Presidents Message - Grace Bednarcik
It has been said life is like a circle as some things end and others begin. Just as the school year has ended and summer has begun, Assistance League of Charlotte has just finished one year and has begun a new one. A new group of leaders have taken over the reins of what Creative Loafing named the Best Charity in Charlotte for 2016, as well as the Best Place to Volunteer!
But this organization works as the best not because of who sits on the Board of Directors - it works because of all those who stand at the donation door and take in what we sell in the Thrift Shop. It works because of the people who sort, mend, wash, repair, steam, tag, display and prepare for sale all the donations that come in our doors.
It works because of the folks who order, assemble and distribute thousands of articles of clothing, hygiene kits and school supplies to the thousands of children in our community who need them. Some students come by school bus to our Operation School Bell® store, to shop with a personal shopper member volunteer for themselves, but many receive what they need via requests from their CMS school counselors.
Those same members helped to distribute food to 1300 families through our 9 Mobil School Pantry Nights this year. They worked at Second Harvest to assemble 14,670 backpacks of food which were passed out at the end of the school day every Friday to help hungry children get through the weekend.
Members were able to touch the lives of over 400 teens who participated in Assistance League of Charlotte Mecklenburg County Teen Court. These young adults were taught the valuable lesson of restorative justice, whether they were volunteer teens or defendants in the court process. Many were mentored and counseled during those court hours. And you will also read in this newsletter about the students who were awarded Assistance League of Charlotte scholarships which will help these young people achieve their dreams.
Everything also works because of you! You come to our Thrift Shop, like what you see and buy what we have. You also make donations when we collect extra change or make special requests at the registers. It has been my pleasure and honor to be a member of this organization for the past 15 years and I hope to continue to be able to be a part of what makes Assistance League of Charlotte work. Join us, become a member, you will never be rewarded more or have as much fun while you too work!
Grace Bednarcik, President 2016 - 2017
