October 2013
A swift, five-minute presentation from Cindy Guerrieri, of the Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan, convinced the women that Operation School Bell needed this donation to provide warm clothes and necessary supplies to needy school children in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. Upon hearing of the great impact made by past Operation School Bell efforts, all 136 Rochester area women wrote checks totaling $13,600 that went directly to the Assistance League– within five minutes. This was the second time the group made a sizable, surprise, swift donation to meet urgent needs.
In existence since 1995, and having served over 20,000 local children so far, Operation School Bell sets up racks and shelves in school gymnasiums and allows each student to shop for the following new, unused items: a winter coat, hat and gloves, pants, shirts, underwear and socks, hygiene kit, book, duffel bag, and shoe voucher. “It is often the only ‘new’ clothing the children have ever received,” Guerrieri said. “And each child gets a personal shopper to help them find the right size and make good selections.”