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Each year Assistance League of Indianapolis presents the Ada Edwards Laughlin Award and the Shining Star Outstanding Member Award to individuals who have been nominated by membership and then selected from a committee. The Ada Edwards Laughlin award is named for the co-founder of National Assistance League who remained "less visible" and filled the role of hard working, "behind the scenes" assistant to Mrs. Hancock Banning. It is in that spirit that the award is presented. This year's recipient is Janine Bercovitz. The Shining Star Outstanding Member Award gives special recognition of one or more members each year who exemplify outstanding contributions to the chapter. This award is intended to showcase those who have given of themselves above and beyond the requirements for membership in Assistance League of Indianapolis. Recipients this year are Deb Myers, Cindee Potterack and Julie Yates.
 Mission Possible 2021 successfully ran as an online fundraiser from April 1 through May 31 to benefit the programs of Assistance League of Indianapolis. Thanks to the efforts of co-chairmen Andrea Arbore and Leslie Morgan plus their committee of eight, the campaign surpassed its goal of $83,000 to raise $110,743.
Assistance League was deeply grateful for all donations, small and large, which will make such a difference to underserved children and adults in Indianapolis during this time of critical need. Funds raised will provide new clothing, shoes, hygiene items and books during the 21-22 school year. For those facing personal tragedy, illness and distress, comforting teddy bears and warm sweat suits will be given through our ALI Bears, Assault Survivor Kits and ALI Friends programs. Our 2021 campaign may be over, but the need continues. To donate, click HERE. Remarks by Andrea Arbore, Committee Co-Chair  Can you Believe it? We successfully put on our first, true virtual event to substitute for the annual Holiday Luncheon. As our president, Barb Mohr, so eloquently remarked during the program, we hope that it will be our only “one”, and we’ll all be able to safely gather again soon to enjoy festive companionship while raising money for Assistance League of Indianapolis. That being said, the production of the virtual event showed our ability to adapt to the current climate, and, as we always seem to do, get it done.
Barb Mohr, Susan Kwiatkowski, Barb Shankel, and Patty Johnson were amazing ambassadors in the program. Our models—Sandy Speer, Leslie Morgan, Sharon Gleason, Ann Brown, Sue Lammers, Brittany Holton, and Marilyn Ringer —were so much fun to watch in The Secret Ingredient style show. The clothing and accessory selections were a hit! If you missed it, Colleen Bailie was the winner of the $100 VISA gift card in the name drawing of the first 200 guests to register. Special thanks to Sandy Speer for working with Jeanne Rush at The Secret Ingredient to make the style show such a success. To watch the event go to our You Tube channel link given below: Assistance League of Indianapolis YouTube channel The committee set a lofty goal of grossing $100,000, exceeding the figure of $77,000 in the 2020-21 budget. We currently stand at just over $51,000. There were 17 financial sponsors of the event, including the Title Sponsor Cardon & Associates, totaling $21,000. Thank you to our many members who offered this generous support. And, thank you to Judy Tomke for leading the sponsorship effort. The event will remain “open” until the end of December 2020, as we hope that additional donations will arrive via the mail or our website. So, if you’d still like to donate or have a friend/family member who is considering, please do! The Secret Ingredient will return 10% and Day Furs & Luxury Outerwear will return 20% of any sale back to ALI as long as you mention our name at the transaction. Both boutiques will offer this promotion through the end of December 2020. The silent auction saw quite a bit of action. There were 63 items on which to bid. All items received bids and many final bids matched or exceeded the item value. Thank you to Leslie Morgan and Sharon Gleason for organizing the auction, and to our many, generous members who donated items or cash. No doubt some viewers had tech challenges with the event site. For instance, there was a fun “chat” feature that some viewers found and utilized while others couldn’t locate it. Mobile device users may have experienced a lag. These virtual event platforms are evolving rapidly, almost daily, and are becoming more and more sophisticated and user friendly. We feel confident that if another virtual event appears on our ALI calendar due to the pandemic, the future experience will be more interactive and intuitive. Finally, thank you to the entire event committee for your hard work: Peggy Powell, Andrea Arbore, Barb Mohr, Carol Valentine, Trish Severns, Sandy Speer, Leslie Morgan, Kathy Detzler, Barb Hammer, Nancy Farris, Judy Tomke, Susan Kwiatkowski, Barb Shankel, Rosy Crowley and Mary Reid. A Message from Member Volunteer, Kathy Wylam  NEW INFORMATION
VOTING IN PROGRESS FOR SUPER SERVICE CHALLENGE THROUGH 12/31/2020 It is that time of year! Vote for the AECOM Hunt video through the Super Service Challenge. It is simpler than ever before. Vote now through December 31, 2020. The Super Service Challenge shares inspiring acts of service and donated to the nonprofits served. Drew Brees, Brees Dream Foundation is the Advocate and Spokesperson. Super Service Challenge will select 4 spotlight videos quarterly that will receive a special award up to $2,500. Spotlight videos are selected based on adherence to the Super Service Challenge rules, inspiring message from the volunteer and/or having a high video vote and view count on our website. Go to the link directly below to register and vote. https://superservicechallenge.com/Video/Details/3251 Search for the AECOM Hunt video. Voters are limited to one vote per email address per day! That is right - we need you to vote every day! Over the years Assistance League has received $20,735 from the Super Service Challenge. What an easy way to make some money to support our philanthropic programs . Please take a moment and vote! Questions? Contact Kathy Wylam: kkerrwylam@indy.rr.com  On Tuesday August 25, UBS Financial brought 10 volunteers to Assistance League’s temporary location Center Township Office to help us tag pants.
“They were a HUGE help to us and, because of their time contribution, we are almost completely done tagging pants! They were wonderful helpers and will be returning this coming Tuesday, 9/1, to assist with Hygiene Kit assembly - or more tagging - whichever is needed more,” says Cathy Weimer, Inventory Manager. “We had the best time and are looking forward to Tuesday, Sept 1st. ,“ says Tonya Latimer, Client Associate USB. “I wanted to let you know that because we had so many people volunteer from our Indianapolis branch, UBS will be sending you a $300 check sometime next year.” It is support from the Indianapolis community that allows our organization to keep our mission of commitment and caring alive during these uncertain times. Assistance League of Indianapolis is continuing to search for a permanent home to house our inventory and our Operation School Bell “shop”. Please visit Operation School Bell on our website to learn more about this philanthropic program.  Assistance League® of Indianapolis members Sunny Shuai and Darrell Spisak Assistance League® of Indianapolis welcomes Darrell Spisak, the first man to join our organization.
Spisak is part of a growing trend of male membership in National Assistance League's 120 chapters throughout the United States. Assistance League of Indianapolis is the 78th chapter and was organized in 1984 and chartered in 1988, with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are delighted that Spisak has decided to join in our quest to help our community through our philanthropic projects. His membership will hopefully pave the way for other men to participate in our mission of caring and commitment to adults and children in the Indianapolis community. “I became interested in joining Assistance League because of my wife. My wife, Sunny (Sunny Shuai), joined Assistance League this past summer and volunteered several times for Operation School Bell® and OSB Shoes,” explains Spisak. “Each time she came back home after volunteering, she would tell me how much fun she had and how much she enjoyed interacting with the kids. She felt the work was very rewarding. One day Sunny asked me if I wanted to help out with Shoes since they were going to be shorthanded for the day and needed some extra people, so I jumped at the chance.” “I ended up volunteering twice last summer. In the fall, Sunny asked if I wanted to became a real member. I asked if she was sure that I could since I had always assumed that Assistance League was a ladies-only organization. She assured me that anyone could join and I was excited for the chance to become a member so I could volunteer for all positions/activities. I’m hoping I’ll have the chance to contribute a lot more this year.” As a member-volunteer association our members are the strength of our organization. For the year beginning June 1, 2018 through May 31, 2019, members devoted 24,933 charitable hours, which if paid by an employer would calculate to $642,773. The Assistance League of Indianapolis 2019-20 fiscal year expense budget is $532,942. Please visit our website's About Us page to find out more about membership in Assistance League of Indianapolis  Support from individuals, organizations and businesses makes it possible for Assistance League® of Indianapolis to continue its mission of caring and commitment to the community. Recently, volunteers from Salesforce have stepped up and generously donated their time and manpower both before and after the opening of our 2019 season.
A short time later, they came to experience Operation School Bell in action. On Wednesday, August 14, Salesforce individuals partnered with members to witness how each participating child gets a special one-to-one shopping experience. They were able to witness the happiness of the students as they received their brand-new clothes and supplies, plus observe our point-of-purchase system in action.
We enjoyed meeting the dynamic team of volunteers representing Salesforce and truly valued their help. Their commitment to community service is to be admired. Their efforts will help put smiles on the faces of the children who will come to Operation School Bell this fall. Visit https://www.alindy.org/apparel.html for more information on Operation School Bell  Barb Mohr, with husband Pete on the left, accepts the Ada Edwards Laughlin Award The Ada Edwards Laughlin Award is named for the co-foounder of National Assistance League who remained "less visible". Recipients are those that exemplify someone who works very hard, but often stays behind the scenes.
The following narrative, written by Vickie Theis, explains why Barb Mohr is so deserving of this award: Barbara Mohr, who received the Ada Edwards Laughlin Award at our Annual Meeting, is dedicated, passionate, reliable and always willing to help whenever needed. She quietly works above what is expected of a member in the true “Ada spirit”. Since joining Assistance League in 2009 she has recorded over 3,500 volunteer hours. Nomination letters described Barbara as someone who:
 An online giving campaign, Mission Possible: Campaign for Kids, will start April 1st to raise funds for the philanthropic programs of Assistance League of Indianapolis: Operation School Bell, Assault Survivor Kits, ALI Bears, and ALI Friends. The campaign will conclude with a Spring Celebration at the beautiful Embassy Suites Conference Center, Hamilton Town Center, Noblesville, on Friday, May 3rd.
Corvette Indy will kick-off the night with a car show featuring 20-25 Corvettes in the Embassy Suites parking lot from 5:30 to 6:45pm. Inside the venue will be a cash bar with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and a DJ. The dress for the evening is business casual. Dinner will be served at 7:00pm. Fox59’s Ray Cortopassi will emcee the evening’s program that includes a live auction. Renowned speaker Kim Anthony, founder of Athletes in Action’s All-Star Moms Champion Outreach and former ESPN reporter and US National Gymnastics Team member, will give her vision of hope. Enjoy a casino night hosted by the Sertoma Club of Broad Ripple following the program. Each guest will receive 25 free chips to begin, and more can be bought if you run out (make that lose!). Fun prizes will reward the winners! Tickets are $100 per person or $125 for a patron ticket. A sponsor table for eight is $850 and a patron table is $1050. Both table types will receive recognition in the program. Come and bring family and friends to this fun event which supports our philanthropic programs! Your attendance will help us continue our mission of caring and commitment to the Indianapolis community! |
