More than 550 students at Cozine Elementary School in North Las Vegas walked away with duffle bags stuffed full of clothes, shoes and a blanket this week, after a local nonprofit pulled off something it had never managed in five decades of service: clothing an entire student body at once. Volunteers with Assisting Lives in Las Vegas delivered the bags directly to the school, filling a need that ran from the classroom closet to kids' closets at home.
According to KTNV, this marked the first time in the organization's five-decade history that it had clothed every single student at a school. Each duffle bag contained three pairs of pants, six shirts, six pairs of underwear, six pairs of socks, a hoodie, a blanket, a pair of shoes and a hygiene kit, the station reported. Volunteers coordinated with parents ahead of time to make sure the clothing sizes actually fit.
For one student named Diego, the moment landed like a holiday. He said the delivery felt like Christmas, and that he felt grateful, per the station's report. Pam Foltz, with the nonprofit, said she was amazed watching the kids' reactions as they opened their bags.
A Partnership Years in the Making
Cozine Elementary and Assisting Lives in Las Vegas have worked together for years, and the relationship runs deeper than a single delivery. The school itself is named after Linda Cozine, a longtime volunteer with the organization, the same account notes. Principal Dr. Jodi Notch said the clothing effort gives children an opportunity to come to school prepared and ready to learn.
A Nonprofit Built on Volunteer Hours
Assisting Lives in Las Vegas describes itself as an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving children and adults in need, according to the organization's website. It says it was founded in 1976, and its members now contribute more than 65,000 volunteer hours annually to at-risk children and families.
The group runs a broader clothing effort known as AL's Closet, though published figures on its reach diverge. The nonprofit's own site states the program has provided more than 13,500 items of clothing to 91 schools, while a Chic Compass article puts the number at approximately 83 schools supported. Per the nonprofit, each participating school or agency receives an annual budget of $1,500 for new clothing and essentials, and schools are chosen by partnering with the Clark County School District's School-Community Partnership Program to identify those with the most immediate need.
Chic Compass also notes that since 1978, students have been able to select a week's worth of brand-new clothing, shoes and hygiene items through a related effort called Our School Boutique. The Cozine Elementary delivery stands apart from that ongoing work, representing the first time the nonprofit has outfitted an entire school's student body in one coordinated push rather than through its regular rotating programs.
