Assistance League of Hawaii

Membership Meeting and Luncheon

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 • 11:30 A.M.

Pacific Club - 1451 Queen Emma Street, Honolulu

February 2024 Newsletter

Operation School Bell member volunteers at the January 27 event.

We Are A Giving Organization

Assistance League members, wherever they are, have a giving spirit and compassion for those in need. We recently received an incredibly generous donation of $3,015 from thirty-two members of the Assistance League of Amador Valley chapter, in Northern California, intended for our Maui Relief Fund. One of their members, whose family often visits Maui, encouraged donations to be collected at their December meeting and holiday dinner, and this donation is the result. This money will be added to the Maui Relief Fund of our Outreach program and will allow us to do even more to help families affected by the August wildfires.

We hope that many of you will spend part of your Valentine’s Day with us at our February Membership Meeting and Luncheon at the Pacific Club. (Details in the Hospitality article below.) We will have a special guest speaker, who will share a fascinating presentation about the history of Assistance League, from its modest beginnings in California to its current-day nation-wide status. We will also conduct some official business and hear about the latest accomplishments of our philanthropic programs. This is a meeting you won’t want to miss.

Many thanks to all who pitched in to help at our recent Operation School Bell In-Store Shopping event at Walmart, those who traveled to the Big Island to make Operation Wildlife presentations, and to those who have delivered We Care and Share program supplies to various recipients across Oahu. Special thanks also to so many of you who help to keep us funded by working at our Thrift Shop. You are all important cogs in this amazing machine we call Assistance League of Hawaii.

Mahalo for all that you do.

Anne Salenger to Speak at

February 14 Membership Meeting

Assistance League of Hawaii is pleased to announce its upcoming February Membership Meeting & Luncheon, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 14 at The Pacific Club, located at 1451 Queen Emma Street in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The highlight of this meeting will be a presentation by esteemed guest speaker Anne Salenger, former Historian for National Assistance League. Anne, who currently serves as an independent historian and archivist, will give a captivating presentation featuring historic photos. Her presentation will delve into the origins of the first Assistance League and its evolution into the 120 nationwide chapters we know today.

The luncheon will be a Deli Lunch Buffet, including Ginger Chicken Salad, Spinach Chicken Salad, and an Assorted Fresh Fruit Platter. Guests will have the opportunity to create their own Sandwiches, with options such as Turkey, Ham, Roasted Beef, Cheddar and Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, and a selection of bread and condiments. For dessert, attendees can indulge in Brownies and Assorted Cookies, accompanied by refreshing beverages such as Iced Tea or Coffee.

The cost of lunch will be $38.00 per person, payable by cash, check, or credit card at the door. Free parking is available. Please RSVP at althrift281@gmail.com by no later than Friday, February 9. Late reservations cannot be accepted. Check-in will commence at 11:00, followed by the meeting at 11:30.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Volunteers: Spread the Word About Our Chapter

We have 3 new members to introduce to you. Whitney Hoyt, a former high school principal, met some of our members through golf. She lives in Hawaii Kai and is interested in Operation Wildlife, Operation School Bell and Literacy Services.

Lisa Wilson found us online and will be helping with OWL as she has quite a background in science, ecology and education.

Jessica Henao lives in Makiki and was shopping one day and asked if she could help us. “YES” was our answer! Jessica has been helping at the Thrift Shop and will also be spending time at the Humane Society with cats! 

Please join us at the February luncheon so you can meet our newest crew members.

Let your friends, relatives and associates know that we are always looking for new member volunteers.

Don’t Forget The Budget Meeting

The Annual Finance Budget Meeting will be Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at 9:30 in the Ohana Room. All Officers and Chairman should review their current budget status and assess any needs for the coming fiscal year, 2024-2025. Please be prepared to present your budgetary needs at the meeting.

Finance Committee members are: Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Chairmen of Resource Development, Thrift Shop, Philanthropic Programs, Strategic Planning, Operation School Bell, Operation Wildlife, Outreach, Share, We Care and a past president appointed by the President.

Strategic Planning Meetings

Slated For Wednesday, March 13

Attention Assistance League of Hawaii members! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 13th, as the annual Evaluation Meetings take center stage, in lieu of the regular monthly gathering. These small-group neighborhood meetings will take place in members' homes. This intimate setting offers a unique opportunity for members, especially newcomers, to share their ideas and suggestions in a smaller group environment.

"We are all key players in the ongoing success of Assistance League of Hawaii," says Cathy Kissel, chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. "The evaluations provide invaluable insights as we strive to maintain operational excellence, allowing us to continue supporting our diverse programs."

More details about these meetings will be unveiled at the February Membership Meeting, and the March newsletter will further set the stage for these impactful sessions.

Remember, your voice matters! Don't miss this chance to contribute to Assistance League of Hawaii’s future and connect with fellow members in a meaningful way. We look forward to your enthusiastic participation.

Our Philanthropic Programs Are On The Move!

We had another successful Operation School Bell event at Walmart on January 27. Our member volunteers love to help Hawaii’s school-aged children to acquire needed school clothing.

We have many faithful volunteers who participate in our programs. You can tell they love what they are doing. We would love to see new volunteers join in to make a difference. There is always something you can do to help with these important programs. As we have said many times, our programs are the reason Assistance League of Hawaii exists!

OPERATION SCHOOL BELL: Chair - Laurelyn Berger, Co-Chair - Andrea Cyriacks

Operation School Bell^® is continuing to work on helping the Maui schools that were impacted by the fires that happened last August.

Another In-Store Shopping Event took place on Saturday, Jan. 27th at Walmart Ke'eamoku. Everyone always appreciates this great direct way of providing new school clothes to the neediest keiki in our schools. OSB invited 160 students from 3 elementary schools (Likelike, Kalihi and Palolo) to shop at Walmart for school clothing totaling $70 for each student. Over 24 members and community volunteers v helped to make this event a success. Thanks to all who participated both at Walmart and at the Thrift Shop on that day!

In addition, OSB is still working with 56 schools to provide school logo t-shirts.

Kokua Clothing Boxes- Refills to Kokua boxes were sent out to two Big Island schools and Waipahu Elementary on Oahu. New items requested were athletic shoes for students to wear as loaners for after school athletics. Of course, plenty of socks were included for their new shoe lockers.

WE CARE: Chair - Linda Tsark

Thanks to the hard work of Linda Tsark, and her faithful group of volunteers, they are able to provide needed services to partners in many different parts of the island - from the West side of the island, Leeward, Windward, to Waikiki.

Carol Jones delivered 2 bags of Malama Bears and 14 layettes to Kapiolani Hospital on January 4 and another 4 bags of layettes to them on January 11.

We Care was busy with the distribution of the Hawaiian Airlines blankets:

1) 2 boxes to Youth Outreach in Waikiki, which is a Drop-in center for homeless teens operated by Waikiki Health Center and Hale Kipa (Linda Tsark)

2) 4 boxes to Kinai ’Eha, which is a transitional shelter and training center for disconnected youth age 14 to 24 (Dianne Girard).

3) 3 boxes to Hale Hipa, which has emergency shelters, transitional shelters, programs for foster care children and programs for at-risk children (Linda Tsark).



4) 1 box to Kamehameha Preschool Nanakuli (Linda Tsark)

SHARE: Chair - Karen Kehoe, Co-Chair - Marty Kehoe

The Share Program is always on the move! Deliveries recently have included:

• One box of blankets to Ho'omalu O Na Kamalii, which is a temporary emergency shelter in Waianae operated by Family Programs Hawaii (Marty Kehoe) 
• One box of blankets to the Boys & Girls Club in Waianae (Marty Kehoe)

OUTREACH: Chair - Miho Teipel

This program has made a direct and immediate difference to the teachers and students who are from King Kamehameha III Elementary School on Maui. Outreach Chair, Miho Teipel continues to look for other one-and-done projects to help our communities with their emergency needs.

OPERATION WILDLIFE: Chair - Hazel Sumile

The team of volunteers has spent a whole week in Hilo presenting their amazing slideshow and hands-on experience to many schools on the island of Hawaii. Hazel and her team will have lots of wonderful success stories to share. Talk about making a difference!

OWL Volunteers Land on the

Island of Hawaii

Aloha! The Operation Wildlife (OWL) Team of volunteers descended upon Hilo last week and spent 5 days visiting a total of 14 schools, 44 classes of 4th graders, and got to present our HIPPO presentation to a whopping 879 students and 76 adults, for a grand total of 955 folks!

We traveled a total of 326 miles, covering schools as far from Hilo as Na'alehu and Laupahoehoe and Volcano School of Arts & Sciences, and inside the town of Hilo, Chiefess Kapiolani and Hilo Union Schools. Time spent on the road getting to and from these schools: over 10 hours in total.

Huge mahalos to the two teams: Sheri Sunabe, Carolyn Alexander and Marge Fabre; and Hazel Sumile, Jen Turvold, and Guest Volunteers from Hilo, Joan Toledo and Mr./Mrs. Bob and Julie Herodias.

Just a comment about the Guest Volunteers: All three were not familiar with the program until the day they arrived to help. But, with the help of us "regulars" as well as the Cheat Sheets, they were able to be like pros working with the children and helping with the set-up and packing. One of the Guest Volunteers said she had a phobia toward touching dead animals, but by the end of one session, she proudly said she got over that (except she refused to touch the snake!)! Goes to show, YOU could do this too!

We wish we could share photos of the children's faces. The thrill and the wonder they are feeling during this experience doesn't show through from the backs of their heads.

At one of the schools the OWL team visited, Sheri Sunabe, Marge Fabre and Carolyn Alexander met a teacher who was just entranced that she saw and recognized Marge from 10 years ago, when she visited her school on Kauai. That teacher also remembered that she was a student and had OWL visit her class back then! (but not Marge!). The best part was when the teacher told Marge that she hadn't changed one bit since she last saw her 10 years ago. Goes to show what an impact we can have, even on the adults! Yay Marge!

OWL volunteers made presentations at Big Island schools.

Assistance League of Hawaii on the Radio

Thanks to member volunteer Chris Pelletier we are getting some good press at the In-Store Shopping Event. Chris is a former co-worker with Catherine Cruz of KHPR. Catherine brought her portable recorder to Walmart during our Operation School Bell event on January 27. She did a radio story about us for her show “The Conversation”, which aired on January 30. (Photo: Catherine interviews our own Geri Migita at the Operation School Bell event.)

"The Conversation" airs at 11:00 am Monday through Fridays on KHPR 88.1 FM and online at hawaiipublicradio.org.

Snowbirds Arrive in Time for Prom Season and

Other Great Sales

We are so pleased to have our “snowbirds” back. Thanks to Diann King, Patti Schulz and Gail Waite. They all give freely of their time, skills, and hard work. Then we have our newest member, Jessica Henao, who jumped right in to work at cash register.

We depend on our volunteers, especially on Tuesday and Thursday. Right now we have a lot of space on our shelves (depends on donations). Come and help whenever you can. We have a lot of fun.

Thanks to Kuulei Pai and the Friday crew. They did a magnificent job setting up “PROM TIME” with all of the clothes, accessories and trimmings for a wonderful time. 

February 2024 Thrift Shop

Cashiers’ Calendar

Your Volunteer Hours

Aloha volunteers! We want to extend a huge mahalo nui loa (big thank you) to each and every one of you who took the time to record your valuable volunteer hours for December 2023. Your dedication to serving us makes a world of difference.

Whether you logged hours tutoring keiki (children), working in the Thrift Shop, helping with our Operation School Bell or Operation Wildlife, preparing items for distribution, cleaning up, doing administrative work or any other act of kindness, every hour counts.

Be proud of your contributions! Not only are you making a difference in the lives of others, but you're also enriching your own life through the joy of giving back. And don't worry if you weren't able to volunteer this month – a simple "0" in your response is all we need. We understand that life can be busy, and we appreciate your honesty.

Be on the lookout for another email from us landing in your inbox on February 1, 2024. That's when we'll be calling on you once again to report your January 2024 volunteer hours. Keep up the amazing work, and get ready to share your contributions with us soon!

And finally, remember this inspiring quote from the Dalai Lama: "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito." Let this be a reminder that even the smallest acts of service can have a big impact.



Mahalo again for your dedication and aloha spirit. We're grateful for every hour you volunteer.

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