President's Message: Joey Liebmann 

"Service to a just cause rewards the worker with more real happiness and satisfaction than any other venture of life."

~Carrie Chapman Catt~

On two separate occasions this past week I was asked by community members how much the Back to School Store costs each year. For those of us who have put our own children in new sneakers and clothing and purchased a new backpack full of supplies, we know how expensive this can be. It costs an average of $150 per child for a family to buy the supplies we provide. For the 1,500 students that utilized the store last year, they were able to quickly do the math: $225,000. Plus we provide another 1,500 students with backpacks full of school supplies. Fortunately, our team of amazing shoppers are able to bargain shop that total cost down to around $100,000!!

While the number is still very big, these two individuals were more impressed that 40 women can pull this off! It isn't one day in August for us, it's much more than that. It's committing to shopping the sale racks year-round, managing complex spreadsheets of our current inventory, sorting and tying shoes together into the wee hours and planning a fundraiser, our annual Big Blue Bash to raise a large portion of the funds needed for both the Back to School Store and our other projects (Basics for Babies, Basic Necessities and Teens for Independent Living).

With the Big Blue Bash less than a month away, Service League active members are working tirelessly to create an event that will be remembered and also ensure that we raise as much money as possible so that the Back to School Store can continue for many years to come!

We are so incredibly thankful for the many community-minded sponsors that believe in Service League and our mission. We have a fantastic live and silent auction teed up for competitive bidding, games to entertain and a fun atmosphere to spend a night out with friends for a great cause! We are eager to see each of you in your 'flapper to dapper' attire at our Big Blue Bash: a Gatsby-inspired soiree on March 8th at the Radisson.