About the Nonprofit
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Our organization's mission is to enhance the education of children. Our mission statement: “Assistance League of Nashville is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that transforms the lives of children through community programs.” Our signature program, Operation School Bell, provides Standard School Attire to underprivileged elementary children in Metro Nashville Public Schools(MNPS). Our focus is on education. Our strategy for ensuring a better education for children is to improve school attendance and enhance self-esteem.
Most MNPS elementary schools require Standard School Attire (SSA). School counselors inform us that, when children arrive at school wearing clothing that does not meet SSA requirements, the parents are called to bring acceptable clothing, or take the child home. This results in time away from the classroom. Many families, especially those with several children, do not have enough money to provide clothes for each child. When their children bring home their new clothes, parents report to school officials their appreciation and support. For many children, these are the first new clothes they have ever had. Our ability to provide clothing removes some financial stress off the families and facilitates "inclusion" for the children, whose self-esteem is enhanced. Our goal for 2023-2024 school year is to provide 2 complete sets of SSA and full-size hygiene kit to 4000 economically disadvantaged students. Counselors say school attendance improves for children who receive the new clothing.
We also have an active literacy program. Prior to the COVID pandemic, our volunteers went into schools each year to read to children. We have provided hundreds of books to children and to their school libraries, donated “Little Libraries” to schools that do not have a library, and a Bookworm Vending Machine stocked with books to a lower-performing school, plus $700 for books to fill it. Our goal this year is to work with a local literacy nonprofit to provide volunteers for classroom reading.
