Judith Harriman, Mary Laub and Sue Trock, 2025 president of Assisting Lives in Las Vegas, inside Our School Boutique

Assisting Lives in Las Vegas Will Celebrate 50 Years of Serving

BY DEBBIE HALL / PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ASSISTING LIVES IN LAS VEGAS

Assisting Lives in Las Vegas (ALLV), previously known as Assistance League of Las Vegas, is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status. Since its founding in 1976, the organization has enriched the lives of children and adults in need through hands-on programs, services and philanthropic initiatives. Its volunteers collectively contribute more than 65,000 hours each year to support at-risk children and families in the Las Vegas community.

Sue Trock is the current president and has been a member for 16 years in California and three years in Nevada. Her role is to ensure the organization continues its mission of serving students, children and families. She credits volunteers for their dedication and the dynamic work they do in each program.

Current programs include:

AL’s Closet: Meeting Immediate Clothing Needs in At-Risk Schools
ALLV provides emergency clothing to low-income, at-risk schools through AL’s Closet. Partnering with the Clark County School District’s (CCSD) School-Community Partnership Program, they support approximately 83 schools. Children’s clothing is not sold in the ALLV Thrift Shop, but gently used donations are bagged and delivered directly to the schools.

Desert Sage Auxiliary
Desert Sage supports local hospitals and clinics through the Angel’s Assistance Program, approved in 2002 at University Medical Center, and later expanded to additional hospitals and pediatric clinics.

UNLV HOPE Scholars Program
This partnership with CCSD, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, Desert Sage Auxiliary and UNLV assists graduating seniors who qualify as unaccompanied homeless youth. The program provides year-round housing, academic guidance and financial support for students attending UNLV.

Hope High Program
This initiative supports at-risk youth struggling with basic needs, helping to improve their life trajectory with community-based assistance.

Layettes Program
ALLV provides infant t-shirts, bodysuits, bibs, booties and caps to agencies in Clark County, including the Baby Steps prenatal program, which offers healthcare and classes for new mothers.

Operation Bear Hug
Since 1988, ALLV has provided teddy bears to children and adults in crisis throughout the community.

Our School Boutique: Dressing Students in Need in Clark County Schools (Pre-K–8)
Students from CCSD Title I-designated elementary and middle schools are referred to the boutique by their school counselors or administrators. Since 1978, students have been able to select a week’s worth of brand-new clothing, shoes and essential hygiene items. Feedback shows that students’ behavior and attendance improve when they participate.

ALLV collaborates with vendors to ensure all clothing and shoes are new. Students’ favorite colors and sizes are noted in advance, and items are tried on to confirm a good fit.

“The success stories are the members who were helped when they were students. They saw what an impact it had on their lives. How simple it was, going shopping for the first time for clothing for school that wasn’t used or ill-fitting. They want to return that to the community,” said Carole Greene, Our School Boutique chair.

Perfect Fit
Funded by the Volunteens Auxiliary, this program provides plus-size clothing for teens who shop at Our School Boutique.

Scholarships
ALLV has partnered with the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) Foundation to offer scholarships for Clark County residents pursuing higher education at CSN.

The Kids on the Block
Puppeteers perform skits for CCSD students in first through third grades to address social issues and disabilities, helping children understand others’ experiences. Topics include ADHD, bullying, divorce and learning disabilities.

Assisting Lives in Las Vegas Thrift Shop
The thrift shop offers men’s and women’s apparel and shoes (excluding children’s items), books, housewares, linens, home decor, seasonal items, antiques, collectibles and jewelry. Additional donations may include tools, sporting goods and small furniture items. Blankets, sheets and towels that are soiled are donated to animal welfare organizations.

The Top Drawer section features designer clothing and accessories at reasonable prices, including St. John Knits, Michael Kors, Donna Karan and Ugg boots. Volunteers inspect items to ensure they are clean and free of damage.

“The impact is that people come here for bargains for themselves. All the money we raise goes back into helping somebody else in the community, and it’s a nice way of giving back,” said Joanie McCarty, thrift shop chair. “The thrift shop is amazing. We keep everything in mint condition. We only put seasonals out during that season, like Christmas during Christmas, Easter during Easter and other seasons.”

McCarty joined the organization 17 years ago at her mother-in-law’s suggestion. Her mother-in-law was also a member.

“Every dollar we raise stays in the Las Vegas community, and the donation goes back to helping somebody in need. It’s a wonderful circle, with the donations, the funds, and what we return to the community. The number of people who come into our thrift shop has increased because of some of the situations, and we’ve not seen a downward turn in donations at all,” McCarty added.

The (Almost) 50-Year History Backstory

“The National Assistance League contacted three ladies, Mary Laub, Sarah Stelter and Bonnie Bryan, about developing an organization in Las Vegas. They put together a steering committee and sent an invitation list to about 100 people to hear about this organization, where we could research our community and find out where there were needs that were not being met,” explained Judith Harriman, one of the founders of the organization in 1976, and became the nonprofit’s third president at age 33.

“Once we formed it, we found out how many places there were where people were very much in need. We wanted to focus on children because they are sometimes the forgotten ones and need an advocate. One of the things we discovered was that there were children who weren’t attending school because they lacked clothing to wear. We found this out from the school district because attendance officers at that time would visit homes, and this was one of the reasons. We realized there was a real, definite need in this community, so we put together a program for clothing the students, which was one of our first programs.”

ALLV also discovered that many students didn’t have books at home. The organization created a reading program that allowed students to earn books, bookmarks, bookplates and other fun items. For those students who were too young to read yet, Harriman was one of the readers.

“I would take Fuzzy Wuzzy books so they would become engaged and get them interested in reading. That’s what we wanted to promote and then give them a book to take home with them,” Harriman said.

The original member volunteers met in the auditorium of Southwest Gas Corp. on Spring Mountain Road. “The reason we were able to meet there is because Mary [Laub] was our first president and she talked Bill, her husband, into allowing us to have our monthly meetings there free of charge for over 20 years. He made so many resources available to us. I also speak highly of him because I worked for him before I met Mary,” Harriman stated.

Harriman served on the committee that worked to secure its present chapter facility, located at 6446 W. Charleston Blvd., which took the nonprofit to a new level. In the early years, its projects were located across the valley, including Marion Cahlan Elementary School, Jim Bridger Middle School and J.D. Smith Elementary School, as the school district provided the locations. At one point, the school district built a facility on St. Louis Avenue and offered ALLV a room for its clothing program, complete with a washer and dryer.

“In 1991, we rented a store in the strip mall, which we called the Service Center, at the corner of Jones and Charleston boulevards, and we called in all the files from the previous 15 years. We had three file cabinets, and we still have them, by the way, and even got a copy machine,” Harriman said.

ALLV began searching for land in the early 1990s and discovered a parcel of undeveloped land at the corner of Shadow Lane and Alta Drive. Another buyer, however, outbid them. Their real estate broker mentioned a piece of property on Charleston Boulevard that was not for sale but thought it would be ideal for ALLV.

“The owner was a friend of many of us, and his wife had been a member of our organization. So he knew about us. He really didn’t want to sell, but we explained our plans to him, and then he sold it to us. Once we acquired the land, we began approaching various groups about potentially securing a grant. One of the first grants we looked into was the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. Judy Goolsby’s husband, John, was the head of the Howard Hughes Corp. and was on the board of trustees of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

“We submitted the grant request, and we were awarded a grant in June 1996. They would give us $3.2 million to build this building, but we had to raise $1.67 million in a very short period of time to pay off the land, create an endowment fund for the maintenance of the building and cover on-site improvements, including paving and landscaping, which were not included in the grant. I have fond memories of being on the capital campaign cabinet, raising money at the same time that I was helping facilitate the design, contracting and construction of the building because I was on the chapter facility committee, as well,” Harriman said.

50th Anniversary Celebrations

ALLV will mark its 50th anniversary in 2026 with two celebrations. The first will be Feb. 26, marking 50 years to the day since the founders signed the resolution to establish the organization in Las Vegas.

“We’re going to have an open house where we will be inviting the community to come to our chapter facility and learn more about us, give them a tour, and offer some light refreshments,” Trock said.

ALLV will also hold a member-only celebration on April 25 to recognize the outstanding work of all its member volunteers, as without their spirit and enthusiasm, none of this would be possible.

The chapter facility is located at 6446 W. Charleston Blvd. For more information, visit allv.org.

2026 Authors Luncheon

The Authors Luncheon will be held March 21 at 6446 W. Charleston Blvd., featuring local authors Amanda Skenandore, Judi Moreo, Paul Fronczak and former Nevada Gov. and U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan. The event will include a silent auction, facility tours and a boutique with handmade and thrifted items.

The program will begin at 10 a.m., followed by a luncheon where attendees can meet the authors, hear about their work and purchase signed copies of their books.

Tickets are $100 per person through Feb. 15 at allv.org (plus credit card processing fees). After that date, tickets are $120. Sponsorships are also available. Proceeds support ALLV’s philanthropic programs serving thousands in the Las Vegas community.