Today" Make a Difference Day and have donated thousands of books to local school libraries and classrooms. We participate in National Assistance League Action Week, providing books, DVDs, and interactive skits to young school-age children. We have expanded our Operation School Bell program to include middle and high school students. We have partnered with local stores to better meet the clothing size and uniform needs of all children and we order shoes from a company offering wholesale sneakers for charity. We have expanded our R.E.A.D (Read, Enjoy, and Develop) program to provide science and technology grants to schools and also provide chapter books to children and books for classroom libraries. We will continue with our current programs and investigate other needs in our community.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    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

  • 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

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

Assistance League of Victor Valley
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build 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 Victor Valley

Board of directors
as of 10/16/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Sylvia Morrison

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Term: 2023 - 2025

Ramona Muldoon

Assistance League of Victor Valley

JoAnn Seel

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Sylvia Morrison

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Sandi Maberry

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Lisa Hoegerman

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Pat Fox

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Kay Marie Gregory

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Merry Bayles

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Kathie Bordonaro

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Lisa Bentz

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Sally Parris

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Christine Fuller

Assistance League of Victor Valley

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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 ? Not applicable
  • 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 11/2/2022

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

Transgender Identity

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data