Assistance League of Santa Barbara has been a potent force for good countywide for three-quarters of a century. For more than a decade, its community betterment work has included active support of local college students in partnership with the Scholarship Foundation.
Established in 2013, the Assistance League of Santa Barbara Scholarship Fund, administered by the Scholarship Foundation, supports area students for the duration of their undergraduate studies. The fund is currently helping 10 students from throughout the county, and cumulatively has provided 84 scholarships totaling more than $250,000.
“Our membership is very enthusiastic about funding college scholarships for local students,” said Nancy Revlin, who chairs the Assistance League’s Scholarship Committee. “It means so much to us to be able to give these young people a leg up as they start their adult lives.”
An all-volunteer group, Assistance League of Santa Barbara is the 10th of 120 chapters of National Assistance League, the first nonprofit, nonsectarian organization begun in the West to help those less fortunate. The local chapter was formed in 1948, and moved to its current location at 1259 Veronica Springs Road in Santa Barbara in 1965.
The organization’s approximately 350 members volunteer more than 50,000 hours each year in support of 16 philanthropic programs, which include its scholarship fund. The League also has begun supporting Santa Barbara City College students majoring in trade or technical fields.
Assistance League of Santa Barbara is perhaps best known for its thrift shop, the primary source of funding for the organization’s philanthropic efforts.
Each June, the organization hosts an awards ceremony for that year’s Assistance League Scholarship recipients. Pictured at the 2023 ceremony are (from left) Kassandra Garcia-Serrano, Hugo Alvarado, and Veronica Garcia.
Deepening its relationship with the Scholarship Foundation, the Assistance League hosted the judging for the Foundation’s 2023 Art Scholarship Competition.
“We are very proud of our partnership with the Scholarship Foundation and what we’ve accomplished together for county students,” said Mrs. Revlin.