DOWNEY — As the saying goes, “It’s nice to feel needed.” For Jazmine Thies, attending to areas of need is her forte.

Thies, 32, grew up in the city and is a self-proclaimed “Downey girl.” She attended Downey schools, graduating from Downey High in 2008.

She had a brief stint away from the city after leaving for college at UC Santa Barbara, where she met her future husband, Paul. The couple would marry in 2018 (on their 10-year anniversary), and live in Venice Beach while Paul attended law school at Pepperdine. They would welcome their daughter, Jade, in 2019.

Shortly thereafter, Thies’s grandmother passed away, and her mother inherited her house in Downey. Her mother gifted the home to Thies and her family, and they began renovations before moving in – and back into Downey – in 2020 shortly before the pandemic lockdown.

Opting to be a housewife and stay-at-home mom, Thies found herself in an unfamiliar, difficult position.

“I just really like to feel like I’m filling a need; I like to work,” said Thies. “Moving to Downey and not working other than being a mother, it just felt isolating, especially during the lockdown.”

Thies said she wanted to join a service organization “just to feel like I was helping, involved, and with grown-ups.”

She spoke to Eric Pierce – the Downey Patriot editor who was running for city council at the time – about some of the “laundry list” of organizations in Downey.

“I looked into several of them, but I learned the Assistance League had the [Second Tyme Around] thrift shop on Downey Avenue,” said Thies. “As much as I love talking to people, I didn’t really want to have to do fundraisers where I asked my friends to buy things from me. I really liked that there was a constant source of income with the thrift shop.

“When I came to my first meeting here, the [Casa De Parley Johnson] house was beautiful, the ladies were just so poised, and friendly, and nice, and well dressed, and I was like ‘Wow, these women are amazing.’”

In under a year, Thies was elected second vice president of Assistance League. She also created and began managing an Instagram page for Second Tyme Around.

“There just wasn’t much visibility,” said Thies. “Thrifting is popular and great, and it just seemed like we should have a presence, even if not for the actual Assistance League - because the actual Assistance League organization doesn’t have an Instagram page – but, I thought if I start one for the thrift shop, it’ll just get the visibility out; more money spent at the thrift shop means more money to do our philanthropic programs, and it’s just a way for people to know we exist.”

With her term recently up, she recently accepted a new role as Assisteens Coordinator.

“It was a position that was held for the last four or five years by a group of four women who have done an amazing job, but each of them have massive commitments apart from Assistance League, and they just couldn’t continue to do it,” said Thies. “Like I mentioned, what I really like is just to fill needs.

“Honestly, Second Vice President was an amazing role that taught me so much about the organization, but in that position I’m really just overseeing the individual chairmen that run the different programs…I wasn’t really running them, and so I felt there was a greater need to run the Assisteens, so it was an easy choice to switch over. I really enjoyed volunteering when I was in high school, so I feel like I can relate to these kids who do have a desire to volunteer at this young age.”

According to Thies, there is an unwritten understanding in the Assistance League to take on a new role for at least a few years. She predicts she’ll continue as Assisteens Coordinator until at least her daughter starts elementary school.

“With this group, I see myself doing it for at least four years because I think it will be really special to see the kids that came in as freshmen graduate.”

Then, who knows? One thing is for sure: she’ll go – of course – where she is needed.

“I don’t see myself leaving the Assistance League of Downey, even if I step down and don’t hold a board position, or am not Assisteens Coordinator. This group won me over immediately, so even if I’m just a voting member, I’m not going to leave.

“I didn’t see myself as doing this role as Assisteens Coordinator, it’s just there was a need. I didn’t see myself as becoming the Vice President, it’s just there was a need. I really just like to feel needed, so we’ll see where there’s a need in four years or more.”

Jazmine Thies goes where she is needed