The Charro Foundation recently awarded The Assistance League® of Phoenix $2,500 to assist in providing wardrobe packages for children across the Valley to fulfill basic needs, foster self-esteem and make sure every student enters the classroom ready to learn.

“We’re so honored to receive a grant from the Scottsdale Charros and The Charro Foundation,” said Aimee Runyon, CEO of Assistance League of Phoenix®. “Their support for the local community makes it possible for us to continue bringing the Operation School Bell program to more students in need. The impact of inflation is being felt by all and it has caused a greater need in our community. We are thankful for partners like The Charro Foundation, whose support has allowed us to bring service to an additional 20 schools in the 2022-2023 school year.”

The organization’s flagship program, Operation School Bell, provides brand new clothing, shoes and other essentials to children in need. The program also includes a mobile unit, the Delivering Dreams Bus, which makes the program more accessible to underserved students by coming directly to schools. Assistance League® of Phoenix aims to provide wardrobe packages for over 11,000 students in need this school year.

Assistance League of Phoenix partners with more than 130 Title I schools throughout the year. Each school can select up to 100 children who qualify for the program (students on the free or reduced lunch program). Operation School Bell’s 40ft Delivering Dreams Buses have been retrofitted into mobile dressing centers that bring the program directly to schools. The buses are filled with racks of clothing and shoes, along with private dressing rooms. Volunteers help each child select clothing and ensure that clothes and shoes fit properly. Each student receives a bundle of items valued at approximately $250 and includes two bottoms, three tops, six pair of socks, six underwear, a sweatshirt, belt, a pair of shoes, a new book, and a personalized health kit full of hygiene items.

About The Charro Foundation:
Formed in 1961, the Scottsdale Charros are an all-volunteer, nonprofit group of business and civic leaders that help build our community by supporting youth sports, education and charitable causes. From the very beginning, the Charros—by their very name—meaning gentlemen riders, embodies Scottsdale’s 1947 slogan, the “West’s Most Western Town.” Learn more at charros.com.

About Assistance League of Phoenix:
Assistance League of Phoenix is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has been serving the Phoenix area for 60 years. The organization has 130 members and 350 community/corporate volunteers and is affiliated with a national Assistance League with 120 chapters nationwide. Last year, Assistance League of Phoenix members volunteered over 26,000 hours and raised $2 million to serve over 20,000 children in the greater Phoenix community. For more information on Assistance League of Phoenix visit http://www.alphx.org.