Needy Youths Treated to a Fashion Windfall

As Asari Mohamed waited in the hall, his daughters were escorted to a dressing room full of crisp new blue jeans, colorful sweaters and dresses.

The girls, 9 and 6, each picked two outfits, complete with socks, underwear, book bags and backpacks, all gifts from Operation School Bell. The program, sponsored by the Assistance League of Fullerton, provides clothing and accessories for needy youngsters.

“It’s hard to explain how much appreciation we feel for what this program is doing for us,” Mohamed, a bus driver who lives with his wife, daughters and 4-year-old son in Fullerton, said as the family left Assistance League headquarters last week.

“I’m the only one who works in the family,” he said, “and we save a little bit of money each month to take the kids to thrift stores for clothes.”

The program’s administrators, all volunteers, buy new clothing for students who attend Fullerton, Brea and Placentia elementary schools and are referred to the Assistance League by teachers and principals.

“Some of these kids have never had new clothes before,” League President Sara Martin said. “We want to make sure they get some nice clothes they choose themselves as a way to boost self-esteem.”

When children feel good about themselves, she said, they are more likely to stay in school and out of trouble.

Money for Operation School Bell, which is open on Thursday afternoons from October through March, comes from the League’s Bargain Box thrift store at 233 W. Amerige Ave.

The store raises about $120,000 annually. All but 3%, used to pay utility bills, goes for a variety of community projects. More than $30,000 has been spent on Operation School Bell this academic year.

Because the number of children served by the program has been rising dramatically, from 118 in 1992 to 526 this year, the league plans to expand to include pupils in Yorba Linda elementary schools and junior high schools across north Orange County.

As schools in the area begin requiring uniforms next year, Operation School Bell will stock those too, said Charlotte Ovando, the program’s chairwoman.

Scores of children go to the program’s headquarters on Amerige Avenue each Thursday to get their outfits and other items including soaps, three pairs of socks, three pairs of underwear and crayons.

Parents, who receive $15 vouchers to buy shoes for their children at local department stores, praise the program.

“I’m raising four children altogether, and it’s very expensive,” said Consuelo Montez, whose niece, nephew and son benefited from the program’s generosity last week. “This is a marvelous, gigantic help.”