Operation School Bell®
Chapters for Children
Each year just before the school starts, Assistance League of Laguna Beach members participate in Operation School Bell – Chapters for Children. This one-day event is held at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, and serves school-age children from military families. The program helps ensure that children from pre-school through high school are prepared for the new school year. Assistance League of Laguna Beach provides each school-age child with a gift card to purchase new shoes. Every child attending the event receives a stuffed bulldog, the Marine Corps mascot.
More than 500 children are provided for each year.
College Scholarships
Assistance League of Laguna Beach proudly awards scholarships to graduating seniors from Laguna Beach High School who are pursuing post-secondary academic and vocational education. Scholarship opportunities are available to all graduating seniors at Laguna Beach High School. Applications are reviewed by the Assistance League of Laguna Beach Scholarship Committee, comprised of five member volunteers, including the Vice President of Philanthropic Programs. Scholarship recipients are selected based on a holistic review of each application, with consideration given to:
- Financial need and home circumstances
- Academic achievement
- Community service, school activities and extracurricular involvement and/or employment
Through these scholarships, Assistance League of Laguna Beach helps local students take the next step toward achieving their educational and career goals.
School Readiness
To help ensure young children have the tools they need for a successful start to the school year, Assistance League of Laguna Beach provides educational materials to TK and Kindergarten students. Each summer, members gather at the Chapter House to organize and prepare these supplies for delivery to the local Boys and Girls Club. The children receive their materials before the first day of the school. Each child receives educational items recommended by the Early Childhood & Family Services Director to support their learning and development needs.
In addition, Assistance League of Laguna Beach funds special outings to local events and educational activities, e.g., Laguna Museum of Art, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna and Tanaka Farms.
Food Insecurity
Assistance League of Laguna Beach provides funding to the Laguna Food Pantry as well as the Armed Services YMCA Food Pantry at Camp Pendleton. It’s a proven fact that children receiving quality nutrition perform better at every level in school, and both food pantries are committed to reducing food insecurity in families, allowing them to provide quality nutrition to the children. The food pantries offer free, fresh, nutritious groceries to families and individuals in need. Items included in the groceries are meat, dairy, eggs, fresh produce, and shelf stable items. In addition to groceries, shoppers sometimes receive a bouquet of cheerful flowers and a children’s book when available.
Homefront America
Homefront America supports military families and their children through quality caring and meaningful programs, with special focus on those experiencing the challenges of deployment and extended separations associated with military life. Assistance League of Laguna Beach is proud to partner with Homefront America by helping fund and support programs that make the holidays brighter for these deserving families. While we contribute to several initiatives throughout the year, our primary focus is on Thanksgiving and Christmas. At Thanksgiving, Assistance League of Laguna Beach provides funding for holiday meal packages that include a turkey, traditional side dishes, and pumpkin pie, enabling military families to gather and enjoy a festive meal together. During the Christmas season, we help create special holiday memories for military children by providing a $50 gift card and a teddy bear for every child participating in the Homefront America Christmas Store event. Through this partnership, Assistance League of Laguna Beach honors the sacrifices of military families and helps ensure they feel supported, appreciated, and celebrated throughout the holiday season.
Shea Center
Assistance League of Laguna Beach provides funding to the J.F. Shea Therapeutic Center for scholarships for children with disabilities as well as for the Military Riding Therapy Program. In 2023, Assistance League of Laguna Beach provided additional funding that Shea used to purchase two horses, Boots and Jeri (Jericho). The Center is dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities through therapeutic horse-related programs. Through the broad spectrum of equine assisted services, individuals of all ages, with disabilities experience physical and emotional rewards. Every family pays a fee for the therapy provided at The Shea Center. Assistance League of Laguna Beach supports scholarships for families in need who might not otherwise be able to benefit from these therapies.
Gigi’s Playhouse
Gigi’s Playhouse of Orange County offers free programs and events for the local Down Syndrome community. Assistance League of Laguna Beach specifically provides funding for their 1:1 literacy and mathematics tutoring programs. GiGi’s Playhouse 1:1 Literacy Tutoring Program uses a methodology with documented success based on research by professionals in the field. The ability to read opens doors for individuals with Down syndrome in the workplace, schools and the community. Developing reading skills also leads to improvements in speech and language development, auditory perceptual skills and working memory function.
Cultural Enrichment
Assistance League of Laguna Beach supports the Laguna Beach Playhouse by funding children’s theater opportunities for underserved youth throughout Orange County. Children are invited to attend performances at the Playhouse, and schools receive the resources needed to stage their own theatrical productions.
Laguna Live – Assistance League of Laguna Beach helps underwrite children’s programs for music in Laguna Beach schools, helping to enrich the arts program that is so vital to Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach Live! musical performers, supported by Assistance League of Laguna Beach, visit the local Boys and Girls club and offer a demonstration of their music skills, offering the children an opportunity to listen, touch, try and ask questions about music.
Waymakers Youth Shelter
Waymakers Youth Shelter supports youths and their families who are in crisis. Assistance League of Laguna Beach funds enrichment programs and educational activities for youth who are staying at the shelter. The Assisteens® assemble welcome kits which are given to each child when they arrive. Assisteens also provide holiday treats throughout the year. In addition, Assistance League of Laguna Beach regularly provides books to the Shelter for their library. Youth who stay at the shelter are encouraged to read during their stay and books they select can be taken with them when they return home.