The Do Good Team Podcast

Episode 6 - Transforming Lives with Operation School Bell and the Assistance League

• David & Nora as The Do Good Team LLC • Season 1 • Episode 6

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Imagine growing up without the essentials for school, like new clothes, and how it may affect your confidence. Our co-host Nora felt this firsthand, but a lifeline came in the form of Operation School Bell, the Assistance League’s signature program. This episode shines a spotlight on the transformative work of Operation School Bell, sharing stories from Bend Oregon and San Antonio Texas, places where the program has made a significant difference to the lives of children from all backgrounds.

Join us as we journey back in time to explore the history of the Assistance League and its Hemacinto chapter, which has faithfully served our community for over 44 years. We sit down with Barbara Fobian, Chairman of Philanthropic Programs for the Assistance League's Hemacinto Chapter, who opens up about her experiences as a retired teacher and her commitment to the Assistance League. Barbara's touching tales from the thrift shop and the unique scholarship program highlight the profound impact their work has in the community.

Finally, we delve into the heart of Operation School Bell, discussing the referral process, and why asking for help is a sign of strength. Barbara shares her personal message of inclusion and non-judgement, providing a fresh perspective for those who may feel embarrassed to ask for help. As we celebrate the power of volunteerism, we invite you to join us in spreading the love and doing some good out there. So tune in, share and remember, together, we can make a difference.

Assistance League Hemacinto Chapter: https://www.assistanceleague.org/hemacinto/

Assistance League Website: https://www.assistanceleague.org/

David:

Hello everyone, this is David from the Do Good Team podcast. Almost every individual we have interviewed for this podcast has mentioned the importance of spreading awareness of their causes. Thus, we have one specific call to action for you If you're listening to this episode, please share it with just one other person. That's all you need to do. You never know if the person you share it with needs the resources made available through these nonprofits, or know someone that does. Maybe the opportunity to connect with like-minded people will uplift their spirits, or just maybe you'll start a new way of support that makes substantive positive change in your community. Either way, you'll be doing some good and spreading some love in the most important way possible Spreading awareness. Thank you, and on to our episode.

Nora:

You're listening to episode 6 of the Do Good Team podcast, a discussion about supporting children's education through Operation School Bell, the Assistant League's signature program.

David:

Hello Do Gooders out there and thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Do Good Team a podcast where we highlight nonprofits and charitable causes with the goal of improving your life and those around you through inspiration and creating meaningful connections. I am one of your hosts, david.

Nora:

Hello everyone, I am Nora.

David:

And we're back with another episode. I know that we said that we were going to be posting on the first Monday of every month and we missed last month because I almost died. Is that an exaggeration, Nora?

Nora:

A little bit, but this time actually it's not too much of an exaggeration, yeah so I was in a car accident.

David:

I'm doing okay, but I got a little bit injured, a little bit banged up, so I was recovering in bed, so but feeling pretty good right now. May need to have surgery, but overall just thankful to be here, but I think that's a pretty legitimate excuse to being a little late with this episode, Wouldn't you say? Nora?

Nora:

Oh, definitely. I mean, we definitely need to have the other half. It cannot go on with only me.

David:

Sure, alrighty. So we're back in it and we're talking about Operation School Bell today. So Operation School Bell is the Assistance League Signature Program. Now, the Assistance League is a nonprofit organization that exists across the nation. Chapter's research specific needs of their local communities through Operation School Bell then develop, fund and implement programs that support children in need. So, specifically, operation School Bell is an education program. The goal is to help children succeed in school by providing new school clothing, health assistance, including hearing, vision and or dental care, and literacy, cultural and higher educational enrichment programs.

Nora:

So and this is actually something that's pretty near and personal to Nora- it is when we started doing this podcast, I definitely thought about Operation School Bell as being one of the individuals that we, or one of the organizations that we interviewed. I still remember when I was in elementary school getting this it was like on a merry gold paper the application for applying for Operation School Bell. So at that time we didn't really understand why we got the application or you know the way that it really worked, like the background part of it, like who was volunteering, who the organization was. But what we didn't know, my siblings and I, is that you know we were. We lived in a situation where we had all of our basic needs met but we didn't have enough to really purchase a lot of new clothing for a school year. You know we would have an opportunity to buy a few outfits, but definitely not as much as we saw some of the other children be able to do so when we were in school.

Nora:

And so Operation School Bell I remember the first time that we participated in the program.

Nora:

We had an opportunity to go into their center, which is located close by to it's kind of in the middle point between Hemet and San Jacinto.

Nora:

That's why it's called the Hemacinto Assistance League. It serves both the Hemet and San Jacinto areas, and we went into their organization center and they had this set up like a little bit of like a boutique, like a store, and we had an opportunity to like kind of walk around, look at the clothing that they had and choose outfits, get an opportunity to try them on and then be able to take a couple of them home, as well as like shoes and a backpack, and that was just such an awesome experience because we didn't feel different with the process. We didn't feel like, oh okay, this is a situation where we're different than other kids. It was a fun experience where we were just kind of going to a store to get closed for school and it felt really neat to then be able to go back to school with these new clothes that we had gotten thanks to the organization and feel a lot more confident and a lot more similar to just all children and being able to focus on what we were there for, which was our education.

David:

Yeah, I think the emotion and the feeling that you're talking about is something that we get into in our interview. It's not just meeting the needs of the kids, but the feeling that they get when they have new clothes going to school.

Nora:

Oh, definitely, we were always very strong academically as kids, but I think that we did have in the forefront of our mind how we might be different than other kids. I mean, knowing that we are means we're limited, knowing that we had some other stuff kind of going on at home that made it feel a little different than other kids growing up. But I think that that situation like really did such a great job at allowing us to just be kids and be able to go to school and just enjoy school for what it was.

David:

Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that Noda and looking at the Assistance League website. Operation School Bell is all over the website and there was a couple of really good examples of success. Operation School Bell in Bend Oregon just recently provided new clothing for 950 local school children out in Bend Oregon. And then there was recently through Operation School Bell in San Antonio, texas, a jacket jamboree. The poster is pretty fun because it was reminding everybody that it gets cold out in San Antonio too. I don't really think about that. I think San Antonio, I think hot. But yeah, that was it. It sounded like a really fun event. I like that name, jacket.

Nora:

Jamboree. That's wonderful and you know, kind of like going a little bit into our interview there's been so many successes with the program. Barbara was able to share with us that over time the Operation School Bell program has been able to increase the support that it's able to give our local children. The amount that has been allocated is little by little increasing. So just a great program with a lot of growth and a lot of benefit for all of our local communities.

David:

Yeah, so you mentioned Barbara, so we're going to jump into it right now. We had a great interview with Barbara Fobian, who is the chairman of philanthropy for the Hema Sinto office or chapter of the assistance league, so we will jump right into it. But before that I wanted to mention the catchphrase of Operation School Bell, which is we strive to put shirts on backs, shoes on feet and smiles on faces. I just wanted to say that because I like that a lot. See you on the other side of the interview, everybody.

Barbara Fobian:

Take care.

David:

Hey everyone, as you heard at the top of the show, we're really privileged today to have the Chairman of Philanthropic Programs for the Assistance League of Hema Sinto, barbara Fobi and Barbara, thanks so much for joining us today.

Barbara Fobian:

Thanks, I'm happy to be here.

Nora:

We are very excited to have you today with us, Barbara. We had a very wonderful first initial meeting with you and we are super excited to have our official interview with you and share about your experience with the Assistance League and the wonderful work that is being done through the organization. Thank you, so let's go ahead and get started a little bit. Barbara, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you became involved with the Assistance League?

Barbara Fobian:

I'm a former teacher. I taught for 23 years in the San Jacinto School School Districts and I was able to refer students and see the results of what Operation School Bell meant to those students, and so that when I retired in 2017, I decided that this was something that I wanted to be involved in and be a volunteer. You know, you retire and then you go. What am I going to do now? And Assistance League seemed like a perfect fit for what I'd done in the past as far as being a teacher and what I could do in the future for children.

Nora:

Thank you so much and just kind of referring back to our first meeting and looking a little bit at the history of the Assistance League. So the Assistance League is an organization that really is focused on empowering local community members to improving their communities and transforming lives. So it is very much about getting the community involved, about bringing change into the community. Can you talk to us a little bit about the history of the Assistance League, how it was developed and especially how the Hema chapter came to existence?

Barbara Fobian:

Okay, it was one of the first non-profits centered on empowering ordinary citizens and it began in 1919 with a woman called Anne Banning and her friend Ada Edwards-Loughlin, and they formalized the Assistance League in Southern California formally in 1935. And in 1976, the National Assistance League invited 150 women to learn about the Assistance League story, ideals and goals and the Hema chapter was formed in 1970, oh I'm sorry, 1979, and became the 64th chapter in Southern California.

Nora:

Wow, so the chapter has been in existence for roughly about 44 years already. That is a very long precedence in the community. What are some of the programs that are offered through the chapter?

Barbara Fobian:

Well, our main program is, our main goal is our thrift shop, and our thrift shop helps support the community and the money we raise in the thrift shop supports our programs such as Operation School Bill scholarship program. In the past we've also done book drives or food drives for the pantries and our goals are, to you know, service children and adults in the community in any way you know we can assist them.

David:

Barbara, can I talk up the gift shop really quickly, Because I had a wonderful experience in the gift shop and I think everybody should, you know, hear this story. So I was being squeaky wheel, as Nora likes to say, and I was looking for you specifically or somebody to talk to to interview for this podcast. But the gift shop is actually pretty cool. So I ended up walking out with a candle. So it was this big candle that probably retails for about probably retails for about $40. And we got it for 15.

David:

Made the house smell wonderful for about three weeks. It lasted forever and there was lots of other items like that. I just didn't want to come home with a bunch of stuff and get in trouble. But for anybody who has an assistance league gift shop near them, it's wonderful. There's a lot of good products in there. It's pretty clear that you all go through it and make sure that there's high quality, good stuff that's out there for purchase. So I just want to put it out there Wonderful experience and I had a great time in there. I love my candle.

Barbara Fobian:

Yeah, we're a smaller thrift shop than some of the other areas, because Temecula has a huge one, but we have quite a variety and in our back room we thoroughly go through all our donations and make sure that they're suitable to sell to the public at a big discount.

Nora:

So you said, Barbara, that the money, that is, the profits that are made from the thrift shop, are put right back into programs for the community, like specifically operation school bill. I want to also kind of like throw out another personal anecdote about operation school bill. So I am a citizen of the area, so I grew up here in Hemet, I went to school from K through 12 here, graduated from high school and that one of the reasons why we connected with operation school bill is because my family and I, my siblings and I, were recipients of operation school bill and we were in elementary school. It's a program that always stays very close to our hearts and I've heard my siblings like talk about the program to others and we share with each other anecdotes about like just what a wonderful experience it was for us.

Nora:

You know we we come from a socioeconomically limited family, so my family couldn't really provide a ton when it came to clothing for school and we got a referral and it was so fun back then. So I don't want to give my age, but I was in K through six somewhere in between 1987 and 1994. And back then it used to be a little different than the setup that you currently have. Now, can you talk to us a little bit about the evolution of like the operation school bill program from my era to where it is now?

Barbara Fobian:

Yeah, it's. It's very different, very different, and I just wanted to clarify from our profits from our thrift shop, 65% of that. Those funds are what are used towards operation, school bill, scholarships and that kind of thing. Okay, initially the chapter house was just a group of women and they started with just like 50 to 70 children backpacks, shirts, pants. They would give them vouchers to go to, I think, pay less shoes, and so and it was very limited we were ordering our own clothing and and different things, but actually and that went on from 1977 to 2012. They were doing it in the back room of the thrift shop.

Barbara Fobian:

Then, in 2012, we were able to partnership with the Walmart i Jacint and and we've been been going there ever since. We're able to handle large groups. This last year we served just under 1000 students Wow, and because of having of COVID and everything, we're only open now three days a week Thursday, friday, saturdays 10 to two, and so this year but this year I'm hoping to do at least another thousand children. My budget's gone up a little bit and so in the last year we only gave $75 per student and this year I'm hoping to give $85 to $90 per student serving at least a thousand students, so we'll see. We hope that's what we'll get done.

Nora:

And Barbara you were talking about like this you've seen the opportunity to increase your budget. What are some of the things that have helped you like be able to increase your budget? What kind of things can the community do? If there's anything that the community can do to help support things like that happening in the program, being able to serve more students, being able to provide a voucher for more money, what are some of the things that help increase that budget?

Barbara Fobian:

Well, one of the things is just to come to the thrift shop and shop. I mean, that's one of the best things they can do. Also, we accept donations of good quality merchandise. We encourage community volunteers, hoping that maybe those community volunteers will be able to become actual volunteer members. And, of course, financial donations, and we do get some of those. We do get some grants from various places. We've gotten some bequests from estates, but I think the most important thing is to come to the thrift shop, see what we have and be familiar with what we do with our money.

Nora:

And I kind of want to just go back a little bit to your question about, or the area where you discussed about becoming involved as community volunteers. What are some of the opportunities like that our community can get involved in? What are some of the needs for volunteers like that they might be able to fulfill?

Barbara Fobian:

Well, what we like to do with volunteers is we have them come to the shop and start sorting through the items we've gotten, help them identify what are good for the shop. We also have an outlet to give things to another organization that maybe aren't quite up to the standards we want to put out in the shop and they start out doing that. But we even have them do things like hang up clothing out in the shop and just to see kind of where we are, what we do those kind of things for the community volunteers and then spreading the word. Spreading the word.

Nora:

We hear this very often about spreading the word. I was looking through your website and I saw I think is your team called A-Team. Is that like the team? Can you talk to us a little bit about your A-Team?

Barbara Fobian:

Okay, the A-Team is. I'm not a part of it, but the A-Team is responsible for different areas of the thrift shop, like the clothing part, men's clothing, the book area, the book area, the crafting area, the household area, and we also have some finer dishware, China type things. We have an amazing jewelry person. So we have different people in areas of different expertise. So in fact, our jeweler had a jewelry store here in Hemet.

Nora:

And now she is our volunteer jewelry person. So if, like, there's anybody out there in the community that's like interested in a specific sector, like they enjoy fashion, they enjoy books, like having a, there's the opportunity as a volunteer to go and focus in that area that you're passionate and knowledgeable about.

Barbara Fobian:

Usually, yeah, usually we can work that out.

Nora:

Perfect. And then L. et's talk a little bit about you, Barbara. So what does your role as chairman of philanthropic programs? What are some of your responsibilities? What does your daily work look like as the chairman?

Barbara Fobian:

Well, most of what I do is I do focus mostly on our programs of operation school Bell and scholarships and we used to have a teen parent program through the county but that program unfortunately has closed down. So mostly it's operation school Bell and scholarships and I kind of oversee those committees and kind of help guide them. I am part of the committees. Actually I am in charge of operation school Bell, which I would you know I have lots of help with that, but that's my main responsibility is making sure all the information gets out to the schools and making our contacts with Walmart, making sure our you know the days and the nights, scheduling people to work those days. It's a big job and I started working on it for the fall already.

Nora:

Well, so you don't really get much of a break. Even if you get a break, it seems like the work and the planning is always happening.

Barbara Fobian:

There's always something to do, always something to do.

Nora:

In the goals and missions, mission and core values of the assistance league. One thing that really stood out to me is that there is a statement of belonging and inclusion which reads national assistant league strives to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture that ensures every person belongs, is respected and valued as themselves. This was just so beautifully written and when I thought of like how operation school Bell made me feel and made my family feel, it just words it perfectly. In our conversation in the initial meeting, you were talking to us about the effects of operation school Bell. You know of what kind of impacts it has in a child's life and I definitely love to have you talk to our audience about that. You had talked to us a little bit about. There was a teacher survey that you discussed with us. If maybe you could share a little bit about that, as also a former teacher, now the person that is in charge of this program, how and what kind of impacts do you see and have seen in children getting support through operation school Bell?

Barbara Fobian:

Well, I think for me personally to have those children come back after they've been to operation school Bell, come into the classroom teacher teacher, I have new clothes, you know, and they just the smiles and the pride they had in being able to share that with their teacher and it really makes a difference in their self-esteem and it makes an exponential difference in their willingness to learn in their education. And our survey it was a national survey and it asked mainly what differences a teacher would see when their children were given the opportunity to go to operation school Bell and receive new clothing. And it was an attitude in participation in the classroom and their willingness to be educated and to really enjoy being really feeling like a part of the classroom, where other kids maybe have more advantage, but now they've got new clothes and they've got new shoes and they can just feel a more part of the class.

David:

I really loved what you said, Barbara, because that connects with what I was reading. Clearly, the statement of belonging and inclusion was meaningful to Nora and that stood out to me too. But I was looking at the goals which jumped out to me, which is we strive to put shirts on backs, shoes on feet and smiles on faces. So it's just clear emphasis on yes, we clearly provide resources to students, but we also emphasize the joy, the happiness and the emotional uplifting that we bring to these students.

Nora:

So my next area like that I'm excited and interested in kind of like hearing from you, Barbara is like what keeps you coming back? Because you've been a teacher, you've now retired and you're still doing this work and you know, we can tell like. We see the smile on your face, we see the passion as you're talking about the program, and so we're lucky that we get to see it physically. But I can, I know that the audience can hear it in your voice that that same excitement of whatever brought you into teaching continues to this date in supporting the community and helping out students. So what drives you, what motivates you to keep coming back and working post retirement?

Barbara Fobian:

You know one thing, volunteerism, you know you have. I have specific days I go in, but it's also very flexible. I just got back from a month vacation, so but it's just, I don't know. It just does something to your heart and and the feeling you have that you know you're reaching out and you're helping children. You know, one of the saddest things for me is at Operation School Bell. We have scheduled times for students to come and for some reason, some students, they just never show up and it just breaks my heart because they're missing out. They're missing out and I'm not, you know, getting to fulfill every dream that they might have. But it's just and it's a community of mostly women. We do have a few men, and women like to be with women, you know, and and and share the same ideals and goals.

Nora:

So what? What kind of message? Because our goal is to get this message about the program out to the community and to the families that might be that might benefit from the program. You know, I used to work for a little bit of time as a employment counselor for the welfare to work program and oftentimes I would see clients that would feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help. And you know we, we all need help in one way or another. But what kind of message would you have for the parents that might be feeling nervous, embarrassed, ashamed to access the program from the friendly face that work that is going to be receiving them should they go into the it, should they access the program? What kind of words do you have for them in warm, inviting words?

Barbara Fobian:

Well, I don't think we, we don't have an attitude of judgment at all, and I think it's really important that when someone comes, when parents come and bring their children, they're not worried about being looked down upon or looked like. Well, why? Why aren't your children? You know clothes better, or you know we don't. We don't judge at all, and I and I I wish that that was. What they understood is that we're there to give. We're not there to judge. We're there to give and and to help them in in a way they can't help themselves.

Nora:

Thank you and maybe can you walk us a little bit through what what the process looks like from the initial like referral, more or less like how does a student get connected to operation school bell, what are some of the ways for referral and what a parent can expect in terms of like next steps and how to get connected with? You said that now the support is given directly through Walmart kind of what the process looks like.

Barbara Fobian:

Okay, well, our referrals we, each year, at the beginning of the school year, we send out a letter and let the health techs and the most schools have i now that work with this and let them know that we're wanting to identify children that may be in need of new clothing, whether it's, you know, maybe they're wearing old or small shoes, maybe they're wearing dirty clothes, maybe the economics of their family just don't allow them to to purchase new things. That and then those referrals come from the health tech, the leisons liaisons a teacher, a principal, and then we, we send out referral forms. The school sends out a referral form to the parent that says you've been invited to come to Walmart on a certain date, at a certain time to receive you know an amount of money like I said, hopefully this year it's gonna be $90, we'll see to buy school appropriate clothing for your child and it's tax-free, there's no strings attached, and I think that's. I think that's what some people don't totally understand and I'm not always sure how to get that message across well.

Nora:

Thank you so much for giving us this interview because we're hoping that you know we can help support giving out the message so there's a more understanding and less fear of accessing. You know, it's definitely not easy asking for help, but once like, it's also very important that as a parent we feel like we see that asking for help is a sign of strength and modeling that for our children, that you know, when we don't have the ability to to support ourselves in a certain thing or a certain task, that there's resources and people out there that can help and it's okay to get that help. And then, by the same token, when we have the ability to support, we can help, volunteer, give back, and it's just a cycle of like supporting, taking what we need and then giving back when we can. David.

David:

I didn't have anything to add to that. That was beautiful. So, Barbara, today we're obviously talking about the Hema S office, but we have or excuse me, we're talking about the Hema S chapter, but we have listeners all over the country and we even have some listeners internationally, but probably we're talking about the 50 states. How can listeners who are not in the Southern California region get connected to the Assistance League and or Operation School Bell if that program exists in other states?

Barbara Fobian:

It should exist in other states. I mean that Operation School Bell is pretty much a national program and I think it would be nationalassistanceleaguecom. . com. com. I think they could find Assistance League thrift shops in their areas I should know the number of throughout the states but I don't but most of the bigger cities. I mean we're a rather small chapter but we're a mighty chapter. But yeah, that's the way I would, to go to National Assistance League and there should be a website for that. I really know there isn't a website for National Assistance League and that would be able to tell people maybe locations in their area or where they are.

David:

So the listener knows we'll put the link to the national website in the description of this episode. So if you don't live in Southern California, because we're talking about a Southern California chapter, you will have the resource to be able to connect with your local chapter, because everything that we're talking about today could be extrapolated to any of the other chapters. So this isn't uniquely to this Hemacino h . chapter chapter. It could be any chapter. So you know, get connected wherever you're at.

Nora:

Though I do have to show off that the Assistance League, before it became formalized at like a national level, it began in Southern California, right Barbara, I was very proud to find that anecdote. No, did they lie to me? Did they lie to me in the website?

Barbara Fobian:

Oh no, if you went to the website, that would and that would be, and that's what my information says too, and maybe that's where you got the and banning and A to N. That is where I found that information. Okay, yeah, it's just the National Assistance League is the website, so you already have it. Nora, you've already looked it up.

Nora:

Yes, it's a wonderful website. What everything that you indicated, barbara, that's where I found, because I wanted to find, like the more information a little in preparation, and your. What I did is I went to there's a map and then you can put your zip code and it'll put like all the local, just like you described it. So good. That's what I did, okay, good.

David:

I was going to say so. We just learned that the Assistance League started in Southern California, so let's ask a question that may get Barbara in a little bit of trouble. So it started in Southern California and there's chapters all over the United States. Are you willing to say on the record that the Hemacinto chapter because it started in Southern California and that's where this all started is the best chapter?

Nora:

Yes, yes, oh, yes, yes, we're Barbara. No, no, no.

Barbara Fobian:

I cannot say the best. We're, we're, we're right up there at the top. I'll just say that we're right up there at the top and our thrift shop is small but very, very immaculate, and you know, I there. There are larger groups that do more, but let me tell you, we do an awful lot. We do an awful lot for our size and our membership.

Nora:

So let me say yes on as a previous participant of the program, I will say yes, it is the best one. Thank, you.

Nora:

So now, kind of like talking about former participants, is there, like we always like, whenever possible, to kind of share like a statistic or like a personal story of like a memorable family or child that you've worked with. Can you maybe share with us something that kind of stands out to your mind? I know that you've worked with so many families so that might be difficult to narrow down to just one. It is so, of the experience generally, what has been the most memorable for you?

Barbara Fobian:

Oh my gosh, I it's really hard to just pick one, as, as a teacher, I mentioned earlier students coming back and just being so excited and so thrilled that they were able to get new clothes, new shoes, you know, and that experience, and throughout the years that I've been in charge of operations, school bell, we received some amazing thank you notes from parents. There's not always, there's not always that, but you know, and when I saw that in the notes I thought, gosh, what's one experience, one experience? I just I can't narrow it down to one experience, it's just the entirety of what I do and what the assistance league does. I love your answer. Well, it didn't answer the question, but it was an answer.

David:

Are we ready for the last question? Okay, David, the hardest hardest question All right, Barbara, the hardest question of all what is your definition of love?

Barbara Fobian:

Okay, I thought about this. I don't know if it's really a definition, but I did write it down so I'm going to read it. I always God shows me unconditional love, accepting all of my faults and failings. In turn, I show unconditional love to my family and friends, but Jesus teaches us love is also shown through kindness and helping others. This is the type of love the assistance league and I try to show with Operation School Bell program.

Nora:

That is absolutely beautiful, Barbara. You, throughout the process, told us that you were nervous about the interview, that you weren't so sure about how things were going to play out. But you are an amazing public speaker and you speak so beautifully and it has been wonderful, wonderful connecting with you.

Barbara Fobian:

Well, both of you have made it a lot easier than I thought it might be. I mean, after David came in, and then I don't remember who you talked to and they came to me oh, they want to do a podcast with you, Barbara, and I went what do you mean? I just was, I mean I was just so taken aback and then we had the trouble connecting back and forth, but the two of you have really made it, you know, very comfortable, very comfortable, and, with all my faults and failings, we got through it.

Nora:

Oh, no faults and failings, only growth and learning.

David:

Barbara, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate you taking the time to be here and spreading the message of what the Assistance League does for our community.

Nora:

You're welcome. Thank you so much. We are very privileged to have you and all your work shared with the audience.

Barbara Fobian:

Well, I appreciate the opportunity to share about the Assistance League and Operations School Bell.

David:

And we're back. Thanks so much, everyone for listening to that interview with Barbara and Barbara. Once again, thank you so much for participating in our podcast. We really appreciate you and everything that you were able to talk about regarding Operations School Bell.

Nora:

And also just generally the Assistance League.

David:

Yes, big shout out to the Assistance League and all the work that you do across this, across the country. One of the things I wanted to mention real quickly about the interview, nora, is I really like Barbara's conversation about volunteerism just doing something to you, just kind of opening your spirit and opening your heart. I really appreciated her bringing that up because it's one of the reasons why we have this podcast Service, and helping your fellow man is an important part of leading a fulfilled life and creating positivity and inspiration and I'm really glad that she brought that up. I think sometimes people think of volunteerism as maybe an obligation and something that's an imposition Maybe that's a better way to phrase it and it really isn't. I think it's a gift, it's enlightening, it's fulfilling and I'm so glad she mentioned that.

Nora:

Yeah, I think this was a wonderful interview. It's been one of the most enjoyable ones, especially because it's so personal, and I think what stood out to me was just the passion and the commitment that Barbara and just the Assistance League generally have. You know, from starting hearing a little bit about the history of the Assistance League, they had no idea what it was going to be able to turn into and just the amount of dedication. Many of them are former educators or involved very passionately in serving their communities and that dedication and commitment has allowed for the development of various different programs and just kind of observing, locally Now, the success of the boutique.

Nora:

Years ago I don't think that they were aware that things were going to take a different shift where just adapting to different ways of how society does things. Like you know, when I was a participant of the program we were able to go indirectly into the store, to their location, and be able to choose the outfits, but that was something that was outgrown. They didn't have the space for that anymore and now they have that collaboration with Walmart. So I just am amazed with how much their commitment, their love, their dedication to their communities has allowed for them to just grow so much as an organization and as individuals with Barbara's story she shared. She started as a teacher and now Barbara is a chair within the organization. So this is a testament to how much one's hard work and unconditional love and commitment to an organization has amazing results for our entire community.

David:

Yeah, I think that's absolutely right, noda, and for the listener, if you want to help out the Assistance League or get involved, if anything that you heard today was of interest to you, you can visit theassistanceleagueorg and that's wwwassincelegueorg. We'll put this out in the description of the podcast as well, and there's also the link that we'll put into the description of the podcast or the description of this episode. We'll put it the link to the HemaSinto office if I chance you're listening to this and your local. And once again, before we leave this topic, thank you so much, barbara. We really appreciate everything. And now onto a shout out. We want to do something here. When we close out episodes, we want to read out the different reviews that we get on Apple or wherever you're listening it to. So we have a review and, noda, if you want to read it, it's a five star review. We're excited to have one.

Nora:

Of course, this is coming from Camila. Camila, thank you so much for taking the time to listen to the podcast and also for providing your feedback both to us and to our audience. So this is a five star review. So Camila writes this podcast is amazing. I love how authentic and wholesome it is. It gives me hope to hear about good work being done in the world. I am excited for every episode, as hearing about different organizations also helps me explore what areas I might be interested in and getting involved in. Thank you so much for that feedback and that is part of why we're doing this podcast. So, david, do you want to kind of like go into a little bit of a reminder that connects really well with this, which is how you can get involved?

David:

You can get it off to me, but I'm freezing up. I don't know what you want me to say. What am I supposed to say?

Nora:

If you do anything like what you can do is, if you do anything, just share this episode, oh yeah, no, that makes sense, so I'm going to keep this in.

David:

Yeah.

Barbara Fobian:

So no so for anybody who's listening?

David:

we're actually doing this early in the morning, so the coffee is still trying to.

Nora:

We just barely had our coffee.

David:

Yeah, well, a little bit of a callback. We're drinking black coffee, northwest coffee, so you know, grab some of that. Listen to episode five. But yes, so I already mentioned before that in the beginning of this episode that if you do anything at all, please share this episode with just one other person. It's the only thing that we want you to do. If you could do that one thing for us.

David:

You know, creating awareness for these different organizations is important, and every time we have a conversation with the CEO or leader of an organization, that is what they mentioned to us. Just get awareness out there. So please do that. But you may want to do a little bit more, because you know, Nora and I at the Duke Good Team podcast, we're cooler than polar bears toenails. We're cool people. If you want to do a little bit more, you can send us comments at the Do Good Team at Gmailcom, or you could do like Camila, who's really cool, and leave us a five star review. And if you leave us a five star review, we'll read it online and give you a shout out, because that's super appreciated.

Nora:

Yes, thank you so much, Camila. And yes, like we are looking forward to sharing more of your feedback and your opinion and observations about the podcast, and please share.

David:

Yeah, please share and don't forget to do some good and spread some love out there. Juntos somos un buen equipo. Thanks everyone, take care, see you soon. Bye.