MARYSVILLE — Clay Simmons was laid off in 2008, and his family has struggled to make ends meet since.
“I was working in the construction industry as a project engineer,” said Simmons, who’s raising three high school-aged children with his wife. “I’m trying to get back into my old career in videography, but it’s tough to transition, especially when people don’t have the money to spend on expenditures like video production.”
Without the Assistance League of Everett, McKenna and Dakota Simmons, both students at the Bio-Med Academy, and Dylan Simmons, who’s in his senior year at the School for the Entrepreneur at Marysville Getchell High School, would have had to go without new clothes for school this year, rather than shopping with their dad at the Marysville Fred Meyer on Oct. 18.
Margaret Bright, committee chair for the Assistance League of Everett, estimated that more than 800 high school-aged young people from Marysville, Arlington, Stanwood and Darrington were able to shop for clothes and other school-related items at the Marysville Fred Meyer from 5-8 p.m. on Oct. 17-18. Each student was allowed to shop for $125 worth of school-related goods, with Fred Meyer giving them a 10 percent discount on their purchases, even before any coupons were applied.
“Fred Meyer has given the Assistance League $6,500 in the last two years to help with our Operation School Bell purchases,” Bright said. “Before that, they gave $5,000.”
Although the Assistance League’s Operation School Bell site in Everett clothed 2,958 children last year, Rock Dorsey explained that the Teen Retail Program, which also served more than 800 area high school students last year, came about because the Operation School Bell site wasn’t seeing many teens.
“The schools have been great to work with, and the stores are very accommodating,” said Dorsey, chair of the Assistance League’s Teen Retail Program. “The demand is greater each year, but unless we sell more at our thrift shop, we can’t increase our budget.”
Arlington High School senior Lyubov Tsymbalyuk knows about living within a limited budget, as one of 13 kids in her family.
“I’ve never really had an all-weather jacket before,” Tsymbalyuk said as she donned the light sport jacket that she deemed her favorite purchase of the day. “I always had to change with the seasons. I never really had new clothes, either. Most of them came pre-worn.”
Anthony Whitaker, a freshman at the School for the Entrepreneur, appreciated how much the Teen Retail Program has simplified his family’s lives, as much as he appreciated being able to buy the stylish cardigan sweater that was his favorite purchase that day.
“This helps my mom as she figures out our financial situation,” said Anthony Whitaker, who was joined by big sister and fellow School for the Entrepreneur student Analise Whitaker in shopping at Fred Meyer for school clothes.
“The smiles of these kids makes it all worthwhile,” Bright said. “When they can wear clothes that fit them and that they like, their self-esteem goes up.”
Since opening in 1965, Operation School Bell has helped more than 63,898 students and has gone on to become “the number-one philanthropic project” of the Assistance League of Everett, according to volunteer Leslie McCullough.
