Operation School Bell®

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Operation School Bell^®
Helping children in need succeed

Poverty extinguishes hopes, ambitions, dreams and aspirations. Operation School Bell addresses many basic needs of disadvantaged students by providing new school clothing and supplies. Our goal for these students is to instill a sense of pride and excitement about school, boost self-esteem and encourage academic success.

"These are difficult times across America. Here in the Indianapolis Public Schools, eight out of ten children live in poverty. While some families plan special outings to shop for new school clothes, the majority of our children try to make do with outfits that are two or three years old. For these youngters, Operation School Bell is more than just a program that provides clothing, it is a blessing."

Eugene G. White. Ed.D.

Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools

Operation School Bell

2,993 Indianapolis School Children came to "shop"

Operation School Bell, our initial and largest philanthropic program, began in the school year 1984-85. Since its opening 28 years ago the program has now provided clothing and school supplies to over 38,363 Indianapolis school children.

The school children are bused to the Service Center for Indianapolis Public Schools and chaperoned by school personnel. In our "shop" Assistance League members act as personal shoppers, one-on-one with each child, allowing the child to select from an array of colors and styles in their size. All of these items are placed in a new duffle bag to make it easy for the children to carry their items home.

On August 29, 2011, the 36,000th Child Was Clothed

On August 29th, 2011 Operation School Bell celebrated the clothing of its 36,000th child along with the Honorable Greg Ballard, Mayor of Indianapolis, his wife, Winnie Ballard, and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Willie Giles from the Indianapolis Public Schools. The Mayor presented Assistance League with a proclamation declaring the day as "Operation School Bell Day" in Indianapolis.

Who We Give To

Over 51 days Operation School Bell provided new clothing, school supplies, hygiene items, underwear and books to 2,993 students from the Indianapolis Public Schools and from the Metropolitan School District

Warren Township 255
Washington Township 280
Pike Township 213
Lawrence Township 233
Indianapolis Public Schools 2,012

School personnel referred children living at or below the poverty level, in grades K - 6th from the Indianapolis Public Schools and grades K - 5th from the Metropolitan School Districts, to come to our "shop".

In Action

Note as written from student attending Operation School Bell:

"Hi my name is Olivia and I wanted to say thank you for letting us have nice things from this store. I really hope the doenations are goiong well. So I also wanted to say ...I love the AL program!!!"

How We Make A Difference

What We Give

2011-2012 Budget - $266,900

This year the Operation School Bell budget enabled 2,981 children to personally select the following new items:

1 Winter jacket
Hat, scarf and gloves set
6 pairs of socks
6 pairs of underwear
2 pairs of navy or khaki pants, jumpers, or skorts (or 2 pair of jeans to non-uniform schools)
2 shirts
1 Belt
1 Sweatshirt
School supplies (includes crayons/markers, glue, pencils, notebook, ruler, and a folder)
Hygiene supplies (includes a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and deodorant)
2 age-appropriate books

The estimated retail value of the new clothing and supplies received is $200.

How You Can Make A Difference

You can help a child prepare for school with a new warm winter coat and school clothes, shoes and supplies for a donation of $120.

With the generous support of friends in the community,we were able to serve 2,878 students in the 2010-2011 school year. Unfortunately the need continues to grow each year, the poverty level of Indianapolis school-aged children has grown significantly as measured by the percentage of children qualifying for the free/reduced lunch program. The Metropolitan School Districts average is 62% of K-5 students who now qualify and for Indianapolis Public Schools the number is a staggering 85% of their K-6 students. We hope we can count on you to help fill a duffel bag.

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Your Donation Helps Our Community

Monies realized from our fundraising efforts are returned to the community through our four philanthropic projects. Services are made possible through private gifts, grants, and donations. During the 2010-2011 fiscal year, eighty six cents of every dollar spent went to support our programs to help the underserved in the greater Indianapolis area.

Assistance League of Indianapolis is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Donate Now!

If you are interested in learning more about Assistance League of Indianapolis or in making a charitable contribution please contact us at:

Assistance League of Indianapolis Northbrook Center 1475 W. 86th St., Suite E Indianapolis, IN 46260
Phone: 317.872.1010 Fax: 317.872.1542 Email: President@alindy.org

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